Some of us went and some of those testified against school vouchers. But it was a long, slow drag. Here's why.
Reported by Michelle H. Davis
in LoneStarLeft, Jan 29, 2025
Day 14 - Senate Committee on Education (voucher bill).
By far, the most annoying thing the Texas Senate does is at the beginning of each committee hearing. They all take turns making an opening statement. Since this was the first Education Committee hearing of the 89th Legislature, all of them had to give a long speech. I’m so happy to be on this committee. Thank you to the Lt. Governor for appointing me to this committee. I’m super enthusiastic about education. And so on. Yesterday, the opening speeches for the members took 45 minutes, and they all said the same things, except for Senator Brandon Creighton (R-SD04).
Creighton repeated the same drivel he said last session when they pushed the anti-DEI bill through. Around 200+ people testified against the bill during the anti-DEI hearing, while only four testified in favor.
At that time, Creighton talked about how unique Texas was because we let everyone have a voice and that they don’t have public testimony in DC. His premise was that even though the DEI ban was unpopular, it should pass anyway because that’s what his donors wanted. But hey, at least the opposition had two minutes to air their grievances. Creighton repeated the same sentiment during his intro yesterday.
Creighton has a slow but calculated style of speaking. He over-explains things in simple words, which I’m sure he uses to help people understand his points.
The voucher scheme, SB2, called the Texas Education Freedom Act, is an education savings account (ESA) bill that allows parents to use state funds for private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, and other educational costs.
SB2 appropriates $1 billion for 2026/27, but according to the fiscal note, it is supposed to balloon to $6 billion by 2028/29.
Under the $1 billion, $200 million should be open for all students and $800 million should be reserved for students with disabilities and low income. However, Creighton defined “low income” as up to 500% of the federal poverty level, which would be $156,000 for a family of four.
Many private school tuition rates exceed $10,000, leaving lower-income families unable to cover the remaining costs (e.g., uniforms, transportation, and books). Creighton said the school would rely on private philanthropy to fill this gap, but we all know what that means.
Students with 504 plans (e.g., dyslexia, anxiety, or other health conditions requiring accommodations) would be excluded from the ESA program. Private schools can also deny admission to students based on disabilities if they claim they cannot meet the child’s needs. Unlike public schools, private schools are not required to provide special education services. Students with disabilities who leave public schools for ESAs lose federal protections under IDEA.
Creighton established an audit process in his bill, but it would not be transparent to the public, as the results would only be reported to the comptroller.
Since the program is expected to triple costs within two legislative cycles, future expansions will divert more funding away from public education.
As it’s written, SB2 will undermine Texas’ public education system and disproportionately benefit families already in private schools.
There was some fantastic public testimony on the bill last night. Although I don’t have the clips up on YouTube yet, I will have them up later today,
Comments