The Texas 89th Legislature’s upper chamber, the Senate, passed Senate Bill 2 Wednesday (related article) evening by a 19-12 vote along party lines. The next step in SB 2 becoming law is for the Texas House Public Education Committee (PEC) to receive the bill, however, the PEC has not been formed or no house member has been appointed to the PEC.
SB 2 aims to establish an education savings account, commonly referred to as the “school vouchers” program in Texas. Under this program, families would receive $10,000 per year for each student, funded by taxpayer dollars, to cover tuition at accredited private schools as well as additional expenses such as textbooks, transportation, and therapy. The legislation would also allocate $11,500 per student for children with disabilities and provide at least $2,000 per year for families who choose to homeschool their children and participate in the program.
During the debate prior to the legislation being read for a third and final time, 37 floor amendments were proposed—19 from Republicans, which passed, and 17 from Democrats, which did not pass. One floor amendment was withdrawn.
The bill states that any child eligible to attend, or already attending, a public school can apply to the program. This includes students in public school pre-K programs as well as families with children already enrolled in private schools. If the demand for education savings accounts exceeds the available funding, the bill prioritizes spaces for two groups of students. One group includes children with disabilities, while the other group consists of children from families whose annual income is up to 500% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, this means earning less than approximately $156,000, which is classified as a low-income household under SB 2.
In contrast, the Texas Education Agency defines a low-income student as one from a household earning between 130% and 185% of the poverty level, which translates to approximately $40,560 to $57,720 for a family of four. Currently, 62% of public school students in Texas fall under this definition.
Texas budget experts recently analyzed the financial implications of SB 2 and concluded that public schools may face a decrease in funding due to students leaving the system to participate in the voucher program. By 2030, the cost of the program could exceed $4.5 billion. Their analysis estimated that half of Texas’ approximately 350,000 students currently enrolled in private schools would apply to participate in the program during its first year.
The House PEC is expected to be appointed and announced on either Friday, February 7th, or Monday, February 10th. The PEC will hold hearings on Senate Bill 2 and is likely to bring it out of committee for a vote on the floor of the lower chamber.
