Abbott says Texas will pass vouchers, school funding in 2025

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" class="no-js"> <head> <title>Abbott says Texas will pass vouchers, school funding in 2025 | The Texas Tribune</title> <meta charset="utf-8"> <link href="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com" rel="dns-prefetch"> <link href="//cdn.texastribune.org" rel="dns-prefetch"> <link href="//static.texastribune.org" rel="dns-prefetch"> <link href="//www.googletagmanager.com" rel="dns-prefetch"> <link href="//www.googletagservices.com" rel="dns-prefetch"> <link href="//ajax.googleapis.com" rel="dns-prefetch"> <link href="https://www.google.com" rel="preconnect"> <link href="https://www.gstatic.com" rel="preconnect" crossorigin>  <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="48x48" href="/static/images/favicon-48x48.7388fd83b75b.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/static/images/favicon-32x32.ebd14081da36.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/static/images/favicon-16x16.d0e640fbf205.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/static/images/apple-touch-icon.358661eab2b3.png"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/"> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context": "https://schema.org/", "@type": "ReportageNewsArticle", "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/", "mainEntityOfPage": {"@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/"}, "inLanguage": "en_US", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "headline": "Abbott says Texas will pass vouchers, school funding in 2025", "alternativeHeadline": "Texas Legislature will approve school vouchers and boost public education funds next year, Abbott says", "description": "Last year, Abbott refused to give public schools a major raise without passing a voucher program. His tone was more conciliatory after Election Day.", "datePublished": "2024-11-07T00:31:48.455037+00:00", "dateModified": "2025-01-30T20:10:44.024796+00:00", "author": [{"@type": "Person", "name": "Jaden Edison", "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jaden-edison/", "affiliation": {"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization", "name": "The Texas Tribune"}, "sameAs": ["https://twitter.com/edisonjaden"], "knowsAbout": [{"@type": "Thing", "name": "public education"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "politics"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "state government"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "criminal justice"}], "image": "https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/R2syILE0rD7b9gRWpybCLkfrUw0=/105x155/smart/filters:quality(85)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Jaden-Edison_headshot.jpeg", "jobTitle": "Public Education Reporter", "description": "Jaden Edison is the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where he previously worked as a reporting fellow in summer 2022. Before returning to the Tribune full time, he served as the justice reporter for The Connecticut Mirror, another nonprofit newsroom covering government, politics and public policy. He also interned at Poynter, a nonprofit media institute. Jaden has a master's degree from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, where he was editor-in-chief of the The University Star, the campus' student-run newspaper.", "workLocation": {"@type": "Place", "name": "Texas, United States"}}, {"@type": "Person", "name": "Carla Astudillo", "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/carla-astudillo/", "affiliation": {"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization", "name": "The Texas Tribune"}, "sameAs": ["https://twitter.com/carla_astudi"], "knowsAbout": [{"@type": "Thing", "name": "politics"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "state government"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "health care"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "coronavirus"}], "image": "https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/IvWQUU3OFFHrMuZNPHFRHahoUr8=/105x155/smart/filters:quality(85)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Carla_Astudillo_2019_TT.jpg", "jobTitle": "Senior Data Visuals Developer", "description": "Carla Astudillo is a senior data visuals developer with a focus on elections and political data. Before joining the Tribune in 2019, she was a data and interactive visuals journalist at NJ.com and The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, where she helped build a database of police use of force in the state as part of a 16-month investigative project. She earned a master’s degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Carla was born in Antofagasta, Chile and moved to the United States when she was 7 years old. After brief stints in Texas and New Mexico, her family settled in Lakeland, Florida, where she grew up. 