The Texas Senate began debate on Senate Bill 2 on Wednesday, with discussions expected to last until around 4 a.m., advancing—or potentially halting—Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority to create a school choice program in Texas.
“Our president supports a national footprint considering this bill, among others, as a model,” Education Committee Chair Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, emphasized at the beginning of the debate. “Let’s get this done for students.”
The bill, which proposes using taxpayer dollars for private school tuition through education savings accounts (ESAs), has been a divisive issue, with strong support from Republican leadership and opposition from public school advocates. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a vocal supporter, had vowed to send SB 2 “like a rocket ship” to the House, where similar proposals have previously failed in past sessions.
What’s in SB 2?
The bill would establish a $1 billion fund for ESAs, providing $10,000 per student for private school tuition, with higher amounts for special education students and lower allocations for homeschoolers. If demand exceeds available funds, $800 million would be prioritized for low-income families and special education students who previously attended public school. The remaining $200 million would be open to students of all income levels, including those already in private schools.
However, the bill defines a “low-income household” as 500% of the federal poverty guidelines, which are calculated each year and set according to the number of members of a household.
By that definition, for the smallest schooling unit of a single parent and one child, any household making less than $105,750 per year would qualify as a low-income household, according to the 2025 federal poverty guidelines.
For a four-person family, that limit would be higher, at $160,750 per year. In Texas, the median household income is about $76,292, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Supporters argue that the measure would empower parents and improve educational outcomes. Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, emphasized that public schools receive significantly more funding per student than the proposed ESA amount, countering claims that SB 2 unfairly favors private schools.
“By any way you calculate it, when you look at total taxpayer dollars—federal, state, and local—the real number is closer to $16,000 per student in public schools compared to the $10,000 in ESAs,” Hall said. He criticized opposition arguments as misinformation meant to create division.
Hall also argued that competition in education would benefit both public and private schools, likening the school choice model to free-market principles that have driven improvements in other industries. “Competition has never really hurt any place, and it’s helped. If you look at Florida, their public schools were near the bottom before school choice passed. Now, by many metrics, they are number one in the nation.”
However, opponents argue that the bill presents significant challenges for rural communities, where private school options are scarce. In the previous legislative session, a similar voucher proposal failed to pass due to strong opposition from both rural Republicans and Democrats in the House.
Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, pointed out, “Well, I promise you my rural constituents, republicans, democrats have real big problems with this bill because they don’t have private schools in their counties.”
This sentiment reflects concerns that rural Texas would be left behind. Drawing comparisons to Florida’s experience, Sen. Gutierrez acknowledged that private school opportunities increased in rural Florida but questioned whether the same would happen in rural Texas, given the state’s differences in educational infrastructure. “In rural Florida, private school opportunities increased 74% over ten years. This is a rural Texas bill, but I’ll take you down to my counties, and you can talk to my county judge. We don’t have that infrastructure here,” he said.
Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, raised additional concerns about the bill’s structure, particularly regarding its inclusivity and the potential for prioritizing low-income families. “In terms of awarding these scholarships, we are prioritizing low-income families, but we don’t want to exclude the middle class—teachers, firefighters—from this program,” he said, emphasizing that the bill would ensure that families in varying economic circumstances would be treated equally. Senator West also questioned the fairness of a system where students in disadvantaged schools may be placed into a lottery for scholarships, highlighting a potential flaw in prioritizing students from wealthier districts.
Further, Sen. West expressed concerns over the qualifications of new private schools entering the program. “How long does a private school need to be in existence before it can participate?” he asked, stressing the importance of accreditation and accountability.
Despite these concerns, proponents argue that rigorous safeguards will be in place for new schools, including background checks for staff and a review of the state’s do-not-hire registry, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not wasted. Opponents also warn that SB 2 could drain resources from already underfunded public schools. During a recent Senate hearing, nearly 250 people testified against the bill, compared to 75 in support.
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, raised concerns about the future of education funding, asking, “Can I have your commitment that the next bill we’re gonna see for education will be an investment in our teachers?”
In response, Sen. Creighton assured that raising teacher pay remains one of Gov. Abbott’s emergency priorities this session, signaling a push for increased support for public schools.
What Happens Next?
The bill remains under consideration in the Texas Senate, with its fate still to be determined. Historically, there has not been significant resistance in the Senate to similar school choice measures. If the bill passes in the Senate, it would move on to the Texas House, where its future could become more complicated.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick noted that 40 amendments had been filed to SB 2, with more likely to follow, and predicted that the Senate debate could stretch until 4 a.m.
While Abbott has claimed he has secured enough votes to pass the measure in the House, past efforts have been blocked by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans who oppose using taxpayer funds for private education.
Many House Republicans who previously opposed school choice were either unseated or retired after Abbott and GOP megadonor Jeff Yass aggressively campaigned against them in the 2024 primaries. With a new House makeup, the vote count could be different this time.
As the legislative session continues, the battle over school choice remains one of the most contentious issues in Texas politics. Abbott is expected to continue his campaign-style events to rally public support, while public school advocates prepare for a fight in the House.
This is an ongoing article that will be updated.
You can watch the livestream on the Senate website at https://senate.texas.gov/av-live.php.
