During a legislative hearing on Monday with the House Public Education Committee, teachers, parents, and advocates expressed concern over school vouchers, education saving accounts (ESAs), and Christian indoctrination in public schools.
As reported by the Dallas Morning-News, experts expressed concern that ESAs could divert resources from public schools, who are currently struggling with funding.
“Lawmakers should work to increase appropriations to public schools, not divert taxpayer funds to private schools,” James Hallamek, government relations specialist at the Texas State Teachers Association, said.
The hearing was held on the first day of classes for many schools in the state, blocking some teachers and parents from testifying.
Gov. Greg Abbott has championed ESAs and school vouchers, and despite multiple failed attempts, he is still determined to push the initiatives forward, leveraging significant political and financial resources.
“During the upcoming legislative session, we’re going to work to make school choice a reality,” Abbott wrote on X/Twitter. “Parents matter — and choosing where they send their children to school matters.”
Critics argued that Arizona has similar programs that have produced financial woes. ProPublica recently reported that school vouchers in Arizona contributed to a $1.4 billion budget shortfall. Texas’ ESAs proposal would have cost about $1 billion by year three.
Last legislative session, vouchers and ESAs failed thanks to rural Republicans and Democrats, however, Abbott spent considerable time, effort and money in outstanding those Republicans who voted against vouchers.
“This voucher/ESA conversation is only about some of our Texas kids, and that’s wrong,” Ken Kuhl, Fort Worth parent, told the committee. “Instead of thinking about solutions that will only help some kids, we need to be thinking about solutions that will help all kids, and that’s not any form of voucher or ESA.”
The committee also discussed religious teaching in Texas schools. In the hearing, Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, questioned Education Commissioner Mike Morath over the religious content.
Officials had said religious context can give students the ability to understand references and historical events, however Talarico noted that this would also have to be true for other religions, but they weren’t included in the lessons.
“I’m a former Texas public school teacher. I’m also a student at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary,” Talarico told Morath. “And so I can tell you there is a difference between teaching and preaching, and in my opinion, these passages, which appear at length throughout the curriculum — I’m surprised you don’t know about them — in my reading they are preaching.”
The State Board of Education is set to vote on the lessons next fall.
