Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday signed a controversial $1 billion bill into law that provides parents with vouchers to send their children to private school. Photo courtesy of Texas Governor’s Office
May 4 (UPI) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday signed a controversial $1 billion bill into law that provides parents with vouchers to send their children to private school.
“I am signing this law that will ensure Texas families, whose children can no longer be served by the public school assigned to them, have the choice to take their money and find the school that is right for them,” Abbott said in a news release from his office.
The law will provide parents of Texas students with about $10,000 per year that can be put toward private school tuition and other educational expenses, or $2,000 for parents who choose to homeschool their children.
Supporters of the Texas Education Freedom Act have heralded it as a way to give parents the freedom to give their children a better education, while critics are concerned that the voucher system would undermine the public education system and investments in it, as well as exacerbate wealth inequality in the Lone Star State.
Still, Abbott was surrounded by throngs of parents and students from across the state as he signed the bill into law at the governor’s mansion. It is among the most significant pieces of legislation signed by the governor since he took office in 2015.
“I have been an advocate for school choice long before I was elected lieutenant governor,” said Abbott’s right-hand, Dan Patrick. “I consider the enactment of school choice one of the hallmark policy victories of my career.”
Patrick noted that the bill had been passed by the Texas Senate six times since 2015 but had died each time in the Texas House.
“This session, the Texas Legislature worked together to deliver what parents have long been asking for — more opportunities for our students to reach their full potential,” said Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
Texas Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher who represents the Austin suburb of Round Rock, criticized the signing of the bill.
“Today, Big Money won and the students of Texas lost,” he said in a speech Saturday. “Remember this day next time a school closes. Remember this day next time a teacher quits. Remember this day next time your property taxes go up because the state is defunding our schools.”
Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin said the passage of the bill could motivate angry parents during the next election cycle, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
“[Abbott] may have won this battle, but the war is not over,” she said. “There will be a vote on vouchers, and he can’t stop it, and it will be in November 2026.”