AUSTIN – Texas State Senators debated Senate Bill 2, authored by Senator Brandon Creighton, for hours in Austin on Wednesday.
Ultimately, Senate Bill 2 passed with a 19-12 vote in the Texas Senate.
The bill aims to create an Education Savings Account Program and is expected to pass the majority Republican Texas Senate, but not without pushback.
Opponents of the bill said the legislation is leaving public schools behind, while supporters said it provides a larger number of students a chance at private school education.
The bill would allocate taxpayer dollars from a surplus spending account to an education savings account that can then be used to pay thousands of dollars toward private and home-schooled education.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has made the Education Savings Account Program, also known as school vouchers, a major priority this year after it failed in previous sessions. State Senator Roland Gutierrez opposes the bill.
“We have 5.4 million kids in our schools to benefit 100,000 students only, and telling the rest of them to go screw themselves isn’t right,” Gutierrez said.
Genevieve Collins, the Texas director of a national libertarian conservative political advocacy group, believes the Education Savings Program is a good decision to give students more opportunities.
The number one priority on the Americans for Prosperity‘s website under the education tab is to “fund every kid.”
“Not every school meets the unique needs of each student, and we believe that your tax dollars should follow your child,” Collins said. “That way, your child is getting the benefit of what your contribution is to the education system.”
The bill was written in a way to assist low-income families but Senator Gutierrez noted that the income cap to be eligible is 500 percent higher than federal poverty guidelines. This gap between the bill’s poverty guidelines and federal poverty guidelines can also be found in the bill’s original writing online.
“They have defined lower income at $160,000,” Gutierrez said. “So, is that really benefiting poor families? I don’t think so.”
“San Antonio ISD, Northside ISD – they have great schools,” Collins said. “Their enrollment should not really be that impacted if they’re producing meaningful outcomes for students.”
Collins further elaborated on his position regarding Senate Bill 2.
“It’s going to provide more options for specifically low-income families, families with students with disabilities, and families who currently have kids that are trapped in failing public schools,” Collins said.
Senator Menendez, from San Antonio, also opposes Senate Bill 2.
“My understanding, though, under your bill is that if a family who has a special need or has a special education student receives an essay and they present it to a private school, that school does not have to accept that student, correct?” asked Senator Menendez.
“That’s correct. There can be rejection,” said Senator Creighton.
The bill faced about forty amendments, according to Senator Gutierrez, but with strong Republican support and a majority Republican Senate, it was expected to pass the senate.
The Texas House of Representatives is where the proposal has faced more pushback in the past year and where the bill will be discussed next.
Northside ISD sent KSAT this statement:
“Northside ISD believes any plans to divert public tax dollars to private entities by utilizing vouchers, tax credits, taxpayer savings grants, or tuition reimbursements with no academic or financial accountability or transparency to the state, taxpayers, or local communities should be directly opposed.”
Northeast ISD sent KSAT this statement:
“Schools receiving public tax dollars through vouchers, educational savings accounts, and other programs should answer to taxpayers and adhere to the same financial and academic accountability standards of public schools.”
