Have questions about Texas’ proposed school voucher program? We have answers.
Get quick answers from our archive of school voucher reporting with our experimental AI assistant. Full Story
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![Children walk down a hall at Kennedy-Powell Elementary in Temple on April 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
Private school vouchers head to Abbott’s desk to become law
The program will officially launch at the start of the 2026-27 school year. Full Story
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![From left: State Rep. Dustin Burrows, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at the Capitol in Austin on April 23, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
“It’s what’s best for a very select few”: Some Texans are skeptical about vouchers as they near the finish line
Texas Republican lawmakers in regions known for support of public schools defended voting for vouchers, saying they gained leverage to seek concessions. Full Story
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![Public school advocates rally with Democrat House members in the Capitol Rotunda prior to the morning session on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick endorses Texas House’s voucher plan, clearing path to final approval
The lieutenant governor proposes that the Texas Senate adopt the House bill, which would eliminate a negotiation over the two versions and cement the victory for supporters. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during a press conference regarding school vouchers on March 25, 2025.]()
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See how Texas House members voted on school vouchers
The House approved historic legislation that would implement school vouchers in Texas. Here’s how each representative voted. Full Story
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![Texas House of Representatives Members vote on an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
In historic first, Texas House approves private school voucher program
The bill would let families use taxpayer dollars for their children’s private schooling. Lawmakers also signed off on a sweeping $7.7 billion package to boost public school funding. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, answers questions regarding an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Voucher vote updates: Texas House approves voucher proposal
The Texas House also approved more money for schools in a bipartisan vote. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brad Buckley answers questions from Democrats regarding an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Private school voucher bill clears first test in Texas House
The House Public Education Committee voted to advance a pair of priority bills to create education savings accounts and to raise how much state money public school districts receive. Full Story
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![The Texas House of Representatives Public Education Committee holds a hearing in Austin on March 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ DEI debate centers on a disagreement about whether programs perpetuate or prevent discrimination
Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit. Full Story
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![Illustrated posters reading “We Belong Here” litter the Capitol’s rotunda floor during Texas Students for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s protest of HB1 Rider No. 186, which would defund DEI initiatives at public universities, on Mar. 23, 2023.]()
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Different pace and priorities separate Texas Senate and House on school vouchers
The gaps over eligibility and on spending levels are narrower than the fundamental differences of the previous session. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows applaud as Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock gives the biennial State of the Judiciary speech in the Texas House chamber on Feb. 26, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Debate on House’s school voucher bill centers on a question: Should wealthy Texans be included?
The hearing on House Bill 3 started Tuesday and ended Wednesday morning. Hundreds of Texans waited overnight to testify. Full Story
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![Third graders jump rope on the playground in San Antonio on May 9, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
This charter school superintendent makes $870,000. He leads a district with 1,000 students.
On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely aren’t aware that his total pay makes him one of the country’s highest-earning superintendents. Full Story
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![Superintendent Salvador Cavazos runs Valere Public Schools’ three charter campuses.]()
Credit: Lauren Crow for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune -
Voucher bills want to prioritize low-income families and be open to all students. Those goals might be at odds.
Neither of the Legislature’s voucher bills require private schools to accept certain students, which some warn could block the neediest children from access. Full Story
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![Children draw self-portraits at the Rowlett Public Library in Rowlett, TX on October 26, 2023. The self portrait is part of a “hero’s journey” activity run by the mothers where the daughters think about who they are, what makes them special, and what they want to become.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Thin majority of Texas House signs on to support voucher bill
The 75 co-sponsors plus the bill’s author would provide enough votes to pass Gov. Abbott’s top priority measure in the 150-seat House. Full Story
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![Students enter a classroom at one of the 11 Houston-area campuses of Yes Prep, a public charter school system serving 7,000 low-income students.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
“We’re in competition”: An East Texas school district faces hard choices as education options grow
The Lufkin school district says it must do a better job of promoting itself amid growing competition from charter schools and homeschooling. Full Story
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![Students get onto a bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
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Under Texas House bill, value of education savings accounts would be tied to public school funding
The proposal sets a few possible points of contention between the House and Senate, including how much money should families get through the program. Full Story
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![Corina Pannabecker teaches first grade at Ogden Elementary in San Antonio on April 30, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
National leaders mount pressure campaign on Texas House GOP to pass voucher bill
Supporters of voucher-like education savings accounts are trying to press their advantage early and build a sense of inevitability. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, during ‘Parent Empowerment Night’ at San Antonio Christian School, in San Antonio, Texas, on February, 17, 2025. The governor has made the polarizing school voucher bill, Senate Bill 2, a top priority for this year’s legislative session.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Teacher Retirement System leader says Senate voucher proposal would not harm retirement funds
A recent budget analysis noted the Texas Senate’s voucher bill could affect the fund if it leads students and teachers to leave public schools. Full Story
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: The ins and outs of the debate over school choice and vouchers
In this week’s episode, we discuss the details of the plan to let parents use state funds to pay for their children’s private schooling. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at ‘Parent Empowerment Night’ at San Antonio Christian School, in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill that lets families use tax dollars for private schools swiftly sails through Senate
Senate Bill 2 now heads to the House, where top officials say they have the support to create education savings accounts. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Senate take up Senate Bill 2, regarding school vouchers, during the 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune
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