At a Parent Empowerment Rally at the Texas Capitol on Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the crowd, “I am here to tell you that, contrary to what you may be reading in the newspaper, we are closer than we’ve ever been on a deal that will deliver school choice for you, your families, and all Texans.”
Historically, Texas has painfully lagged in school choice programs, resembling more of a blue state than its Republican trifecta. Currently, the only avenues of school choice in Texas are within the public system: charter schools and magnet schools, as well as inter-district and intra-district enrollment avenues. School choice programs that allow students to move outside the public education system are nonexistent.
Abbott Pressures Republicans
But Abbott has committed to changing that. He’s calling for universal education savings accounts (ESAs), which would grant K-12 students statewide access to taxpayer funding for other selected educational avenues.
The Texas Legislature returned to Austin for a third special session on Oct. 9. Abbott made it clear that it is time for Texas to pass school choice. If legislators cannot get it passed this session, then he’ll bring them back immediately for another session. “I can play this game longer than they can play this game,” he said about the legislature.
Republicans who represent rural areas in the House of Representatives blocked school choice from passing in the spring legislative session.
Abbott is also prepared to utilize an effective approach that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds employed in
