Abbott’s Voucher Push: $1 Billion For Education Savings Accounts

Governor Greg Abbott’s relentless push for school vouchers has led to a significant increase in funding for education savings accounts. The proposed budget has doubled, jumping from $500 million last session to $1 billion, with both legislative chambers allocating these funds.

On Wednesday, both chambers unveiled their initial state budget drafts, prioritizing voucher-style school programs, property tax reductions, teacher pay raises, and the continuation of the state’s border crackdown.

Some of the proposals where the chambers most aligned include; allocating $6.5 billion across multiple agencies to secure Texas’ international border, $1 billion in initial spending plans for education savings accounts, and $2.5 billion for comprehensive funding for water and flood infrastructure.

Both chambers’ budget proposals share similar spending priorities, allocating just over $150 billion in general revenue — Texas’ primary funding source for essential services like public education and law enforcement. Both proposals stay within the spending cap set last week by the Legislative Budget Board, according to The Texas Tribune.

The Senate’s $332.9 billion plan, Senate Bill 1, was introduced by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Meanwhile, the House’s $335.7 billion proposal, House Bill 1, was filed by Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood.

In a statement, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the draft served as an excellent starting point but also urged his colleagues “to identify additional resources within the budget to deliver even greater property tax relief and additional funding for classrooms and teachers.”

Funding Education in 2025

The budget increase for a voucher-like proposal follows Abbott’s efforts to unseat several rural Texas Republicans who opposed similar measures during the 2023 legislative session.

In the previous legislative session, public school funding was closely tied to voucher-like proposals. Abbott firmly pledged not to sign any legislation that excluded vouchers, resulting in a failure to pass significant public education funding bills.

During this session, both chambers proposed allocating $4.85 billion in new funding for the state’s public schools.
The Senate has proposed a $4,000 pay raise for teachers, with an additional $6,000 increase for those in rural areas, bringing their total raise to $10,000. Lt.Gov. Dan Patrick stated that this plan aims to close the pay gap between urban and rural educators.

However, it remains unclear whether the raise would be recurring or a one-time payment. While higher than last session’s proposals, the raise still falls short of what many public school teachers say is necessary, according to The Texas Tribune. 

Meanwhile, the House budget does not explicitly allocate funds for teacher raises. However, under current state law, school districts must use at least 30% of any funding increase to enhance compensation for non-administrative employees.

Many believe vouchers are likely to pass this legislative session but hope they will come with the same accountability and service requirements as public schools. As David Maass, Superintendent of Grapeland ISD, put it, “If you take public money, you should have to follow the same rules regarding the services provided to students and the accountability required by the state.”

He also stressed that teacher pay increases should be substantial and sustainable, not just one-time stipends. “We need an increase in step pay for all teachers, along with more funding for mid-size and small school districts, so rural schools can better compete with larger neighboring districts.”

In addition, both chambers are adding substantial funding for school safety, $400 million will be allocated for school safety improvements.