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"}, "keywords": ["politics", "public education", "school finance", "state government", "Greg Abbott", "school choice", "89th Legislative Session", "school vouchers"], "publisher": {"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization", "name": "The Texas Tribune", "publishingPrinciples": "https://www.texastribune.org/about/", "logo": {"@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/static/images/logo.png"}}, "thumbnailUrl": "https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/L9WXziV0Bq-pt6qw7P6K1qhnwis=/450x300/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0952819333315205e1bde43fef87fdff/1106%20Abbott%20Voucher%20Victory%20MC%2002.jpg", "creator": [{"@type": "Person", "name": "Jaden Edison", "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jaden-edison/", "affiliation": {"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization", "name": "The Texas Tribune"}, "sameAs": ["https://twitter.com/edisonjaden"], "knowsAbout": [{"@type": "Thing", "name": "public education"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "politics"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "state government"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "criminal justice"}], "image": "https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/R2syILE0rD7b9gRWpybCLkfrUw0=/105x155/smart/filters:quality(85)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Jaden-Edison_headshot.jpeg", "jobTitle": "Public Education Reporter", "description": "Jaden Edison is the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where he previously worked as a reporting fellow in summer 2022. Before returning to the Tribune full time, he served as the justice reporter for The Connecticut Mirror, another nonprofit newsroom covering government, politics and public policy. He also interned at Poynter, a nonprofit media institute. Jaden has a master's degree from the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, where he was editor-in-chief of the The University Star, the campus' student-run newspaper.", "workLocation": {"@type": "Place", "name": "Texas, United States"}}, {"@type": "Person", "name": "Carla Astudillo", "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/carla-astudillo/", "affiliation": {"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization", "name": "The Texas Tribune"}, "sameAs": ["https://twitter.com/carla_astudi"], "knowsAbout": [{"@type": "Thing", "name": "politics"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "state government"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "health care"}, {"@type": "Thing", "name": "coronavirus"}], "image": "https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/IvWQUU3OFFHrMuZNPHFRHahoUr8=/105x155/smart/filters:quality(85)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Carla_Astudillo_2019_TT.jpg", "jobTitle": "Senior Data Visuals Developer", "description": "Carla Astudillo is a senior data visuals developer with a focus on elections and political data. Before joining the Tribune in 2019, she was a data and interactive visuals journalist at NJ.com and The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, where she helped build a database of police use of force in the state as part of a 16-month investigative project. She earned a master’s degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Carla was born in Antofagasta, Chile and moved to the United States when she was 7 years old. After brief stints in Texas and New Mexico, her family settled in Lakeland, Florida, where she grew up. She is based in Austin and speaks Spanish fluently.", "workLocation": {"@type": "Place", "name": "Texas, United States"}}], "contributors": []} </script> <meta name="copyright" content="© The Texas Tribune" /> <meta name="publisher" content="The Texas Tribune" /> <meta name="robots" content="index,follow,max-image-preview:large" /> <meta name="siteinfo" content="http://www.texastribune.org/robots.txt" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/images/apple-touch-icon.358661eab2b3.png" /> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="3EMut9KLnb_7fohrI_bDaR4py76QIWAt4uPidjagbzI" /> <meta name="y_key" content="36169ff9ee60f3ab" /> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="DB22C31255557D1E219990CA92192CBB" /> <meta name="pocket-site-verification" content="a03da537417a06100ceed0ab61a3d2" /> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="154122474650943"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="The Texas Tribune" /> <meta property="fb:pages" content="124434790836"> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@TexasTribune"> <meta name="twitter:dnt" content="on"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/"> <meta name="description" content="Last year, Abbott refused to give public schools a major raise without passing a voucher program. 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https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/dab2o2G_A8bVUtMmBlbgLZeR1Jg=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0952819333315205e1bde43fef87fdff/1106%20Abbott%20Voucher%20Victory%20MC%2002.jpg 850w, https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/nRhd0IGgwgjTxy367cnEdzPBO2Y=/640x429/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0952819333315205e1bde43fef87fdff/1106%20Abbott%20Voucher%20Victory%20MC%2002.jpg 640w, https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/qVa8CoJBiSUE2JxiFiokr-NPK9g=/375x251/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0952819333315205e1bde43fef87fdff/1106%20Abbott%20Voucher%20Victory%20MC%2002.jpg 375w"> <img src="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/dab2o2G_A8bVUtMmBlbgLZeR1Jg=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0952819333315205e1bde43fef87fdff/1106%20Abbott%20Voucher%20Victory%20MC%2002.jpg" alt="Governor Greg Abbott speaks about school choice during a visit to the Kingdom Life Academy private school on Wednesday November 6, 2024, in Tyler. " class="did-load c-image__img"> </picture> </div> </div> <figcaption class="c-caption t-links-underlined l-display-block t-size-xs"> <span> Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Kingdom