Voucher vote updates: Texas House approves voucher proposal

The Texas House gave initial approval to its priority school voucher legislation early Thursday, marking an end to years of resistance at the lower chamber to proposals that would use taxpayer dollars for private schooling.

Senate Bill 2 passed 85-63, largely along party lines.

The bill would provide $1 billion for families to access roughly $10,000 per student from education savings accounts, a form of voucher program, allowing roughly 79% of Texas students to be eligible. Only one amendment was added to the bill by its author, Rep. Brad Buckley, which provided only minor adjustments.

Democrats spent their final statements on the bill chastising Republicans for signing on to the proposal and expressing concern about the impact the voucher program would have on struggling public schools. Republicans like Rep. Hillary Hickland of Belton thanked her colleagues for passing the legislation and Gov. Greg Abbott for his leadership on the issue, saying the program will provide new educational opportunities for Texas families.

Abbott released a statement shortly after the vote, thanking Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and others for the “extraordinary victory” in passing the bill out of both chambers.

“When it reaches my desk, I will swiftly sign this bill into law, creating the largest day-one school choice program in the nation and putting Texas on a pathway to becoming the best state in America for educating our kids,” Abbott said in the statement.

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— Ayden Runnels

More than 40 amendments to Senate Bill 2 filed by Democrats were tabled consecutively by Republicans, a process of attrition that seemingly left GOP representatives unmoved and pushed the hearing into early Thursday.

The House took a brief recess just after 8:30 p.m., during which Democrats met and discussed plans after an amendment asking for the voucher program to be placed on the ballot failed, the party’s final major push to put the bill off-balance. Since coming back to order, Democratic representatives have laid out dozens of amendments, which were introduced by their authors many times as “very simple.”

The suggested changes ranged from requiring STAAR assessments in private schools to outlawing elected officials from enrolling their children in the voucher program. Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, has defended altering the bill and moved to table every single amendment, providing brief explanations to the motions.

Other amendments were less substantive in their proposed effect. Amendment 37, from Democratic Caucus leader Gene Wu, would rename SB 2 to Siphoning Classroom Assets for Millionaires, or SCAM, Act. Buckley did not provide comment on Amendment 37.

Even with the continued tabling of their amendments, Democrats remained resolute on the floor. Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos’ shout of “Members, the fight is not over,” was met with cheers as she laid out her second amendment. Still, all seven of the Richardson Democrat’s amendments were struck down by House Republicans.

— Ayden Runnels

The Texas House rejected a bid by Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, to put the school voucher proposal up for a statewide vote on the November ballot.

The amendment to the House voucher bill was shot down early Wednesday evening by a vote of 86 to 62. Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, was the only Republican who joined Democrats in supporting the amendment.

Seeking bipartisan support, Talarico noted that the idea for the amendment arose from former GOP Gov. Rick Perry and a group of conservative activists. He added that there was “growing bipartisan support” among House members as recently as “a few days ago,” but alleged that Gov. Greg Abbott had persuaded Republicans to reject the amendment by threatening to veto their bills and target them in their upcoming primaries.

Talarico urged members to support the amendment to underscore the Legislature’s independence from the executive branch.

“The last time I checked, we still had separation of powers in this state,” Talarico said. “The last time I checked, this was still the people's House, not the governor's House. All of that is at risk with this vote on this amendment. So, regardless of where you are on this bill, I'm asking you to stand with me on this amendment.”

Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, said Talarico’s allegations were unfounded.

“This is absolutely not true,” Mahaleris said in a statement. “Governor Abbott has been speaking with members encouraging them to vote for school choice.”

A wave of additional amendments followed Talarico’s, all filed by Democratic representatives and aiming to clamp certain aspects of the bill. They were similarly shut down.

Several of those amendments sought in different ways to cap how much state money can be used for vouchers, including proposals to only allow spending on vouchers if teacher pay in the state matches national averages or to remove the expiration date on the program’s spending limit. The bill currently calls for the voucher program not to exceed $1 billion during its first two years.

There are still more than 50 amendments left for lawmakers to consider. So far only one has passed, filed by Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado. Those adjustments, which made minor language fixes and added some concessions to the bill, include requiring private schools to have operated for at least two years before being eligible to receive money from the voucher program and bolstering audits on student eligibility for the voucher program.

— Jasper Scherer and Ayden Runnels

Young protesters at the Capitol spoke out on Wednesday against the school voucher plan. Here is a sample of their comments.

