That’s why Thursday night’s vote to approve Senate Bill 1 was not shocking. The bill would create a school voucher-like program Gov. Greg Abbott has termed “education savings accounts.” As we wrote earlier this week, the surprising element that provided a slight dose of unpredictability to the latest legislative session is that it took Abbott calling a special session to get his pet project to the House for a vote. For his part, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has publicly complained that he has now seen this sort of bill leave the Senate only to die in the House a number of times over the past few sessions.
In a Friday morning statement, Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas acknowledged the inevitability of last night’s 19-12 vote, which followed party lines.
“I’m deeply disappointed but not surprised. Abandoning both fiscal responsibility and academic accountability,” he said, “today, the Senate majority entrusted public education to religious organizations and private businesses. It marks another disturbing instance of misusing public power and resources for private ends.”
It’s difficult to imagine that Republican resistance in the House will last much longer. In the wake of an otherwise successful regular session for the governor, and now with primaries nearing, Abbott has warned of political war against Republicans who cross him during this special session, the third one he has called in 2023.
“Today, the Senate majority entrusted public education to religious organizations and private businesses." – State Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas)
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The Senate has passed bills similar to SB 1 before, but House members from small towns and rural areas have balked at taking money from the public schools that employ many of their constituents simply to provide private school discounts to families that can already afford the tuition in cities that have more options available than they do.
Patrick, a staunch voucher advocate who has seen bills for vouchers pass the Senate only to die before reaching the House floor, doesn’t see the irony in advocating for a program that could weaken the very public school system he says “leaves many of our students behind.”
“Texas is blessed with a robust public school system of over 8,000 campuses,” Patrick noted in a Friday morning statement. “Many of our schools are great, most are good, but unfortunately, some of our schools do not meet the needs of our students and some are rated as failing districts in our state. A one-size-fits-all approach to education leaves many of our students behind, and parents deserve options other than just their local public school.”
Abbott’s GOP allies in the Senate and House have touted that SB 1 will provide $8,000 per student to go toward private school tuition, uniforms, textbooks and even transportation. They say this gives parents more say in the type of education their kids receive, even though the average annual tuition for private schools in Texas exceeds $10,000.
Another sticking point for voucher opponents is how private schools are not subject to the same admission requirements as public schools. Private schools, including ones affiliated with churches and faith-based organizations, need not accept students with special needs, behavioral issues or low grades. So much for parents getting to make the choice.
SB1 is explicit that there are NO protections for special needs students & their families in this voucher scheme. Texas mom, Daphne, spoke on the harm this would mean for #SPED families like hers. And now, the amendment to provide protections was just voted down #txlege #txed🤔🧐 https://t.co/oXJKZrus2L pic.twitter.com/Lu9uT9nafn
— Senator Sarah Eckhardt (@SarahEckhardtTX) October 12, 2023
The Senate also passed Senate Bill 2 on Thursday, which provides some of the items Democrats have lobbied for instead of vouchers. An increased basic allotment of state money given to a district per student could allow for teacher pay raises as well as operational improvements. According to the Texas Tribune, Abbott told a Thursday crowd hosted by a conservative think tank that teacher raises will be added to the special session agenda only after SB 1 is passed in the House, which could happen next week.
Although school vouchers have been the marquee agenda item this week, Abbott’s goals for the special session read like a conservative politics paint-by-number affair. Border security and vaccine mandates are also on the agenda, with Senate Bill 11, designed to allow state and local police the authority to arrest those who cross the border illegally, also making it through the Senate this week.
Friday morning, at Pinkston High School in Dallas, Democratic lawmakers held a press conference denouncing the Senate passage of SB 1. Holding signs that read “Public Money in Public Schools,” state representatives blasted the bill they will vote on next week.
Rep. Rafael Anchia, who represents parts of Carrollton, Dallas, Farmers Branch and Irving, said “the power of public schools is a form of public infrastructure. The power of public schools is worth fighting for.”
