Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says private school voucher legislation will be his top priority in the upcoming legislative session.
Patrick has reserved Senate Bill 2 for the proposal, which has not yet been authorized. He also said that he hoped Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would declare school choice one of his emergency items for this session.
By law, no bills can be passed within the first 60 days of the session unless the governor has deemed them emergency items.
"School Choice" is frequently used to describe school vouchers and programs that use taxpayer money to help pay for private schools.
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"A one-size-fits-all approach to education in a state with a population of 30 million, 254 counties, 1,200 school districts, and over 8,000 campuses simply cannot possibly meet the needs of every student," Patrick said.
The proposal for school choice has been made five times since 2015. The Senate would pass it, but once it reached the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, it would be shut down every time.
SCHOOL CHOICE
"That is unacceptable and inexcusable," Patrick stated. "With an expanded Republican majority in the Texas House, there is no reason Texas students should be left behind."
For the last two years, Abbott has made school vouchers his top priority, teaming up with other Republicans who support using public funds to pay for education in private schools. The bill has been shut down several times because Democrats and some Republicans think the plan would negatively affect funding for public schools.
"Texas can have school choice without undermining the public school system. In 2023 (last session), the legislature appropriated $39 billion per year on public education. Last session, the school choice bill the Senate passed three times was $500 million. It died in the House every time. The school choice fund was completely separate from public education funding. It would have provided for 60,000 students out of 5.5 million students in public schools. School choice is clearly not a threat to public education," Patrick said.
The next legislative session begins on Jan. 14, 2025, and ends on June 2, 2025.