• Cameron Samuels, executive director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas and a graduate of Katy Independent School District: “Certain lawmakers want to call these proposals for vouchers as a means of supporting parental or school choice. But these proposals leave students out of the conversation. They don't give students agency. They only deprive us of those resources for the schools that we are in.”
• Rodo Rendon, a senior at Texas A&M International University: Lawmakers should use their power “to help all people that you represent, not just those who favor you or align with your values.”
• Alihanuwa Ale-Opinion, a University of Houston student and graduate of Cypress Ranch High School: “Vouchers often don't cover full tuition, especially for students with high support needs like disabled students. So the benefits only go to those who can afford the thousands out of pocket remaining in tuition. Even worse, vouchers help reinforce exclusion and discrimination because private schools can legally turn away students for disability status, gender identity, sexuality, or any other arbitrary characteristic.”
• Preston Salazar, a senior at Texas A&M International University: “I don't think that they're going around to communities actually speaking to people. They're trying to play politics, they're trying to keep their position, they're trying to keep corporate backers from being able to fund their campaigns. Especially in Texas, they don't really care about the people.”

— Sofia Sorochinskaia

The Texas House on Wednesday gave initial approval to its priority school funding legislation.

House Bill 2 passed on a bipartisan 144-4 vote.

The bill would also increase districts’ base money per student, raise teacher salaries, limit the use of educators without formal classroom training and improve special education by allocating funding based on the individual needs of children with disabilities.

Republicans during hours of debate celebrated the bill as a worthwhile $8 billion investment in public education. Democrats also voiced support for the legislation but argued that it barely scratches the surface of what districts need. Many school districts are currently grappling with challenges ranging from budget deficits and teacher shortages to campus closures.

Lawmakers sparred over other aspects of the legislation — from whether the Legislature should continue to invest heavily in compensatory education, which offers support to underserved students at risk of dropping out of school, to how the state should hold charter schools accountable for mismanagement.

Upon final passage, HB 2 will go to the Senate for further consideration. That chamber has already passed a number of similar school funding proposals — though top lawmakers there have expressed opposition to increasing schools' base funding this session.

Base funding for each student, otherwise known as the basic allotment, offers districts flexibility to address the unique needs of their campuses, which includes staff salaries, utilities and maintenance. The Senate has instead advocated for more targeted funding in areas like teacher pay, school security and special education.

Both the school voucher legislation and HB 2 have advanced through the Legislature side-by-side this session, a strategic move by Republican leadership looking to show that the state can both increase funding for public education and offer an alternative that would allow some families to put public dollars toward their children’s private education. Schools missed out on nearly $8 billion last legislative session, which Abbott held hostage when vouchers failed to gain the support needed to pass.

Voucher opponents have long criticized the state for pushing for education savings accounts while public schools struggle with challenges like a nearly $2 billion special education funding gap and campus closures.

— Jaden Edison

During the debate over House Bill 2, Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, posed a series of questions to Rep. Brad Buckley, the Salado Republican chair of the House Public Education Committee, over whether the measure’s $8 billion investment would solve the financial struggles of Texas schools.

The questions reflected a strategy by Talarico to illustrate that while the state hopes to invest more money into public schools this session, many districts may still have to endure challenges — like budget deficits and campus closures — in large part due to stagnant funding over the last six years.

In 2019, Texas passed landmark school finance legislation, the last time the state raised the base amount of money per student.

Buckley did not directly state that his bill would not address all of the financial pressures of districts. He instead focused his attention on the multibillion-dollar investment the Legislature hopes to make this session, which includes money through HB 2 and other legislation under consideration.

He acknowledged the inflationary pressures currently choking schools. The House education chair also encouraged Talarico to speak with other lawmakers about what HB 2 would accomplish for their respective districts.

“I just want to emphasize, members, you have an opportunity today to cast a vote for the largest investment in public education in the history of our state, and so we will continue this process as this body returns session after session to make sure the resources are there for our schools,” he said.

Members of the public viewing the debate from the House gallery erupted in laughter and applause in support of Talarico’s questioning. Talarico and those in the gallery did not appear satisfied with Buckley’s answers.

“I'm going to take that as a no until I get a yes,” Talarico said.

