Abbott says if a school voucher bill isn’t expanded to include more students, a special legislative session will be the result.
Governor Abbott responds to questions about his push for education savings accounts, including the impact that they will have on public schools, how charter schools will be held accountable and how he plans to win over Republicans who have opposed similar bills in the past.
"Parents and their children deserve no less," he said in a statement. His dramatic declaration came the night before the House Public Education Committee was scheduled to hold a public hearing on Senate Bill 8, the school voucher bill. That measure passed the Senate more than a month ago but has so far been stalled in lower chamber as it lacks sufficient support.
Abbott doesn’t believe the revised version does enough to provide the state with a meaningful "school choice" program. Since the start of the legislative session, Abbott has signaled his support for earlier proposals that would be open to most students. The governor also said he has had complaints over the new funding for the bill, saying it gives less money to special education students.
The version approved by the Senate would be open to most K-12 students in Texas and would give parents who opt out of the public school system up to $8,000 in taxpayer money per student each year. Those funds could be used to pay for a child’s private schooling and other educational expenses, such as textbooks or tutoring. But that idea has faced an uphill climb in the House, where lawmakers signaled their support last month for banning school vouchers in the state.
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