Texas lawmakers approve $1B private school voucher plan
By JIM VERTUNO and NADIA LATHAN AUSTIN Texas AP Texas lawmakers on Thursday passed a billion learning bill that allows families to use population money to pay for private school tuition a major triumph for school voucher proponents nationwide that was cheered on by President Donald Trump Related Articles Judge blocks Trump push to cut funding to residents schools over diversity programs A new Minnesota cover crop could help make air voyage greener UMN St Paul researchers say International students stripped of legal status in the US are piling up wins in court Concordia University graduates win first round in DHS lawsuit Federal development cuts and Trump DEI demands leave states teachers in limbo The measure won final approval from the state Senate and now heads to Republican Gov Greg Abbott who had muscled the GOP-majority Legislature to pass the bill and has vowed to swiftly sign it into law More than states have implemented various sort of voucher venture in the U S and about a dozen states in newest years have launched or expanded programs that make majority of students eligible Texas version will be among the largest in the nation and is seen as a major achievement for proponents who hope to push a similar effort on the federal level School choice has come to Texas declared Lt Gov Dan Patrick a Republican who controls the Senate who has pushed for a voucher venture for nearly years For decades the push in Texas had failed in the face of stiff resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans who called it a threat to general schools in a state that now has more than million students in residents classrooms But supporters gradually gained ground and Abbott a three-term governor threw his political muscle behind it in the elections by backing numerous candidates who would advocacy it That effort built the majority advocacy the issue needed after decades of failure Trump played a key role in getting the measure through a critical state House vote a week ago when he spoke with a group of Republican lawmakers on a speakerphone call and urged them to approve it The undertaking in its first year would be capped at billion and used by up to students but it could grow to nearly billion per year by The money can be used for private school tuition or costs for home-schooling and virtual learning programs Families could get up to each year per novice under the project and a apprentice with disabilities would be eligible for as much as per year Supporters of the measure say the vouchers can help parents get their children out of poor-performing population schools and create competition that will force population schools to improve The one thing that is missing from our coaching process that has really made America great is competition reported Republican state Sen Bob Hall Critics however argue it will weaken population schools by draining money and guidance and giving them to private schools who can have selective enrollment and may not operate under specific of the same rules And they argue it will put money in the pocket of wealthier families already sending their children to costly private schools The bill is not about school choice the Senate Democratic caucus announced in a announcement It s about society subsidization of private schools choice It s a step backwards for Texas The issue is not settled among Republicans nationwide On Monday North Dakota s Republican Gov Kelly Armstrong vetoed a private school voucher operation in that state saying the bill fell far short of truly expanding choice as it only impacts one sector of our novice population Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press Assessment for America Statehouse News Initiative Overview for America is a nonprofit national amenity activity that places journalists in local newsrooms to statement on undercovered issues
