Senate Bill 2 was passed in the State Senate and awaits approval from the Texas House.
SAN ANTONIO — Senate Bill 2, which would give families the means to choose between a private or public education, currently awaits approval in the Texas House.
What does that mean for Bexar County?
School vouchers don’t impact every family or student in Texas and there’s a budget in place which creates limitations Texans need to know about.
$1 billion: That’s what the Education Savings Account (ESA) program needs in funding if passed in the Texas House. That would only cover 100,000 out of more than 5 million students in Texas.
Data shows a total of 5.5 million children, or 10% percent of the national population of students, attend public school in Texas.
The state did receive just over $85 billion in state and federal dollars in 2023 according to the TEA.
Because of limited funding with ESAs, it’s already noted that 80% of the spots will be given to certain children.
According a legislative analysis, the TEA states students leaving public school would be limited by the capacity at private institutions. The agency estimates private school enrollment could increase by 10% each year as a result.
“There is not the capacity to send all of those students to private institutions,” said Alejandra Lopez, president of the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, which represents staff in the area.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are 607 public schools and just over 80 private institutions in Bexar County.
“It’s our public schools that our parents depend on,” Lopez said.
Private schools do have a say in who they accept based on their criteria, whereas public schools have to accept all children.
The bill promises $10,000 to families for each child they have and $11,500 for a student with a disability.
While the cost for tuition ranges, some San Antonio schools like Saint Mary’s Hall start at $21,000 for kindergarten while San Antonio Christian School’s high school tuition starts at $17,000. You can read Senate Bill 2 here.
