Amid a weekslong stalemate between the House and the Senate over Governor Greg Abbott’s priority of school choice, Abbott said on Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with House Speaker Dade Phelan and other House leaders.
Abbott doubled down by expanding the third special session call to include teacher pay raises and funding for other public education expenditures.
In a statement, the governor outlined the basics of the proposed deal, which would provide roughly $10,400 per year in education savings accounts for any K-12-aged student enrolled to use toward covering private school or other educational costs.
Abbott added that the deal would provide billions in additional funding for public schools that would cover teacher pay raises, funding for special education and other expenditures – but did not specify any given amounts or details regarding these funds.
The governor’s announcement indicated potential progress on passing a voucher-like program; however, in a statement from Phelan spokeswoman Cassi Pollock, the speaker thanked Abbott for expanding the call and added he looked forward to having robust discussions related to the matter.
If this deal is not reached, it could mean that lawmakers would be starting all over with a week left until the special session ends.
“From the House perspective, I think they are just counting the days until a week from today when this third special session ends,” Mark Jones, Rice University political science professor, said, “Then they (lawmakers) are going to look to the governor to see if he calls a fourth special session or not.”
According to Jones, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate are so dug-in and have placed reputations so firmly on the matter it’s tough to imagine any of them changing their stance.
The House quickly adjourned Tuesday morning for the second day in a row, as a quorum was not present, which heightened the already existing tension between House Republicans for the voucher-like program and their Democratic counterparts who are against vouchers.
During a press conference held by the Texas House Republican Caucus Tuesday afternoon, Representative Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth) and other House Republicans accused Democratic House members of intentionally creating a quorum break.
To which the Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman Representative Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio) pointed out that despite Republicans wanting to blame the Democrats for not being present – 20 Republicans were also not on the House floor.
If Abbott’s proposal is filed as legislation, legislators could still find themselves at an impasse as two dozen Republicans and most of the Democratic House members in the House oppose any voucher-like program.
“If we were to set the voucher aside and just have the school finance conversation, that would be a conversation worthy of having,” Dr. Michelle Smith, Executive Director of Raise Your Hand Texas, said. “Both chambers are trying to invest more money in our public schools and teachers.”
“It’s the voucher issue; that’s the political issue that so many organizations and legislators are saying that’s not a conversation they can have,” she said.
Smith said two current bills, House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 2, provide funds for increasing teacher pay, the basic per-student allotment, school safety measures and other public school expenditures.
However, unlike the Senate’s desire to separate the education savings accounts from a school finance package – House Bill 1 combines the two.
According to Smith and other public education advocates against ESAs, compromising by putting additional public school funding and a voucher-like program together is a non-starter.
“We’re no closer to the finish line than during the regular session. I think some House members are even more of a ‘no’ than they were a week or two ago,” she said.
“We’re no closer to the finish line than during the regular session. I think some House members are even more of a ‘no’ than they were a week or two ago.”
Smith said the concerns of those against the education savings accounts include increasing costs typically accrued with voucher-like programs and the risk that these funds could become subsidies for families with the resources to attend private schools.
Meanwhile, the student population lawmakers claimed to have wanted to assist at the start of the session – those who are lower income or underserved, such as special needs students – could be left in the dust.
Smith said this is particularly the case with Senate Bill 1, the education savings account passed in the Senate, which sets aside a certain percentage of total spots in the program for these students – but also expands eligibility to homeschooled kids and those already attending private schools.
Jones said Republicans who support voucher-like programs but oppose the Senate’s proposal for an education savings account take issue with this too – but for different reasons. They believe that the Senate’s proposed plan for education savings accounts broadens the scope too much by opening it up to low-income families who attend failing schools.
These same Republicans are also against HB 1, as it focuses on these students with funding for special education and public schools – not just the voucher-like program.
“A lot of Republicans call the House bill a sort of poison pill in the sense that technically it’s voucher legislation, but it’s not voucher legislation that comes even close to the minimum that voucher advocates want to see,” Jones said.
Although SB 1 passed through the Senate and made its way to the House, it has been stuck in the House since mid-October. House Bill 1 has also failed to gain traction, not having received initial passage in the House.
At this point, Jones said, Abbott will likely call legislators immediately back for a fourth special session, not call any more special sessions if there is no further progress made or imply that he plans to call the lawmakers back after the holidays for the fourth special session.
Texas State Teachers’ Association Statement on Abbott’s announcement:
We are glad Gov. Abbott has expanded the call of the special session to school finance because our public schools need a significant boost in funding and our woefully under-paid teachers and school support staff need raises. But let me be clear: We will continue to oppose a school funding or educator pay bill that includes an “education savings account” or any other voucher plan spending taxpayer dollars on private schools, regardless of how limited that voucher plan may be.
As the experiences of existing voucher states tell us, initial limits placed on voucher plans are soon lifted, and taxpayers are paying billions of dollars on private school costs for selected families, at the expense of under-funded public schools.
We cannot and will not accept a school finance or educator pay plan now that sacrifices the future of public education in Texas.
The governor also has made it clear that his priorities are not the public schools, teachers and students of Texas. His priorities are still determined by wealthy political donors who want to privatize public education. We continue to call on House members of both parties to reject the governor’s bullying tactics and keep fighting for their public schools, which is their constitutional responsibility.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
