Abbott, Burrows promote bill to create Texas’ first Education Savings Account program

(The Center Square) – Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, both Republicans, promoted a bill Tuesday that would create the state’s first Education Savings Account program.

HB 3, filed by state Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, was heard before the House Education Committee on Tuesday. Hundreds of Texans had registered to speak in opposition to and support of the bill during a hearing that was expected to continue into the early morning hours.

The Texas Senate already passed its bill, SB 2, filed by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, which allocates $1 billion to support roughly 100,000 students, prioritizing low-income and special needs students, The Center Square reported. The savings accounts can be used by parents to send their children to the school of their choice, including private schools.

Both the Texas Senate and House budgets allocated $1 billion for the school choice program. Creating the state’s first ESA program is a legislative priority of Abbott’s and Burrows, who have both said the House has the votes to pass the bill and make history this year, The Center Square reported.

Previous attempts to pass a bill to create the state’s first ESA program failed in the Texas House.

“We’ve been down this pathway before but had never been so close to getting this passed and the reason is because we have never had a House Speaker who would step up and stand for school choice. With Dustin Burrows, we have a speaker for the first time who’s supporting school choice,” Abbott said to a cheering crowd gathered at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin.

Burrows supports the bill, arguing, “As parents, we all know what’s best for our children. We know what’s best to help them get those education needs they have [but] not every parent has that opportunity. That’s what we’re fighting for here today, … for every parent across the entire state of Texas … to provide for their children to give them those unique learning opportunities.”

“We’re also fighting for public education,” he added. Both he and Abbott said that the state budget proposals in the Senate and House fully fund public education, and more money has been allocated than in previous legislative sessions.

Abbott also said it was important to “debunk” what he said were “lies” being spread about the school choice bill.

“There’s no reason why anyone would have to resort to a lie if they could win on the facts,” he said. “The fact of the matter is those who are against school choice must resort to lies because the facts don’t support them.”

One lie is “that school choice already exists,” he said. “Tell that to the countless moms I had visited with in every corner of the entire state who is begging for school choice, to provide a different opportunity for their child” in response to their child being bullied at school or dealing with “woke ideology taught in that school” or other issues, he said.

“Another argument that is so bogus,” he said, is the one that school choice will defund the public school system. This legislative session “will end with all-time record-high funding for public schools,” he said. “We can have both: well-funded public schools and school choice.”

Another lie told by opponents to the bill is that school choice will result in the state dictating private school and homeschool curriculum, he said. In response, Abbott said, “Let me be clear: if you homeschool your kids, if you … send your child to a private school, the state of Texas will not dictate the curriculum that you use to teach your children.”

Opponents of the bill also argue, “school choice will destroy public schools in the state of Texas,” but “they don’t know what they are talking about,” Abbott said. “The factual matter is school choice has existed in more than 30 states across the country and has not destroyed public schools. In fact, there’s consistent evidence to the contrary.”

He pointed to reports that Florida ranks first in the country for education outcomes and first for the largest school choice program in the country. “If it works in Florida, it should work in the great state of Texas,” he said.