Texas Gov. declares school choice a ‘must pass’ measure for Legislature in the next 60 days 

Gov. Greg Abbott declared school choice an emergency item that “MUST be passed this session,” giving the Texas Legislature 60 days to consider a measure that would create the nation’s largest universal school choice program. 

Abbott, a Republican who has campaigned heavily on school choice, gave his State of the State address Sunday in Austin, naming his priorities for the Legislature to address in the next month. Lawmakers are prohibited from voting on other measures until the 60 days is done, which is early April. 

“I’m declaring school choice an Emergency Item that MUST be passed this session,” Abbott said. “More than 30 states already have a form of school choice – and the majority of Texans support school choice. 

“Texas should be #1 in educating our children,” he continued. “To accomplish this goal, we need empowered parents. Schools must work FOR parents – not the other way around. Parents should be empowered to choose the school that’s BEST for their child.” 

After the Legislature shot down Abbott’s school choice proposal two years ago, he successfully campaigned to remove 14 of the 21 Republicans who opposed it by primaries and retirements. Now the bill has a strong chance of passing. 

If approved, the $1 billion program would establish education savings accounts, which school choice experts call the “gold standard” of school choice. The accounts would give parents up to $10,000 annually toward their child’s education, including private school tuition, $11,000 if their child has a disability and $2,000 per child if they homeschool. 

The program’s access would be universal, meaning not based on residence or income, and the funds could be used for tuition, materials, trade certifications, testing costs and higher education courses, said Sen. Brandon Creighton, who authored Senate Bill 2, which advanced out of committee last week and is headed to the Senate floor. 

Abbott also named other educational items as legislative priorities, such as boosting teacher pay, enabling top-performing teachers to earn six-figure salaries and ending the woke agenda in universities.  

“College professors have increasingly pushed woke agendas,” Abbott said. “They have too much influence over who is hired to educate our kids. We need legislation prohibiting professors from having any say over employment decisions.” 

Besides education, the governor listed items he said would keep Texas strong and prospering, both economically and socially. These include:  

• Securing the border and assisting with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts 

• Instituting the death penalty for murdering a child 

• Inscribing in law that only citizens can register to vote and cast ballots 

• Ensuring firefighters are adequately equipped  

• Denying bail to criminals charged with capital murder and violent crimes 

• Stopping activist judges who are soft on crime 

• Property tax relief and expanding access to healthcare. 

• New investments in water and energy capacity 

“It’s clear that God has blessed Texas, and that the state of our state has never been better,” Abbott said in his remarks. “This session, we’ll ensure our state remains a guardian of freedom as we continue to build a stronger Texas.”