Texas Governor Greg Abbott's push for school choice hit a wall in the Texas House, where lawmakers voted to axe school vouchers from a sweeping education bill. In what can only be described as a legislative blow, the House decisively stripped the school voucher program, derailing a major item on Abbott's agenda. According to a report by The Texas Tribune, the vote count landed at 84-63 against the voucher system, which would have let parents funnel tax dollars to private school tuition.
The backlash against vouchers wasn’t just a Democratic pushback but found substantial opposition within Abbott's own party. Notably, Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, led the charge against the governor's proposed vouchers, draft himself an amendment that ultimately quashed the program. While advocates for school choice may have seen the program as a pathway to better educational options for low-income families and students with disabilities, detractors like Raney feared it would siphon funds from public schools, particularly in rural areas with limited private schooling options. "I believe in my heart that using taxpayer dollars to fund an entitlement program is not conservative, and it’s bad public policy," Raney said on the House floor.
Abbott's previous efforts to rally support for his school choice program included a package that purportedly would have boosted teacher salaries, infused public schools with $6 billion more in funding, and terminated the STARR test. However, Governor Abbott's proposal faced fierce opposition from groups like the Northside American Federation of Teachers. Its president, Melina Espiritu Azocar, took aim at the plan by stating, "We're certainly willing and ready to have a conversation with the governor. But what we don't want is funding to be removed from public education and put into private education with no stipulations or guidance," in a statement obtained by FOX San Antonio.
Despite the Texas House's rebuff, Abbott has not swayed in his commitment to school choice, taking a jab at "pro-union Republicans in the Texas House who voted with Democrats" and affirming his dedication to the cause. "Today's vote is just another step on the path to provide school choice for parents and students across Texas," the governor proclaimed, "I am in it to win it." Yet, with the voucher provision sidelined and the House referring the entire bill back to the education committee, the prospects for Abbott's vision of school choice remain uncertain. His pledge to persist both in the legislature and at the ballot box suggests that this skirmish, part of the larger war over the direction of Texas education, is far from over.