Life Academy private school on Nov. 6, 2024, in Tyler. </span> <cite> <span class="is-sr-only">Credit:</span><span class="c-icon c-icon--baseline"><svg aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#camera"></use></svg></span> Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune </cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div>  <div class="story_body c-story-body t-size-b has-giant-btm-marg"> <div class="c-story-body"> <div class="c-plugin c-plugin--default c-plugin--narrow is-hidden-print c-plugin--seamless"> <div class="c-plugin__inner"> <figure> <iframe title="Article narration" style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; display: none;" data-project-id="kJdMwATp9zKnrhK0cHGq" allowfullscreen="false" allowtransparency allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" id="ad-auris-iframe" scrolling="no"></iframe> <figcaption class="has-text-gray-dark t-links-underlined t-size-xs" aria-hidden="true">Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/about/ethics/#ai-policy" tabindex="-1">AI policy</a>, and give us <a href="https://airtable.com/appFeleeKVUN0Iytx/pagPG40gbkU0EfjIr/form?prefill_Where+did+you+view+the+content%3F=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/" tabindex="-1">feedback</a>.</figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left"><em><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/newsletters/the-brief/?utm_medium=website&utm_source=trib-ads-owned&utm_campaign=trib-marketing&utm_term=inline-CTA-brief">Sign up for The Brief</a>, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.</em> </p> <hr class="t-copy has-xxl-vert-marg"> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">After a wave of Texas Republicans dominated the ballot box on Election Day, Gov. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a> expressed confidence Wednesday that he now has enough votes in the Texas House to pass a school voucher program, his top legislative priority since last year.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">The governor shared his optimism during a visit to Kingdom Life Academy, a small Christian private school in Tyler, where he proclaimed that the House now has 79 “hardcore school choice proponents,” a number slightly above the simple majority the 150-member chamber needs to approve legislation.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">During the same visit, Abbott also said he was committed to fully funding Texas’ public schools, providing teachers with pay raises and enhancing career training opportunities for students — all of which he refused to do last year when vouchers stalled in the Texas Legislature.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">Last year, House lawmakers <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/16/texas-house-school-vouchers/">voted 84-63</a> to strip from a massive education funding bill a provision to establish <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/22/texas-education-savings-accounts/">education savings accounts</a>, a voucher-like program that would have offered parents tax dollars to pay for their child’s private schooling and other educational expenses. Twenty-one Republicans, most of whom represented rural school districts, joined all House Democrats to oppose the legislation over fears that such a proposal would undercut the funding public schools rely upon.</p> <div class="c-plugin c-plugin--flush "> <div class="c-plugin__inner"> <div id="ad-unit-4703" class="js-ad-unit"> <div class="c-ad-flex"> <div class="c-ad-flex__inner"> <div class="c-ad-flex__unit"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">Abbott vowed to use the March primary election cycle to campaign against the rural Republicans who helped block his plan. He did so with the support of people like <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/17/greg-abbott-jeff-yass-campaign-donation/">Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass</a>, who have sought to use their money and influence to back school voucher proponents <a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2024/07/31/pro-school-voucher-groups-spending-tops-4-5-million-in-tennessee-republican-primaries/">across the country</a>.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">Abbott’s reluctance to fully fund public education last legislative session — even with a record <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/13/texas-budget-surplus/">$32 billion budget surplus</a> — caused many public school districts to enter this school year with multimillion-dollar deficit budgets while also tussling with rising costs of living, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/07/texas-schools-covid-19-pandemic-esser/">expiring federal pandemic relief dollars</a> and <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/01/texas-school-safety-funding/">insufficiently funded legislative mandates to improve school security</a>.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">But after at least 11 of the 15 pro-voucher candidates he endorsed earlier this year cruised to victory in Tuesday night’s general election, Abbott said both addressing public schools’ funding needs and passing school voucher legislation to his liking would happen during next year’s legislative session.