Everything is big in Texas – including their second largest in the country school system. The school choice coalition that we partner with ALEC keeps coming close, then coming up short.

But we feel good about this year, thanks to a slew of anti-school choice Republicans who were run out of the legislature in last year’s elections.

The new Speaker of the House, Dustin Burrows, like his predecessor Dade Phelan, was elected with mostly Democratic support. But unlike Phelan who killed school choice, we are cautiously optimistic that Burrows will not sabotage this effort.

The Texas Senate education bill has already been endorsed by the school choice forces. Here is a summary:

SB 2 creates a fully universal Education Savings Account (ESA) Program. All students in the State of Texas are eligible to apply and may be accepted into the program, including students that are: 

• • • Entering the school system for the first time (kindergartners or eligible preschoolers) 
    • Currently enrolled in a public school 
    • Currently enrolled in private school or home school 

Prioritization 

If the number of applications to the program do not exceed the number of spots available in the program, all eligible applicants will be accepted into the program. 

If the number of applications exceeds the number of program spots available, the following prioritization scheme will be used: 

• • • Program administrators will fill up to 80% of available positions via a lottery of students who have previously attended public school; and either – are a member of a low-income household; or are a child with a disability 
    • All remaining positions will be filled by lottery. 

Allocation per Student 

All students that are accepted into the ESA program are annually credited a minimum of $2,000 to their Education Savings Account. 

However, if a family participating in the ESA program chooses to enroll their participating child in an accredited private school, that student’s account is instead annually credited: 

• • • $11,500 if the student is a child with a disability; otherwise 
    • $10,000 if the student is not a child with a disability. 

Both the House and the Senate have set aside $1 billion for private school scholarships in their budget proposals.

Hook ’em horns!