After nearly 30 years of stalled efforts, Texas is in line to become the largest state with a universal private school choice program. The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives approved a $1 billion measure Thursday—which gets the legislation closer than ever to the governor’s desk.
The bill’s passage represents a shift in the state, where rural Republicans have for years trounced private school vouchers over concerns that the program would pull funding from the state’s public schools. But Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s strong push to carry the measure over the finish line—with a campaign that sought to unseat the Republicans who previously denied the bill’s passage—ultimately won out.
The school choice program—which cleared the chamber in an 86-61 vote, with two Republicans voting against the measure—would begin in fall 2025. Open to all K-12 students, it would be the largest initial foray into school choice a state has made yet.
“We’re seeing such confidence in school choice that states are stepping forward with monster programs year one, and that’s a huge change in the narrative of school choice,” said Katherine Munal Schulze, policy and advocacy director for EdChoice, an organization that promotes school choice. “For years we were seeing small tax credit scholarships, very small specific [education savings accounts] for specific groups of families. Texas is changing that narrative with a step forward in such a massive program.”
Advocates have championed efforts across the nation to expand school choice, saying it gives more power to families to find educational programs that work for their children. But opponents have argued that it redirects resources from public schools and excludes the students advocates argue it would help: students with disabilities and students from low-income families.
For school choice advocates, the bill’s passage in Texas is the latest state-level victory pushing school choice. But there’s a broader effort brewing at the federal level, with President Donald Trump seeking to expand private school choice.
In Texas, the passage has been years in the making
In Texas, the measure passed by the House would provide families up to $10,000 per student, $30,000 for children with disabilities, and $2,000 for home-schooled students. Total program expenses can’t exceed $1 billion, according to the bill. The distribution of the ESA would prioritize students from low-income families and students with disabilities, if demand exceeds the program’s capacity, according to the bill’s supporters.
The state House and Senate must first reconcile their versions of the bill, but the House’s vote Thursday all but ensures a school choice measure will go to Abbott, who said in a statement he would sign the measure when it reaches his desk.
“This is an extraordinary victory for the thousands of parents who have advocated for more choices when it comes to the education of their children,” Abbott said.
The House also on Thursday passed a public school funding bill, which would send $7.7 billion to public schools, raising the amount districts receive per student and elevating teacher salaries, the Texas Tribune reported.
Private school choice is an umbrella term for state-funded programs that provide parents with public funds that they can spend on options outside of the public school system. Across the country, 29 states and the District of Columbia have some kind of private school choice program, according to an Education Week tracker. Twenty states have tax-credit scholarships, 16 have education savings accounts, 10 states and the District of Columbia have vouchers, five have direct tax credits, and two have a tax-credit education savings account.
Once Abbott signs the Texas measure, the Lone Star state will become the fourth state this year to pass a universal private school choice measure, following Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming.
Though the Lone Star State is “late to the party,” it is coming with a policy design that reflects the growing push around school choice—universal eligibility, and a statewide scope, said Patrick Wolf, a professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas.
“That’s sort of their advantage of being a late mover; they are entering the school choice arena with the policy designs that many of the advocacy organizations think are ideal now,” Wolf said.
Though related bills have historically passed in the state Senate, many House Republicans have challenged school choice, arguing that it wouldn’t benefit rural communities. Rural students have fewer private school options than students from urban areas, and this bill could leave kids in these communities with less resources, GOP lawmakers have previously argued.
But Abbott made school choice a top priority. After a 2023 bill failed to secure the necessary votes from Republicans, the governor ran an intense campaign against Republican lawmakers who sunk the program—ultimately unseating 14 of the 21 legislators.
During the debate, Democrats brought up their eligibility concerns and whether low-income and students with disabilities would benefit from school choice. While eligible students could have the choice to attend private school, whether they attend depends on the school’s decision to accept them first, one representative pointed out.
“So it’s not so much school choice as it is the school’s choice?” asked Democratic Rep. James Talarico.
Talarico also argued that the money could be used for public schools instead.
“That billion dollars that we’re sending to parents who already have their kids in private school—if we sent it to our underfunded public schools, we could raise teacher pay by another $3,000,” Talarico said.
Disability rights advocates raised concerns about how helpful the program would be for students with disabilities.
“I think it’s very fair to say that this [program] will benefit a handful of families of students with particular kinds of disabilities that match up well with certain specialized schools, but by and large, students with disabilities at public schools, they’re not gonna have any more choice tomorrow than they already have today,” said Steven Aleman, a senior policy specialist at Disability Rights Texas.
Opponents of such legislation nationally have argued the programs strip public schools of funding, and leave out vulnerable students. Existing school choice vouchers typically benefit wealthier students who already attend private schools, said Josh Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State who researches school choice.
Cowen said students more likely to not be accepted into a program (or who are but are later pushed out) are more likely to be Black, come from single-parent households, or be from low-income families.
“Vouchers work for people if you’re already in private school and you want a cash subsidy, and your family is already going that route,” he said. “They don’t work very well, if at all, for kids who are in public schools and might be looking for additional options.”
There’s an accelerating push for private school choice at the national level
Voters in statewide votes have repeatedly rejected efforts to expand private school choice. But Trump has long prioritized school choice. He threw his weight behind the Texas measure, calling Abbott on Wednesday to press for the bill’s passage.
“I just think it’s a really forward-thinking vote. There’s nothing complex about it, you’re not going to get hurt by it. Actually, it’s almost the opposite: People really want it,” Trump told Abbott. “Whatever I can do, let me know. If you want me to come in, I’ll also come in.”
Since Trump’s first term, school choice has gained more popularity among lawmakers. Texas represents the biggest push at the state level to shepherd in more school choice programs.
At the federal level, Trump has been fairly limited in what he’s able to do to expand school choice; he signed an executive order early in his second term to press federal agencies to expand options as they are able.
But Congress is weighing more expansive legislation, like a $5 billion measure that would allow individual taxpayers a tax credit for donations to organizations that provide private-school scholarships to K-12 students.
“It was a major plank in the Republican platform during the 2024 election,” Wolf said. “There is a sense that school choice has found its moment, and we’re seeing this with the victories, particularly in rural Republican states.”
2025-04-17 23:05:31
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