The Texas House’s priority proposal that would let families use public funds for their children’s private schooling diverges from the Senate plan when it comes to how much money students would receive, which applicants would take priority and how the program accommodates students with disabilities.
Those differences set the stage for one of the legislative session’s biggest clashes this year. Texas’ Republican leaders have said the Legislature will take another stab at creating education savings accounts, a type of school voucher program, after previous attempts repeatedly failed two years ago. Now that both chambers have unveiled their proposals, pro-voucher lawmakers will turn to ironing out differences and getting a final draft to Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s chief advocate for vouchers.
The House released House Bill 3 on Thursday as part of a slate of education legislation that would collectively increase public school funding and rework the state’s discipline and accountability standards.