</p> <div class="c-plugin c-plugin--narrow c-plugin--graphic "> <div class="c-plugin__inner c-plugin__inner--centered"> <div data-frame-src="https://graphics.texastribune.org/graphics/paxton-abbott-endorsements-election-results-visual-2024-03/abbott_general/" data-frame-sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation allow-popups"></div> </div> </div> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">“They make it sound like you can't have both school choice and robust public schools,” Abbott said. “That's completely false. The reality is we can have the best public schools in America and also have school choice at the very same time. It does not have to be one or the other, and it's wrong to pit one against the other.”</p> <div class="c-plugin c-plugin--seamless c-plugin--flush "> <div class="c-plugin__inner"> <div class="c-prompt c-prompt--box c-prompt--livestream" onclick="event.stopPropagation();"> <div class="c-prompt__content t-align-center"> <img class="c-prompt__img" src="https://static.texastribune.org/media/prompts/promo-brief-logo.png" alt="Logo for The Brief newsletter."/> <div class="c-prompt__txt t-size-b t-lsp-s t-lh-m">The most important Texas news,<br />sent weekday mornings.</div> <div class="c-prompt__newsletter" id="newsletter-subscribe-8067"> <div class="loading loading--s c-loading c-loading--s" aria-hidden="true"></div> </div> <p class="t-size-xxs c-prompt__disclosure">This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google <a class="t-links-unset" href="https://policies.google.com/privacy">Privacy Policy</a> and <a class="t-links-unset" href="https://policies.google.com/terms">Terms of Service</a> apply.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">Kingdom Life Academy, the venue Abbott picked to boast about his party’s election night success Wednesday, is a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/lack-funding-could-cause-small-214040939.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMYBxGVgjdaQmdYsEyKHipvhZjGmAtZBFGRpccwpv7zXotgGfPpARAljJ10FlzoL9PF67Fwf-Ws-l3jGbzcr88N0Mkqmhm0DHecTcmowexWameWmJ6V1cEQ1O6b1KmFq2RqXKE8PIyue_BrOhXRecqw8OaccJxEd4i5Y0YfpijFE">financially struggling</a> private school that provides “practical, Christ-centered learning” for a student body composed of mostly Black and Hispanic children.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">Similar to what school voucher proponents have done throughout the country, Abbott and Kingdom Life Academy founder and director Joel Enge promoted school voucher legislation as a way to provide more opportunities for the state’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged students.</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">“I was a public school teacher in Tyler for over 20 years. … I watched students drop out of school in their hearts because they did not fit traditional education,” said Enge, who is Black. “We're grateful for the opportunity to continue to fight and see school choice open up doors for more students and more families who need an alternative education.”</p> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">School voucher programs across the country, however, do not always accomplish what their proponents describe. While the country’s first voucher programs launched in the late 20th century with the goal of helping vulnerable students, many of the children who benefit from some of the more expansive programs today come from <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/22/inside-school-voucher-debate-00128377">wealthier families</a> who already pay for private school tuition. Meanwhile, families <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/arizona-school-vouchers-esa-private-schools">who reside in poor communities</a> often do not use vouchers.</p> <div class="c-plugin c-plugin--flush "> <div class="c-plugin__inner"> <div id="ad-unit-9888" class="js-ad-unit"> <div class="c-ad-flex"> <div class="c-ad-flex__inner"> <div class="c-ad-flex__unit"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p class="t-copy t-links-underlined t-align-left">As for <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2017/7/12/21108235/school-choice-vouchers-system-pros-and-cons-research/">academic outcomes</a>, studies in multiple states have shown that vouchers do not consistently lead to improved standardized test scores for low-income students — a metric Republican officials often rely upon to make decisions about public education. In <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2019/4/23/21055489/do-voucher-students-scores-bounce-back-after-initial-declines-new-research-says-no/">some cases</a>, vouchers have resulted in <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2019/4/23/21055489/do-voucher-students-scores-bounce-back-after-initial-declines-new-research-says-no/">steep declines</a> in scores. Voucher advocates often note that the benefits of such programs are best measured through increased school competition and parental satisfaction.</p> </div> </div>  <div class="c-plugin c-plugin--default c-plugin--narrow is-hidden-print "> <div class="c-plugin__inner"> <div class="has-vert-bar has-vert-bar--padded-xxl has-vert-bar--thin has-text-yellow"> <h2 class="t-headline t-serif t-lh-s t-size-l has-b-btm-marg has-text-black-off"><em id="articleCounter"></em></h2> <div class="flatblock block-donations-cta"> <div class="flatblock-content"><h2 class="t-headline t-serif t-lh-s t-size-l has-b-btm-marg has-text-black-off">  Texans need truth. Help us report it. </h2> <p class="t-size-b t-serif t-links-underlined has-b-btm-marg has-text-black-off">  Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. 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Abbott says Texas will pass vouchers, school funding in 2025 | The Texas Tribune