On Sunday, Feb. 2, Gov. Greg Abbott gave his State of the State address, outlining his priority items for the 89th Legislature. As expected, Abbott named private school vouchers one of his seven emergency items for the Legislature to consider in the early days of this session.
Texas AFT remains opposed to vouchers and will continue to fight this policy proposal, particularly as the price tag of a voucher program (both the House and the Senate have set aside $1 billion for vouchers in their proposed budgets) threatens two other emergency items named by the governor with far greater importance:
- raising Texas educator pay
- expanding career and technical education opportunities for Texas students
“We applaud treating educator pay, and the need to raise it, as the emergency it is. Furthermore, we celebrate an increased emphasis on career and technical education that will prepare our kids to chart their own paths, affordably and successfully,” said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT, in response to the governor’s address. “But I don’t know how the governor can reflect on the last year and conclude that private school vouchers are one of the seven most pressing issues facing our state, much less an emergency. Texas AFT remains committed to our vision for healthy, safe, and vibrant Texas public schools – a vision that does not include and is, in fact, endangered by private school vouchers.”
In our most recent membership survey, 80% of our K-12 members said they were concerned about the potential impact on their school if a private school voucher were to pass and the state were to continue its rapid expansion of privately run charter schools.
Speaking to this point, Northside AFT member Dior Edison, an elementary school teacher who runs a K-5 STEM lab, was featured in the Democratic response to the governor’s address.
Edison has been an educator for 15 years and shared her fears that a voucher program would ruin public schools, shortchange her students, and force even more cuts and layoffs.
Voucher Bill SB 2 Gets Initial Approval of Texas Senate
Last week, the Senate Education K-16 Committee voted 9-2 to advance Senate Bill 2, that chamber’s priority voucher bill. Myriad objections to the bill were raised over hours of testimony, not only from public education advocates but also from homeschool parents and the Texas Private School Association.
The bill is not only a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who heads the Senate, but also for Gov. Abbott, who has doubled down on his demand for a universal voucher program without restrictions.
On Wednesday of this week, SB 2 was put to a full vote of the Senate with debate stretching well into the evening. Ultimately, it passed, as expected, 19-12, and will be sent to the Texas House, where committees have yet to be established for the session.
Notable in the Senate debate were the amendments to SB 2 that failed to pass, many of which would have put commonsense guardrails on the voucher program or worked to create more parity with public schools:
- Amendment F9 by Sen. Carol Alvarado proposed modifying the composition of the program fund to include money appropriated by the Legislature during a regular session and gifts, grants, and donations received under Section 29.370.
- Amendment F10 by Sen. José Menéndez aimed to adjust funding allocations in the presence of available federal funds and proposed measures to stabilize funding for school districts experiencing enrollment declines due to the program.
- Amendment F11 by Sen. José Menéndez sought to regulate the activities of certified educational assistance organizations, particularly in areas with high densities of low-income households, ensuring that public education remains a viable choice and prohibiting actions that encourage students to leave public education.
- Amendment F15 by Sen. José Menéndez proposed applying conflict of interest laws to educational assistance organizations, specifying income-based categories for program positions, and imposing public information requirements on certain entities involved in the program.
- Amendment F16 by Sen. Roland Gutierrez aimed to expand the definition of “higher education provider” to include various institutions and proposed eligibility for children enrolled at such providers. It also suggested prioritizing these applicants in the program.
- Amendment F18 by Sen. José Menéndez sought to impose additional requirements on private schools participating in the program, including curriculum standards, educator certification, compliance with anti-bullying laws, and transparency in curriculum materials.
- Amendment F19 by Sen. Royce West proposed modifying the requirements for private schools to participate in the education savings account program. Specifically, it sought to replace the existing criteria with a requirement that private schools must have been in operation for at least five years.
- Amendment F20 by Sen. José Menéndez aimed to ensure that private schools participating in the program adopt and implement policies regarding the administration of assessment instruments to children with disabilities. It emphasized the need for convening committees with appropriate school personnel and parents to plan for necessary accommodations during assessments.
- Amendment F21 by Sen. José Menéndez sought to require private schools in the program to comply with state laws applicable to public schools concerning bullying. This included adopting anti-bullying policies, procedures for addressing bullying behavior, and ensuring that school counselors serve as impartial resources for resolving bullying accusations.
- Amendment F22 by Sen. José Menéndez proposed that private schools receiving funds through the program should adopt and implement policies prohibiting discrimination against a child or the child’s family based on religion, race, ethnicity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. Additionally, it required these schools to maintain a website with information on complaints alleging civil rights violations and their resolutions.
- Amendment F23 by Sen. José Menéndez aimed to ensure that private schools participating in the program adopt and implement curriculum or materials that provide instruction in personal financial literacy, like public schools do.
- Amendment F25 by Sen. Molly Cook proposed that the comptroller could approve a private school as an education service provider only if the school complies with Section 44.0041 of the Education Code, which pertains to certain financial and accountability standards.
- Amendment F27 by Sen. José Menéndez sought to allow program funds to be used for additional education-related expenses incurred by participating children with disabilities. These expenses included fees for personal care attendants, assistive technology services, adapted transportation, and other support services.
- Amendment F30 by Sen. Molly Cook aimed to clarify that the comptroller’s administrative expenses for the program could include costs related to promoting, marketing, or advertising the program.
- Amendment F31 by Sen. César Blanco proposed extending certain rights and protections to children who are English language learners participating in the program. It aimed to ensure these children received appropriate accommodations and support services.
- Amendment F35 by Sen. Chuy Hinojosa sought to amend various sections of the Texas Education Code to enhance reporting and accountability measures for private schools participating in the program. It included provisions for notifying parents about educator misconduct and reporting requirements for private school educators.
- Amendment F36 by Sen. José Menéndez proposed that the comptroller collect and report information regarding the educational placement of each child in the state, including data on program participation and transitions between educational settings. It also included a provision for the expiration of the subchapter establishing the program on Jan.1, 2031.
Advocacy Begins in the Texas House
Things have yet to begin moving in earnest in the Texas House. We expect to know next week which lawmakers will be assigned to important committees related to public education, higher education, and state pensions.
As a reminder, the Legislature is limited to passing bills aligned with Abbott’s emergency items within the first 60 days of the session. As such, we will be keeping a close eye on all bills related to your paychecks, private school vouchers, and career training for our students.
Still, there is no time like the present to make sure your representative knows where you stand on the issues of private school vouchers, as well as fully funded public schools, reasonable working conditions for educators, high-quality learning environments for students, and the other essential rights outlined in our Educator’s Bill of Rights.
You can use our online tool to send a short message to your representative today. We have pre-written a letter you can send, or you can customize with your own thoughts. Either way, it will be delivered automatically to your representative, putting your voice on the record.