Texas Senate passes bill providing school choice, vouchers in the state

The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 2, a bill which will allow school choice and vouchers in the state.

The bill’s passage was confirmed by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick on X.

As Lieutenant Governor Patrick explained, the bill will be read a third time tonight, and then it will be sent over to the Texas House of Representatives to be passed.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott also expressed excitement that the bill is one step closer to being passed by the Texas House.

• MORE ON SCHOOL VOUCHERS: School choice, vouchers and the future of Texas education

The bill would allow Texas taxpayers to use their dollars to fund private education rather than public schools.

Under this bill, families would receive money through state-managed education savings accounts. The amounts include the following:

• $10,000 per student
• $11,500 per student with disabilities
• At least $2,000 for expenses for home schooling students

If this new bill seems a little confusing for you, you’re not alone! KPRC 2 is asking its readers what questions they have about this potential new educational funding system.

Supporters of the bill argue that Texans should be free to decide to send their children to private schools and allocate their funds in line with that decision.

• Abbott expected to promote vouchers and other highlights of his 2025 agenda in Sunday speech

Those who oppose the bill argue that it would limit funding to public schools and disproportionately impact children in rural areas and low-income households who do not have private schools as an option.

Next, the bill will head to the Texas House, a chamber that has failed to approve school choice programs in previous attempts. It is reasonable to predict that this bill will also be met with skepticism in the Texas House.

Both Republicans and Democrats have voiced their opinions about the bill after its passing in the Texas Senate.

Lieutenant Governor Patrick said he believes the bill will continue to be brought to the table, even though it hasn’t had successfully been passed by the house in past attempts.

“This is the sixth time the Texas Senate has passed school choice, with every previous bill dying in the Texas House. The Senate will pass school choice over and over again until the House passes this bill. The days of limiting millions of Texas students to a one-size-fits-all approach are over,” a portion of Lieutenant Governor Patrick’s statement read.

The Texas Senate Democrats also released a statement, relaying their goals to keep tax dollars accessible to every child through public school funding.

“This latest voucher scheme siphons off billions of taxpayer dollars for private vendors without requiring the transparency, accountability or anti-discrimination standards our public schools must follow. Multiple amendments by Senate Democrats to protect Texas children and hold these private entities to the same standards required of our public schools were summarily rejected, strictly on partisan lines,” a portion of the statement provided by the Texas Senate Democrats read.