— Jaden Edison

Several dozen protesters gathered at the Texas Capitol Wednesday morning to oppose school vouchers. Demonstrators chanted slogans like “Fund our schools,” “No to vouchers,” and “Let the people vote.” Protesters filled two floors of the Capitol rotunda and stood outside the House chamber.

The protest was organized by the Texas Freedom Network, a nonprofit that advocates for civil rights and public education. Its executive director, Felicia Martin, told the crowd:

“It's my child's future. It's your child's future. But today that future is under attack because school vouchers will defer to our public school kids.”

Several lawmakers joined the protest, including Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Dallas, who shared her story as the daughter of immigrants who benefited from public schools.

“When I had my first day of school, I could barely speak English,” Plesa said. ”And it was my teachers, my counselors, who invested in me.”

Glenda Atkinson, one protester, said she joined the rally because she believes in the value of public education and is worried that schools can lose funding.

“The result of vouchers in other states has not been a success,” Atkinson said. “It's a waste of public money, and I believe public money, public tax money, should go to everyone, not a few.”

— Sofia Sorochinskaia

President Donald Trump told House Republicans that a Texas voucher program is key to his national education agenda in a call during their Wednesday morning caucus meeting.

The president called Gov. Greg Abbott during the meeting, Texas House Republican Caucus Chair Tom Oliverson told The Blast. Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, called it a “remarkable live phone call,” during which Trump gave a shoutout to House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley, the chamber’s point person on vouchers.

“We just heard from President Trump — actually called in to our own meeting and encouraged us and told us about his plans for education at the federal level, and how what we’re doing today fits in with his agenda, and is an important piece of his agenda,” Oliverson said.

Trump waded into the Texas House Republican primaries last spring, when Abbott launched his campaign that ousted several anti-voucher members. Several of those backed by Trump and Abbott were in attendance.

Trump last month signed an executive order to close down the U.S. Department of Education, calling it part of his mission for “parent empowerment.”

“The time for universal school choice has come,” Trump said. “As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right.”

It is not the first time Trump has gotten involved in the push for vouchers in Texas this session. In February, Trump fired a missive on social media praising the Texas Senate’s swift passage of its voucher bill while warning the House that he “will be watching them closely.”

Abbott met with the House Republican Caucus at the Capitol on Wednesday morning to discuss what could be a narrowly decided vote on creating a private school voucher program, his top priority of the session. Abbott has attempted to quash any changes to the voucher proposal.

— Renzo Downey and Jasper Scherer

Renzo Downey is the lead writer of our premier politics newsletter, The Blast, which delivers exclusive reporting, nonpartisan analysis and the first word on political moves across the state. Subscribe today.

For years, school voucher proposals routinely languished with little hope of advancing in the Legislature. While the Senate has reliably approved policies that would let families use tax dollars to pay for their children’s private schooling, such a proposal has never made it through the House.

That changed in 2022, when Abbott adopted education savings accounts, a form of school vouchers, as his top legislative priority, partly in response to some parents’ frustration over school closures during the pandemic and the perception among conservatives that public schools were a hotbed of liberal indoctrination.

With Abbott spearheading the push, 63 House Republicans voted for a voucher program last session — not enough to pass the proposal, but more progress than ever before and a baseline for Abbott to build on in last year’s primaries. The governor and several deep-pocketed voucher groups spent millions to replace more than a dozen anti-voucher Republicans with freshmen who support “school choice” — the umbrella term supporters use for measures that provide taxpayer funds to pay for some children’s private schooling.

After the November elections, Abbott declared there were 79 “hardcore school choice proponents” in the House. A narrow majority of 76 Republican members has signed on in support of the House’s voucher bill, just enough to pass in the 150-member chamber.

While the Senate sprinted out of the gate and passed its voucher proposal, Senate Bill 2, in early February, it took more than two months for the bill to clear the House Public Education Committee and be sent to the floor for a vote of the full chamber.

— Jasper Scherer

The House’s voucher plan would put $1 billion in taxpayer dollars toward education savings accounts that families could use for private school tuition and other school-related expenses, like textbooks, transportation and therapy. The bill would tie the voucher program’s per-student dollars to public education funding so the amount available to each participating student would increase when public schools receive more money and dip when public education funding declines.

Most participating families would receive an amount equal to 85% of what public schools get for each student through state and local funding — roughly somewhere between $10,300 and $10,900 per year for each child, according to a recent legislative budget analysis. Children with disabilities would be eligible for the same funding as other students, plus up to $30,000 in additional money, an amount based on what the state would regularly spend on special education services for that student if they attended a public school. Home-schoolers could receive up to $2,000 per year.

