AUSTIN – Though passage of a “school choice” bill is all but certain in the Texas Senate, Democrats were not giving up without a fight Wednesday as debate began on a proposal allowing public dollars to be spent on private schools.
At least 40 amendments had been filed for Senate Bill 2. “And that number is growing,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, telling senators to expect a vote on the bill as late as 4 a.m. Thursday “Don’t plan for dinner.”
SB 2’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, faced tough questions from Democrats, saying their objections bordered on “fear-mongering hypotheticals.”
“Who are we fighting for? We are fighting for these students who need help the most,” Creighton said.
Republican budget writers have proposed spending $1 billion to create education savings accounts for Texas school children. Any student could apply for an education savings account, which could award $10,000 for private school expenses or $2,000 for homeschooled students. Those in special education would be eligible for a $11,500 education savings account.
Republicans sought to blunt damage caused by a government analysis that showed the bill’s cost ballooning to roughly $8 billion after four years. Facing friendly inquiries from Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, Creighton said the analysis lacked context because lawmakers control the size of the fund, and it cannot grow without the Legislature’s approval.
“It’s very important to have the facts about the fiscal implication,” Huffman said.
Similar proposals have passed the Republican-dominated Senate in 2023 largely on party lines.
Each was defeated in the House by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans.
Sen Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, told Creighton the bill is unfair to rural communities that lack access to private schools.
“Rural Texas gets screwed on this,” Gutierrez said.
Gov. Greg Abbott has made school choice his No. 1 policy goal for the Legislature.
How to watch
The debate and votes will be livestreamed by the Texas Senate on its website. The Senate session begins at noon, and SB 2 is the only bill set for debate Wednesday.
What is in the bill?
SB 2 would create a fund for education savings accounts, a school voucher-style program, with $1 billion from the state budget devoted to the fund. Officials have estimated it would provide enough funding for 90,000 students.
All Texas school-age children would be eligible to apply for an education savings account. Students chosen would get $10,000 to put toward a certified private school. Special education children could receive $11,500. Home-schooled children could get $2,000 to put toward their education.
The bill creates tiered access. If the number of children applying for an education savings account exceeds the $1 billion currently allocated for the fund, $800 million would be prioritized for low-income families or children receiving special education who previously attended public school.
The bill defines low income as families earning five times the federal poverty level, or about $160,000 a year for a family of four.
The remaining $200 million would be available to children of all income levels and include those who are currently in private school.
Will the bill pass?
Similar proposals have passed the Senate numerous times in previous years. Support for the bill falls largely on partisan lines in the Senate, where Republicans hold a strong majority of 20 out of 31 seats.
Patrick has boasted that SB 2 will face little resistance in the Senate, telling KTVT-TV last week that he would send the bill “like a rocket ship” to the House.
The House is a different story. In previous years, similar bills have been defeated by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans who opposed using taxpayer money for private school education.
Many House Republicans who opposed school choice retired or were unseated in bruising 2024 Republican primaries in which Abbott actively campaigned against incumbents. Abbott’s political opposition was fueled by $10 million from GOP megadonor Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania billionaire and leading school choice advocate.
Abbott has said he has at least 79 votes to pass the measure – a majority of the 150-member House.
What are the battle lines?
Powerful conservative groups, including the Austin-based think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, have lobbied aggressively for the bill’s passage. They say there is too much waste in public education and that a school choice bill empowers parents to have more say in their children’s education.
Public schools associations have been opposition leaders, arguing SB 2 would divert money from public education to private schools that do not face the same scrutiny or standards as public schools.
At a Senate hearing last week, about 75 people testified for the bill and 250 testified against it.
