Abbott signs Texas school voucher program into law
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Gov. Greg Abbott on April 23. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday signed legislation creating a $1 billion program that gives families state money for private school tuition.
Why it matters: The passage of the private school voucher program is a major, long-fought win for Abbott, who spent millions reshaping the Texas Legislature to gain the votes he needed.
Catch up quick: The Texas House last month approved Senate Bill 2, which will spend up to $1 billion over the next two years to create educational savings accounts, a form of vouchers. The program's annual cost could balloon to $4.8 billion by 2030, though the Legislature would have to approve that spending, per a legislative budget analysis.
- Supporters say vouchers provide more options for families, including at religious schools. Under state accountability ratings released in April, 22.4% of rated campuses received a D or F — considered failing by the state.
- Opponents say vouchers cut into public school funding and enrollment.
Zoom in: The voucher program, which would be one of the largest in the country, will give participating families a total equal to 85% of what public schools get for each student in state and local funding, or between $10,300 and $10,900 per year per child, according to the analysis.
- Priority eligibility would go to families who have low incomes or children with disabilities if demand for the program exceeds its budget. The program is open to families of any income, including those who already send their children to private school.
- Children without legal immigration status are not eligible, which has raised questions about the constitutionality of the program. All children in the U.S. have a right to public education, despite immigration status.
State of play: Vouchers enjoyed wide support from Republicans this year, ultimately leaving Democrats, a minority in both chambers, powerless to stop its passage. In previous years, Democrats joined with rural Republicans to successfully block voucher bills.
- Final passage of the bill came on April 24 in the Senate.
Flashback: After Abbott's signature legislation did not pass during the regular session and in four special sessions in 2023, the governor helped oust 11 Republican lawmakers who opposed school vouchers in the 2024 GOP primary.
- Abbott said he wouldn't sign a school funding bill without vouchers, leaving districts without enough money to keep pace with inflation. Some districts have closed schools to make ends meet.
What they're saying: "It is time that we put our children on a pathway to having the No. 1 ranked education system in the United States of America," Abbott said during a signing ceremony on Saturday.
- "The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that's best for their child," he added.
The other side: "The governor bought himself a Legislature and it's our kids and our educators who'll pay the bill — as always," Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, wrote in a statement.
- "Every laid-off educator and shuttered neighborhood school is Greg Abbott's handiwork, and the only way back from this self-made disaster is for the millions of Texans who oppose this voucher scam to give him his pink slip at the ballot box."
What's next: The program will launch at the start of the 2026-27 school year. It's likely public education advocates will sue to stop it.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the latest comments from Gov. Greg Abbott.