SAN ANTONIO – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott discussed school vouchers during an event in San Antonio.
Parent Empowerment Night, held at the private San Antonio Christian School on the far North Side, hosted the governor from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
People lined up outside the school Monday to protest Abbott’s visit.
The governor discussed school vouchers, a topic he declared an emergency during his State of the State address on Feb. 2.
This allowed lawmakers to fast-track a proposal for school choice when the Texas legislative session began last month.
Also known as “school choice,” this is a topic Texas conservatives have focused on, citing that parents should not have to keep their children in a school they believe to be unsafe or academically underperforming.
Opponents of the issue argue that public education should still be focused on and not overthrown for Christian values, as private schools in Texas often have a religious focus, according to the Texas Tribune.
According to the Texas Tribune, this proposed bill is Senate Bill 2. Under the legislation, taxpayers could pay up to $10,000 a year per student for families to fund tuition at an accredited private school.
A disabled student would receive up to $11,500 per year.
This would pay for other expenses like transportation, therapy and textbooks.
Home-schooling families would also receive up to $2,000 a year per student.
Disabled home-schooling students could receive up to $2,500 to fund therapy costs.
All families participating in the program would receive the money through education savings accounts managed by the state of Texas, the Texas Tribune said.
SB 2 has advanced in a 19-12 vote and is headed to the Texas House.
According to the Texas Tribune, a similar bill was proposed two years ago, which hit a wall when advancing to the House.
However, officials said they are more confident in their ability to create an education savings account this time around.
This is not the only education issue Gov. Abbott has made a priority.
Abbott also declared teacher pay an emergency item during the State of the State address.
This allows fast-tracked proposals. While it’s unclear exactly how teacher pay will be raised, the governor said his goal is to get teachers in Texas on a path to a six-figure income.
Gov. Abbott will also tackle funding public education. The Texas Tribune reported that the House and Senate are proposing at least a $4.85 billion funding boost to Texas schools.
Reporting by The Texas Tribune contributed to this story.
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