Texas braces for major battle over Trump's leading education priority
State legislators appear ready to allocate $1 billion for private school scholarships.
TroibNews 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is poised to implement a $1 billion school voucher program that would allocate taxpayer funds for private school tuition, significantly advancing the conservative school choice agenda.
To realize his long-term policy objective, Abbott must navigate a delicate coalition of conservative and moderate Republicans in the Legislature, a group he has meticulously influenced to support what could become the largest voucher program in the nation.
Abbott has received critical backing from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, both of whom have heightened public pressure on Texas Republicans to endorse the initiative. “Trump supports school choice, JD Vance supports school choice, Reagan supported school choice,” Abbott remarked at a recent Texas Republicans dinner. “On the other hand, you have Obama, Biden and Harris. Which team are you on? It’s easy.”
If Texas adopts vouchers after numerous failed attempts over the years, it would represent a landmark achievement for the school choice movement, which has leveraged its extensive lobbying power across states to transform America's educational landscape. This shift would be particularly noteworthy given the setbacks of 2023, when a similar voucher initiative failed to gain traction among Republicans.
However, Abbott faces challenges in keeping the pro-voucher coalition intact as the issue evolves in the coming weeks. He has framed the debate as largely partisan, aiming to exploit divisions between Democrats and rural Republicans who have previously united against voucher proposals. Dan Talarico, a Democratic representative who staunchly opposes vouchers, expressed concerns, stating, “The cake is far from baked. Now that he’s got more votes, some of these Republican lawmakers are ... starting to imagine what our state will look like with vouchers, and that's given people some cold feet.”
Should vouchers succeed, Texas would join other Republican-dominated states like Florida, Arkansas, and Iowa in establishing extensive school choice scholarship programs, a key priority for influential backers such as former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and billionaire Jeff Yass. Proponents argue that these vouchers enhance parental rights by allowing families to select their educational paths.
Currently, 34 states and territories have some form of school choice program, with 12 offering “universal” vouchers accessible to students across income brackets. Enrollment in these programs is increasing, although data indicates that most vouchers are allocated to students already in private schools, frequently from wealthier households, with fewer students leaving public school systems.
National advocates for school choice are optimistic about Texas's potential move, which could provide vouchers for over 5 million students irrespective of their families' financial status. According to the American Federation for Children, this would mean that half of the K-12 population across the U.S. could qualify for a school choice program in their state. Nathan Cunneen, AFC’s Texas state director, labelled the proposed Texas scholarship plan as the “largest victory for school choice in history.”
In the Texas House, efforts are underway to capitalize on the Senate's momentum, where a voucher bill recently advanced. The proposal suggests offering up to 100,000 students $10,000 in vouchers for private school tuition, homeschooling costs, and educational support services.
Now it is up to the House, which previously rejected similar voucher measures due to concerns that funding would be diverted from public schools. Abbott's campaign has focused on removing obstacles, resulting in significant financial backing against lawmakers who oppose him.
Former Representative Steve Allison, one of the legislators targeted by Abbott for being at odds with the Republican caucus, noted Abbott's substantial influence: “He proved that he’s got a lot of power, a lot of money behind him...We just shouldn't be that way. And I think people are waking up to that.”
Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows commenced negotiations with a strong statement of unity; over half of the House members have co-sponsored the version of the voucher bill, which Abbott claims signals the end for adversaries.
However, the legislative process is just getting underway, as there are significant differences between the House and Senate proposals, particularly regarding student payment calculations and eligibility priorities. Talarico pointed out that several co-sponsors may be privately skeptical about vouchers and are likely to push for amendments that could alienate supporters.
Another contentious issue is the level of accountability that would accompany private schools receiving vouchers. Critics argue that public dollars should come with stringent oversight, especially since neither proposal mandates that private institutions administer state standardized tests annually.
Jennifer Easley, president of the Texas Parent Teacher Association, expressed her concerns: “We're a fiscally conservative state, and public dollars usually would come with public accountability, and that doesn't seem like what the voucher is aimed at.”
Throughout the session, Abbott has actively campaigned for school choice, engaging in discussions with state representatives and promoting these meetings on social media. As Abbott amplifies his advocacy, Trump has urged legislators to pass the school choice initiative, stating, “The Texas House must now pass School Choice to deliver a gigantic Victory for Texas students and parents.”
In fact, with Trump's involvement, Republican lawmakers who oppose the voucher bill find themselves in a challenging position, particularly as they approach upcoming reelections.
Despite only a slim majority supporting the House voucher proposal, Abbott remains confident, declaring, “School choice will soon be law.” However, with the initial committee hearing for the House bill scheduled for Tuesday, the path ahead may prove complicated.
