This past May 3, 2025 at the end of the 89th Texas Legislature, Governor Gregg Abott signed Senate Bill 8 establishing Education Savings Accounts for families who wish to send their kids to a private school of their choosing in the state of Texas. The bill becomes fully active for the 2026-27 school year and will allocate 1 billion dollars for the first two years of the program’s existence. It is intended for families who would like to search for alternatives to the public school their children are zoned in.
Republicans and conservatives in Texas have been attempting and fighting for the passage of school choice in Texas for several years. Governor Gregg Abott vowed during his 2022 re-election campaign that he would ensure school choice would finally become a reality in Texas as is the case in other states like Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona to name a few. But with every legislative session that came, advocates for school choice could never get enough votes by their elected representatives in the state house. Opponents of school choice, mostly Democrats and a few Republicans expressed concerned about the degree of public-school funding and how it would be affected. An interesting group that expressed concern and some resistance against school choice were Republican representatives who presided over highly rural districts across the state where the public schools therein represented such a large employment base along with the schools themselves functioning as major resource centers.
As both sides went at it during the 89th legislature, advocates and supporters of school choice ultimately emerged as victors, and we now have a new era in Texas K-12 education.
Now for the record, I along with several former colleagues of mine from Americans for Prosperity and the LIBRE Initiative where I served as the former Texas Director of Grassroot Operations, supported school choice. My reasons are clear and simple. I believe that parents should have the most complete set of options available to them in the education of their children. If they and their children love their public school, that is great. And there is a lot of good public schools out there. If they want to send their child to a private school or a charter school, that is great too. We have a surplus in the state budget that can help facilitate that. If parents feel that home schooling is the best option for their child, that is great too. I have met some very good and interesting homeschooling groups and communities. (Looking back I think that would have been good for me as a kid. I would have recommended a film class every year. Lol) There are also hybrid type schools called Micro-schools that combine features of every conventional and non-conventional school environment. Ultimately, the point is that education was never intended to be a one-sized fits-all situation.
Kids are different. Some kids learn differently from others and the priorities, and agendas of one school system and environment may not align with the natural inclinations, strengths, and goals of the child and their family. The passage of the school choice bill is only the start of what I hope is a conversation that continues towards growing and increasing our understanding of what are the most effective ways to transform our children into effective, compassionate, moral, and responsible citizens. But most important and central to the conversation is that it is the parents that are the foundation of their children’s education and that the parent/teacher team needs to be improved and better aligned to maximize better outcomes. And that mutual encouragement and respect need to be emphasized increasingly within the student/parent/teacher team. Many teachers know this but are bluntly speaking; tired, burned out, and disillusioned by the pressures and demands of the education system. They need to be told thank you more and receive encouragement in every way. There needs to be a revival of goodwill, enthusiasm, and genuine excitement about the joy of learning and in the celebration of the wins that kids experience, not just in the academic and athletic arenas they participate in. But in their wins as human beings as they cultivate and embrace the lifelong skills and art of common sense, courtesy, decency, and grace towards the people around them.