The Texas Legislature passed a bill establishing an education savings account (ESA) program, providing money for families to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling. The House also approved more funding for public schools and teacher salaries.
Texas Values, a Focus on the Family-allied family policy council, supported the legislation Director of Government Relations Mary Elizabeth Castle said the bill “would make sure that parents have the empowerment to send their kids to the school that will best serve them.” She added, “Students can also have a better opportunity to learn and succeed.”
Senate Bill 2, “An Act relating to the establishment of an education savings account program,” passed the Senate in February with a vote of 19-12; it passed the House last week with a vote of 86-61. The measure approves about $1 billion for ESAs.
The act now goes to Governor Greg Abbott, who applauded its passage, saying:
For the first time in Texas history, our state has passed a universal school choice bill out of both chambers in the Texas Legislature. This is an extraordinary victory for the thousands of parents who have advocated for more choices when it comes to the education of their children.
I applaud the legislators who took a stand with the overwhelming majority of Texans who support school choice. When it reaches my desk, I will swiftly sign this bill into law, creating the largest day-one school choice program in the nation and putting Texas on a pathway to becoming the best state in America for educating our kids.
Castle explained that SB 2 will help more students achieve academic success, stating:
One of the reasons we support this bill is the opportunity for parents to choose schools for their kids that have their values expressed in the classroom.
Many parents come to us, time after time, day after day, telling us about the different things that are taught in the classroom, feeling like they don’t have an escape. A lot of parents in Texas don’t have the funds to be able to send their kids to a private school that reflects their values, especially their Christian values.
She said that charter schools have been established in the state and are helpful, with 7% of students taking advantage of this option, but this act gives parents even more choices.
School choice activist Corey DeAngelis cheered the bill’s passage, noting that Texas was the 16th state to pass school choice legislation. He also listed the rise in legislative votes for educational freedom in the House, from only 44 representatives in 2017 to 86 in 2024.
DeAngelis, who heads up the Educational Freedom Institute, has often exposed legislators who attended or send their children to private schools, even while opposing school choice options for others. He has explained that many of these legislators are beholden to teachers unions, who until recently have controlled most education in America.
DeAngelis also posted, “About 40% of America’s school-age population now lives in states that have passed universal school choice policies.” Most of the increase has been in the past few years.
The Texas House also approved more funding for public schools and teacher salaries. House Bill 2 appropriated “approximately $7.7 billion for increased public education funding” and increased teacher pay, passing the House with a vote of 142-5. The measure now goes to the Senate.
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