“I applaud these members of the legislature so much because they're on the precipice of a session that's going to make Texas history,” Abbott said during the recent GOP dinner.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
To realize his long-term policy objective, Abbott must navigate a delicate coalition of conservative and moderate Republicans in the Legislature, a group he has meticulously influenced to support what could become the largest voucher program in the nation.
Abbott has received critical backing from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, both of whom have heightened public pressure on Texas Republicans to endorse the initiative. “Trump supports school choice, JD Vance supports school choice, Reagan supported school choice,” Abbott remarked at a recent Texas Republicans dinner. “On the other hand, you have Obama, Biden and Harris. Which team are you on? It’s easy.”
If Texas adopts vouchers after numerous failed attempts over the years, it would represent a landmark achievement for the school choice movement, which has leveraged its extensive lobbying power across states to transform America's educational landscape. This shift would be particularly noteworthy given the setbacks of 2023, when a similar voucher initiative failed to gain traction among Republicans.
However, Abbott faces challenges in keeping the pro-voucher coalition intact as the issue evolves in the coming weeks. He has framed the debate as largely partisan, aiming to exploit divisions between Democrats and rural Republicans who have previously united against voucher proposals. Dan Talarico, a Democratic representative who staunchly opposes vouchers, expressed concerns, stating, “The cake is far from baked. Now that he’s got more votes, some of these Republican lawmakers are ... starting to imagine what our state will look like with vouchers, and that's given people some cold feet.”
Should vouchers succeed, Texas would join other Republican-dominated states like Florida, Arkansas, and Iowa in establishing extensive school choice scholarship programs, a key priority for influential backers such as former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and billionaire Jeff Yass. Proponents argue that these vouchers enhance parental rights by allowing families to select their educational paths.
Currently, 34 states and territories have some form of school choice program, with 12 offering “universal” vouchers accessible to students across income brackets. Enrollment in these programs is increasing, although data indicates that most vouchers are allocated to students already in private schools, frequently from wealthier households, with fewer students leaving public school systems.
National advocates for school choice are optimistic about Texas's potential move, which could provide vouchers for over 5 million students irrespective of their families' financial status. According to the American Federation for Children, this would mean that half of the K-12 population across the U.S. could qualify for a school choice program in their state. Nathan Cunneen, AFC’s Texas state director, labelled the proposed Texas scholarship plan as the “largest victory for school choice in history.”
In the Texas House, efforts are underway to capitalize on the Senate's momentum, where a voucher bill recently advanced. The proposal suggests offering up to 100,000 students $10,000 in vouchers for private school tuition, homeschooling costs, and educational support services.
Now it is up to the House, which previously rejected similar voucher measures due to concerns that funding would be diverted from public schools. Abbott's campaign has focused on removing obstacles, resulting in significant financial backing against lawmakers who oppose him.
Former Representative Steve Allison, one of the legislators targeted by Abbott for being at odds with the Republican caucus, noted Abbott's substantial influence: “He proved that he’s got a lot of power, a lot of money behind him...We just shouldn't be that way. And I think people are waking up to that.”
Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows commenced negotiations with a strong statement of unity; over half of the House members have co-sponsored the version of the voucher bill, which Abbott claims signals the end for adversaries.
However, the legislative process is just getting underway, as there are significant differences between the House and Senate proposals, particularly regarding student payment calculations and eligibility priorities. Talarico pointed out that several co-sponsors may be privately skeptical about vouchers and are likely to push for amendments that could alienate supporters.
Another contentious issue is the level of accountability that would accompany private schools receiving vouchers. Critics argue that public dollars should come with stringent oversight, especially since neither proposal mandates that private institutions administer state standardized tests annually.
Jennifer Easley, president of the Texas Parent Teacher Association, expressed her concerns: “We're a fiscally conservative state, and public dollars usually would come with public accountability, and that doesn't seem like what the voucher is aimed at.”
Throughout the session, Abbott has actively campaigned for school choice, engaging in discussions with state representatives and promoting these meetings on social media. As Abbott amplifies his advocacy, Trump has urged legislators to pass the school choice initiative, stating, “The Texas House must now pass School Choice to deliver a gigantic Victory for Texas students and parents.”
In fact, with Trump's involvement, Republican lawmakers who oppose the voucher bill find themselves in a challenging position, particularly as they approach upcoming reelections.
Despite only a slim majority supporting the House voucher proposal, Abbott remains confident, declaring, “School choice will soon be law.” However, with the initial committee hearing for the House bill scheduled for Tuesday, the path ahead may prove complicated.
“I applaud these members of the legislature so much because they're on the precipice of a session that's going to make Texas history,” Abbott said during the recent GOP dinner.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
