Gov. Greg Abbott has signed the $1 billion controversial school choice bill into law, allowing for taxpayer money to be used to help qualifying students pay for private school tuition.
“Today is the culmination of a movement that has swept across the state and our country,” Abbott said Saturday.
President Trump threw his support behind the vote last month, posting on Truth Social, “Congratulations to my friends, Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dustin Burrows, along with Texas Legislators, for finally passing SCHOOL CHOICE, which I strongly endorsed – this is a gigantic Victory for students and parents in the Great State of Texas!
He added, “We will very soon be sending Education BACK TO ALL THE STATES, where it belongs.” In January, President Trump issued an executive order that frees up federal funding for school choice programs.
The governor also said Saturday that it wouldn’t have been possible without the “fearless commitment of the members of the House and Senate who put families first.”
Bill signing ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion
At the Governor’s Mansion for the signing of the bill, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Dustin Burrows, state Sen. Brandon Creighton and state Rep. Brad Bickley, who helped get the bill passed in the Texas House and Senate, spoke to the crowd. A source familiar said 1,400 people were expected.
“Today, Texas parents and school children secured a major victory. This universal school choice bill is a historic step in ensuring that students will have the freedom to seek the educational option that is right for them, not be trapped in schools that fail to meet their academic needs,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement.
Texas lawmakers advance school choice bill
Texas lawmakers passed the legislation on April 24 with a vote of 19-12. It was approved roughly a week ago by the Texas House in a historic vote.
It was the first time the Texas House gave the green light to a bill on private school vouchers. The Senate approved similar legislation multiple times, including earlier this year, by a similar margin of 19-12.
How the Texas private school vouchers program works
As part of the $1 billion bill, most students who attend an accredited private school will receive $10,000 per year. Students with disabilities will receive up to $30,000 per year, and home-schooled students will get $2,000 a year.
Texas Democrats say the legislation hurts public schools
Democrats said they believe at the end of the day, most of the students who take part in the program will be wealthier students who attend private school now.
“We are looking at siphoning $1 billion out of our already underfunded system to help a tiny percentage of Texas school children who are mostly already in private school,” state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, said.
State Sen. Jolanda “Jo” Brown, who opposed the bill said in a statement that the bill “is not about choice.”
“With Governor Greg Abbott’s signing of Senate Bill 2—the voucher bill—Texas has officially sold out its students,” Brown’s statement reads. “This is not school reform—it’s welfare for the wealthy. A private-school payday at the expense of public-school children. A backroom betrayal dressed up in buzzwords.”
Gov. Abbott has said repeatedly he was confident the bill would pass this legislative season.
