What to know about the push for school vouchers in Texas
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A school voucher program faces good chances of passing the Texas Legislature this year, but how it's implemented is far from guaranteed.
Why it matters: Vouchers have proven a flashpoint in Texas politics in recent years, representing a sharp divide that has led to inter-party fighting.
- Many Republicans say vouchers provide more options for families, including religious ones. Democrats, and some rural Republicans, say they cut into public school funding and enrollment.
How it works: School voucher programs enable families to use public funds to pay for private schools and sometimes homeschooling supplies.
Between the lines: Rural and low-income families, families of color and children with disabilities have less access to voucher programs because of a shortage of options and competitive admissions, per a December report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education.
Flashback: Despite Gov. Greg Abbott's refusal to approve major public school funding without passage of a voucher program, it failed to pass in four special sessions in 2023.
- In a show of political muscle, Abbott last year helped oust 11 Republican lawmakers who stood against school vouchers. Former State Rep. Steve Allison, a former Alamo Heights ISD board president, was one of them.
- Abbott has since said he's committed to funding public schools this session. In response to an inquiry from Axios on Tuesday, Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze did not respond to a question about his plans for public school funding and referred questions about vouchers to the Legislature.
- Republican State Rep. Brad Buckley led voucher negotiations last session. It's unclear who will take point this year.
State of play: There are conflicting levels of support for school vouchers among Texans.
- A poll released in July by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University showed that a majority of respondents support school voucher legislation.
- But in a survey released in May from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, respondents said they disapprove of using public dollars to subsidize private school tuition.
Zoom out: At least 13 states and Washington, D.C., have some form of voucher program. Eligibility requirements vary.
- Nationally, the new Republican-led Congress and White House could codify school voucher programs into law.
What we're watching: If vouchers pass, lawmakers will have to determine how to prioritize applicants and whether the state should use any testing to measure participating students' performance, among other details, the Texas Tribune reported.
The big picture: More than 400 education-related bills have been filed this session, per an Express-News analysis.
- They include increasing funding to match inflation, allowing schools to use drones instead of armed guards and requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments, among others.