State
BY HANNAH NORTON
Texas Senate advances $1B education savings account proposal
The debate
“[The ESA funds] will possibly cover tuition, but it may not cover uniforms, transportation, lunch [or] books. So if the parents have this $10,000
In a 19-12 vote Feb. 5, Texas senators passed their rst bill of the 89th legislative session, Senate Bill 2. The proposal by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, was sent to the House. SB 2 proposes spending $1 billion annually for education savings accounts, which families could use to help cover the costs of private education. About 100,000 students would qualify for the program, Creighton said. “Across Texas public schools, despite the hard work of our teachers that we value and respect so much and the billions of dollars we spend in our state budget, many students are feeling left behind,” Creighton said on the Senate oor. “That is unacceptable.” The voucher-like proposal, also known as school choice, is a top priority of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Abbott declared education savings accounts an emergency item during his Feb. 2 State of the State address, allowing lawmakers to bypass a constitutional rule that generally prevents them from passing legislation during the rst 60 days of the session. The Texas Senate passed several education savings account bills in 2023, which were shot down by a coalition of House Democrats
but they can’t a ord to make up the di erence, are they really eligible?” SEN. JOSÉ MENÉNDEZ, D SAN ANTONIO
Sen. Brandon Creighton, R Conroe, discusses Senate Bill 2 during a Jan. 28 hearing.
“The message I would leave you with is: anything helps. There are thousands of families in Texas that are low-income or middle-
HANNAH NORTON COMMUNITY IMPACT
and Republicans from rural areas. Abbott has expressed con dence the plan would make it to his desk this year after several pro-voucher Republicans were elected to the House in November. Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, led a separate education savings account proposal, House Bill 3, on Feb. 20. HB 3 would give most participants a stipend equal to 85% of the state and local funds that public schools receive per student. This was about $12,800 during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency. Neither measure had been scheduled for a House committee hearing as of Feb. 21.
income that are struggling to pay for private school out of pocket already.” NATHAN CUNNEEN, STATE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN FEDERATION FOR CHILDREN
Also of note
Senators also discussed public schools Feb. 5 after some Texans raised concerns during a Jan. 28 committee hearing that an education savings account program would divert money from public education. Creighton noted billions of new dollars for public schools were included in initial drafts of the 2026-27 budget. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, asked Creighton for his “commitment that the next bill we’re going to see for education will be an investment in our teachers.” Creighton said that would be the case, adding that Abbott also deemed raising salaries for public school teachers an emergency priority during his State of the State address. During a Feb. 20 hearing, the Senate Education Committee unanimously approved SB 26, a nearly $5 billion proposal that would mandate raises for third- and fth-year teachers. The proposal was sent to the full Senate.
Breaking down the bill Senate Bill 2 would give families an annual stipend to spend on tuition, textbooks, transportation and other educational expenses, including: $10,000 annually for each private school student
Quick facts
Any school-age student in Texas could apply for the proposed ESA program.
Funds would be administered by the state comptroller.
annually for children with disabilities enrolled in a private school annually for homeschooled students
If applications exceed available funds, 80% of the money would go to low-income families and students with disabilities. SB 2 de nes “low income” as a household with an annual income at or below 500% of the federal poverty line, or $160,750 per year for a family of four.
$11,500
$2,000
During the 2023-24 school year, the average cost of Texas private school tuition was: $10,965 for kindergarten-eighth grade $14,986 for high school
SOURCES: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, TEXAS PRIVATE SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
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