The 89th Texas Legislature could be largely defined and remembered for its conservative push on education policies.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, in his announcement earlier this week marking the session’s end, touted several education-related priority bills as “key Senate victories.”
That includes Senate Bill 2, the sweeping $1 billion school voucher-like program establishing an Education Savings Account (ESA), which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last month. Patrick also noted House Bill 2, which was signed Wednesday and will boost school funding and teachers’ salaries.
Although Texas Republicans are celebrating the bills as a win, some consider it a loss for the state’s public school system.
“Public education has become a central battleground where deep divisions within the Texas GOP and growing public frustration have collided in real time,” Max Rombado, legislative director at nonprofit Raise Your Hand Texas, said during a news conference Wednesday.
SCHOOL FUNDING
House Bill 2 allocates $8.5 billion for public school funding — but some argue schools need at least double the amount.
Libby Cohen, Raise Your Hand Texas’ executive director, said the bill “will help, but it will not solve the budget woes of too many school districts.”
She said the allocated funds “is not even half of the $19.6 billion schools need to simply maintain their purchasing power from 2019.”
The bulk of the $8.5 billion — $3.7 billion if it — will fund teachers’ salary raises, while $500 million will go toward raises for other school staff.
House representatives pushed for increasing the per-student basic allotment by around $340, while state Senators focused on boosting teachers’ salaries. Ultimately, they agreed to increase students’ basic allotment by $55, which schools can use for a wide range of purposes.
But Bob Popinski, senior director of policy at Raise Your Hand Texas, said that still places the state $8,800 below the national average for teacher pay.
VOUCHER PROGRAM
Becky Fogel
Cohen also questions whether the state’s investment in its school voucher-like program, which allows Texans to use public funds for private education costs, will help average Texas families.
“Will the Texas voucher program deliver real choice to parents looking for other education options, or like other universal voucher programs, will it primarily benefit those who already had their children in private school?” she asked.
“Will the program remain limited in size and scope, or will it balloon in response to those who would see vouchers become a new entitlement?” she continued.
Abbott has said the program will open doors for families, allowing them more flexibility to choose which schools where they want to enroll their kids.
“Gone are the days that families are limited to only the school assigned by the government,” Abbott said during the law’s signing ceremony. “The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that’s best for their child.”
Rombado, with Raise Your Hand Texas, said the legislature was set up this year to pass the historic voucher program after Abbott amped up his political might to get it passed.
In 2023, Abbott’s push for a voucher program was blocked in part by 21 House Republicans, many of whom lost re-election against challengers backed by the governor.
“By the time the 89th session began, the political environment had changed dramatically,” Rombado said.
Only six of those dissenting Republicans were able to keep their seats for the next session, and only one of those opposed the program.
“That sent a clear message that opposing vouchers had become a political liability,” Rombado said. “Governor Abbott doubled down, personally campaigning against incumbents, spending millions and making vouchers a litmus test for staying in his political coalition.”
Those against the program worry about how it’ll play out for most Texas families, but Rombado said it could have been worse.
“SB 2 did not pass in its original form, it was reshaped by political pressure, including from public education advocates and required several major amendments,” Rombado said.
Some of those guardrails include a rule that only 20% of ESA funds can go to students from families earning more than 500% over the federal poverty line (for a family of four, that’s around $160,000 a year). It also requires private schools to have been accredited and operating in Texas for at least two years before enrolling students through the voucher-like program.
STAAR AND ACCOUNTABILITY
One notable education bill, House Bill 4, did not pass. The bill would have switched out the state’s STAAR test for three shorter standardized exams given throughout the school year and strengthened the power of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over its A-F accountability rating system.
“It looked as though lawmakers might finally set aside the STAAR and an outdated accountability system in favor of nimbler testing instruments and more holistic measures of school quality,” Cohen said.
The bill died in conference committee, “leaving parents, students and teachers still waiting for Texas to truly measure up to what matters in our public schools,” Cohen said.
It ultimately didn’t pass because the state’s House and Senate couldn’t agree on how to evaluate students’ scores. House members were largely in favor of comparing Texas students’ results to peers across the country. Senate leaders wanted to give TEA Commissioner Mike Morath the power to set the formula for how performance ratings are calculated. It’s the same system that triggered the state takeover of Houston ISD in 2023 after Wheatley High School received a streak of failing grades from the agency.
HISD, the largest school district in the state, has since been led by a state-appointed board and superintendent, and will be under state control for at least two more years following a Monday announcement from the agency.
“This session wasn’t just about education policy — it was about power, pressure and political consequences,” Rombado said.