- Politically active school choice advocacy organizations, including the American Federation for Children and Americans for Prosperity, expressed support for House Bill 3
- Lt. Governor Dan Patrick expressed encouragement over the House’s school choice proposal
- Other priority education bills filed in the Texas House include $7.6 billion in new funding for public schools and teacher pay increases
Leaders in the Texas House of Representatives unveiled a package of priority legislation related to education yesterday, including a bill to create an Education Savings Account program that school choice advocates lauded.
House Bill 3, filed by State Representative Brad Buckley, would create a universal school choice program with initial funding of $1 billion from the state for Education Savings Accounts. Buckley serves as Chairman of the Texas House Public Education committee.
A similar school choice bill, Senate Bill 2, passed the Texas Senate earlier this month.
Advocates for school choice praised House Bill 3 and praised the work of Representative Buckley and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows on the issue.
“Thanks to the leadership of Speaker Burrows and Chairman Buckley, the Texas House has proposed one of the strongest school choice bills in our nation’s history. Building upon the Senate’s excellent work, HB 3 would create the largest day-one school choice program in American history. Texas’ school choice legislation continues to improve at every stage in the legislative process. We look forward to working with legislators to bring a school choice bill to Governor Abbott’s desk,” said Nathan Cunneen, Texas State Director of the American Federation for Children.
The political arm of the American Federation for Children played an active role in Republican primary elections last year, spending several million dollars against lawmakers that opposed a school choice proposal during the last legislative session.
The Texas chapter of the conservative advocacy organization Americans for Prosperity also praised House Bill 3 and highlighted areas where it believes the bill offers improvements over the State’s Senate’s school choice bill.
The improvements cited by Americans for Prosperity include “a greater preference for low-income and disabled children,” “significantly more funding for students with disabilities,” “no testing requirement for homeschool students,” and a provision of the bill that ties the amount of the Education Savings Account paid by the state to the average amount of funding per student in a public school. This provision differs from Senate Bill 2, which sets the amount of the Education Savings Account at a set amount that would have to be adjusted by the legislature.
Like the American Federation for Children, Americans for Prosperity was active in Republican primary elections last cycle.
Despite some differences between the school choice proposals in the House and Senate, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said that he was “encouraged” by the filing of House Bill 3.
“We are encouraged by the filing today of the Texas House version of School Choice, HB 3, by Rep. Brad Buckley and are excited to see it closely aligns with Senate Bill 2. This is our 6th time passing a school choice bill in the Texas Senate. We look forward to Speaker Burrows and Chairman Buckley to finally get it across the finish line in the House,” said a tweet posted by Lt. Governor Patrick’s office.
The tweet also included a statement from State Senator Brandon Creighton, who was the lead author of Senate Bill 2, commending the work of the Texas House on school choice.
“Under Lt. Governor Patrick’s leadership, the Texas Senate passed a bold plan with Senate Bill 2 to establish universal ESAs that empower parents to choose the best education for their children. I commend Chairman Buckley and the Texas House for advancing school choice with HB 3. Both chambers are prioritizing low-income and special needs students, creating the largest school choice launch in the nation. I look forward to working with the House to finally deliver for Texas families,” said Creighton.
Other bills in the House’s priority education package filed yesterday include:
House Bill 2, an omnibus school choice bill that provides $7.6 billion in new funding for public schools, including funding for teacher pay raises
House Bill 4, to eliminate the STARR test and reinstate the “A-F” school rating system
House Bill 6, to enhance options for schools to remove disruptive students from the classroom
House Bill 100, which would prohibit school districts from purchasing instructional materials that were rejected by the State Board of Education
House Bill 123, to create additional tools to ensure young children do not fall behind in reading and math
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows says education, including school choice, will be a priority for the Texas House this session.
“The Texas House is preparing to transform education in our state this session with our two step proposal to provide a historic investment in classrooms while expanding educational opportunity for Texas parents and students,” said Speaker Burrows. “I believe the Texas House is fully prepared to fund public education while acknowledging one size does not fit all—one without the other would leave Texas short. This session, the House will lead from the front by passing a series of sweeping reforms to improve our education system for Texas students, teachers, and parents. I appreciate Chairman Buckley’s leadership on this issue, and all priority bill authors for their dedication to Texas’ schoolchildren.”
