AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott is urging lawmakers to come to the table on school choice legislation. The Governor listed school choice as one of his priorities this legislative session.
Proposed legislation would allow Texas families to use state money to send their kids to private schools.
“Empowering parents to choose the best educational path for their child remains an essential priority this session,” Governor Abbott said. “A majority of Texans from across the state and from all backgrounds support expanding school choice.”
The Governor said the Senate’s version of school choice makes about 5.5 million students eligible, while the House’s version of that bill proposed last week would make about 4 million students eligible.
“The latest House version of school choice, which came out this weekend, only applies to about 800,000 students,” he said. “It also provides less funding for special education students than the original House version of the Senate bill and denies school choice to low-income families that may desperately need expanded education options for their children. This latest version does little to provide meaningful school choice, and legislators deserve to know that it would be vetoed if it reached my desk. Instead, the original House version of the Senate bill provides a more meaningful starting point to begin House-Senate negotiations.”
According to Abbott, as this session has progressed, the number of House members supporting school choice has continued to grow.
“The realization that the STAAR test will be eliminated if school choice is enacted is attracting even more legislators,” Governor Abbott insisted. “No doubt other modifications can be made to the original House version of the Senate bill to attract even more legislators, as well as to bridge the divide with the Senate.”
The Governor said that failure to expand the scope of school choice to something close to the Senate version or the original House version of the Senate bill will necessitate special sessions.
Critics of the school voucher program argue it takes money and resources away from public schools.
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