AUSTIN — The Texas Legislature’s biggest political fight drew hundreds of people to the Capitol complex Tuesday to have their voices heard on a proposal to allow taxpayer dollars to be spent on private school education.
A public hearing on House Bill 3, a proposal to create education savings accounts to help families pay for private schools, drew supporters and critics to the Capitol in a lengthy hearing that stretched from early morning into the night.
By 5:30 p.m., 717 people had signed up to testify on the bill, with 211 registered in support and 487 against. Their presence stretched the capacity at the Capitol as three overflow rooms were opened to meet the demand.
Political leaders held dueling late-morning events, including an outdoor rally for opponents on Capitol grounds as Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, spoke in favor of school choice at a conservative think tank several blocks away.
Supporters of the bill sang hymns in the Capitol Rotunda while Democratic House members led a news conference calling the proposal a “voucher scam.” Abbott’s office responded regularly on social media, defending the proposal and accusing Democrats of spreading misinformation.
The Senate passed a similar school choice bill on Feb. 5, quickly approving Abbott’s top legislative priority. The House has worked slower, and the stakes there are much higher after several Republicans who blocked a similar bill in 2023 were unseated in bruising 2024 GOP primaries.
On several occasions, the author of the House proposal, Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, framed HB 3 as “empowering parents to choose the educational path that best fits their child’s needs.”
“House Bill 3 provides this choice while prioritizing Texas’ most high-needs and vulnerable students,” Buckley said near the outset of the hearing.
Democrats peppered Buckley with questions, including many focused on the program’s universal access, which would allow households of all income levels to apply for state assistance to pay for private school. The bill creates prioritized access based on income levels if more parents apply than funds are available.
“No one here is disputing that parents should always have the right to choose whatever education is best for them,” Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, said. “The question before us is, what should taxpayers fund?”
Greta and Miracle Alexander, a mother and daughter from Fort Worth, were waiting for their chance to speak in favor of the bill.
Greta Alexander, 58, adopted Miracle after she was born to an incarcerated family member and said she has seen first-hand the failures of public schools after her youngest son Terrance came into contact with illegal drugs at public schools. Terrance died from drug-related issues, she said.
Miracle Alexander, 17, said she has been excelling at Temple Christian School, a parochial school in eastern Fort Worth with tuition ranging from $9,680 to $12,320, according to the school’s website.
The average private school tuition in Texas was $9,831 in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Texas Private School Association. In Dallas, some schools have tuition that can reach nearly $40,000 for high school.
“I love my school, and for me, I have to be challenged in order to stay focused,” Miracle Alexander said, listing numerous honors courses she’s taking. “I’m just doing it all. It’s a little challenging at times.”
Greta Alexander said she would not be able to send Miracle to the school if not for tuition assistance. An education savings account under HB 3 would provide about $10,500 and pay for a significant portion of the tuition. Other expenses, including textbooks, tutoring, uniforms and meals, are also allowable expenses under the proposal.
The size of an education savings account could grow to $30,000 for special education students under HB 3.
GOP budget writers have set the initial price tag for HB 3 and its Senate companion at $1 billion. However, a cost estimate by a legislative advisory board estimated that it could grow to nearly $4 billion in 2030.
The initial funding takes money from a budget surplus, not from public education, and Republicans are working to pass an increase to education funding in tandem with school choice bills. Even so, opponents have said the proposal defunds public education by encouraging students to leave public schools, which would reduce the per-student allotment of state funds for affected districts.
Outside of the hearing, the pro-public education group Texas Freedom Network echoed that message.
“We will not accept the defunding of our neighborhood schools without a fight,” said Zeph Capo, president of Texas American Federation of Teachers during the rally of about 30 public education advocates.
“Make no mistake, this is an attack on public schools,” he said. “It is the playbook we all know too well: Starve schools of resources, shame them for failing to meet unrealistic expectations, and shutter and privatize them.”
Staff writer Gromer Jeffers Jr. contributed to this report.