The proposal would limit the state from spending more than $1 billion on the program during the first two years of implementation. If public demand exceeds the funding available, the bill would give priority eligibility to students with disabilities and families it considers low income.

Unlike public schools, which are generally required by law to educate every child in their community who seeks admission, the bill would not require private schools to accept certain students who do not meet their admissions standards.

It would also limit funding for people without disabilities or from wealthier households — defined as a family of four making about $156,000 or greater — to only 20% of the program’s total budget until after the 2026-27 school year.

In addition, the proposal would prioritize students who exit public schools over those already enrolled in private schools for the first school year. Budget experts estimate that about 24,500 public school students, out of the state’s 5.5 million, would leave for private schools that year.

— Jaden Edison

If the House approves its voucher bill, it would still have to reconcile some differences between its proposal and the Senate’s, like how much money students would receive, which applicants would take priority and how to accommodate students with disabilities.

While the House wants to provide families an amount equal to 85% of what public schools get for each student through state and local funding, the Senate is proposing a base amount of $10,000 for each student.

If public demand for the House’s voucher program exceeds the funding available, it would prioritize applicants in this order:

• Students with disabilities from families with an annual income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level, which includes any four-person household earning less than roughly $156,000
• Families at or below 200% of the poverty level, which includes any four-person household earning less than roughly $62,400
• Families between 200% and 500% of the poverty level
• Families at or above 500% of the poverty level

Meanwhile, the Senate version would reserve 80% of spots in its voucher program for public school students with disabilities or those from households with an annual income up to 500% of the federal poverty level. That means the state would equally prioritize, for example, a family of four earning roughly $40,560 per year and a family of four with an income of about $156,000. The remaining 20% of spots could go to all other eligible applicants.

The Senate’s voucher plan would provide $11,500 for students with disabilities, diverging from the $30,000 cap in the House proposal. The House version also includes a provision that would allow a private school parent to request that their local public school evaluate a child with a disability to determine if they’re eligible to receive special education services.

Federal law already requires public schools to fund and conduct those evaluations for private school students under certain circumstances, but the House wants the evaluations completed within 45 days.

— Jaden Edison

Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, House Democrats are threatening to kill all proposed constitutional amendments for the rest of the legislative session unless the lower chamber moves to put school vouchers up for a statewide vote on the November election ballot.

The move comes as Abbott is attempting to quash any changes to the voucher proposal, including the bill amendment that would have Texans weigh in on the proposed program.

Vouchers have historically failed when brought to voters in other states. Last year, voters in Kentucky and Nebraska — where President Donald Trump, a supporter of such measures, cruised to victory — said no to vouchers.

Texas lawmakers serving rural communities have faced intense public pressure this session to oppose the Legislature’s school voucher proposals. The Liberty County Republican Party, for example, adopted a resolution earlier this month opposing the legislation. The group also urged residents to contact Republican Rep. Janis Holt of Silsbee — their Texas House representative — “to express their opposition to this dangerous expansion of government power.”

Meanwhile, Reps. Brad Buckley, the Salado Republican who chairs the House education committee, and Cody Harris, a Palestine Republican, in February exited the stage of a voucher town hall meeting earlier than expected following booing and jeering from a crowd of public school supporters.

Recent changes in the House legislation have also signaled a desire by top Republicans to appease lawmakers feeling pressure from their communities or who are on the fence about whether to vote for the voucher bill.

The House’s $1 billion cap for the first two years of a potential voucher program came after critics raised concerns that lawmakers are downplaying the amount of money the state could spend on vouchers during the initial rollout. The 20% funding cap for wealthier families during the 2026-27 school year followed persistent messaging from Democrats about how large-scale voucher programs in other states have primarily benefited higher-income families whose children were already attending private school. Lawmakers also recently approved a change to the bill that would allow only U.S. citizens or people lawfully in the country to receive vouchers. Immigration remains a top priority for conservative Republicans in Texas and nationally.

The House Public Education Committee made each of those changes during a meeting that the panel decided not to publicly livestream. Several TV news stations did so instead.

Hundreds of Texans showed up at the Capitol weeks before that to testify on the voucher legislation, with the public hearing going almost 24 hours. Most speakers said they opposed the program.

— Jaden Edison