Does the latest Texas school choice proposal go far enough for Gov. Greg Abbott?

A sweeping Texas House bill that would kick off a limited school choice program that could balloon in future years falls short of what Gov. Greg Abbott wants.

The proposal would boost funding for public schools and create a fiercely debated voucherlike program that would allow families to use state dollars on private schooling.

Rep. Brad Buckley, the Republican chair of the House public education committee, laid out a plan in a bill filed late Thursday that would create limited education savings accounts, or ESAs, for 25,000 students beginning next school year with the program potentially doubling in size the following year. The size limitation on the program would expire in 2027.

However, Abbott, who has made school choice a priority over the past year, consistently championed universal ESAs for which all students would be eligible. The voucherlike program is the only school-related item he placed on the call for the Legislature’s third special session of the year.

Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Abbott, said in a statement that the governor spoke with House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday morning for a “productive” conversation.

“The governor let the speaker know that the current version of the House school choice bill differs from what the governor’s office had negotiated with the House’s leadership team selected by the speaker,” Mahaleris said. “Speaker Phelan agreed to continue to work with Gov. Abbott on the agreed-upon principles of school choice until a deal is reached.”

Abbott has said he will not expand the special session’s call to include school funding until an ESA plan is approved.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s office did not respond to questions on if he supports the House’s version as it’s currently written. Hours after Buckley’s bill posted, he shared a social media post on various issues noting that “the House needs to get to work.”

Last week, after the Senate passed its own school choice bill, Patrick said his chamber would pass the bill repeatedly until the House passes it and sends it to Abbott’s desk.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation, a major proponent of voucherlike proposals, was also not sold on Buckley’s broad bill because of the initial limits on education savings accounts.

“However, the foundation believes House Bill 1 needs to be improved by increasing the amount of Texas families able to participate in the program, as well as the administration of the program, especially to respect and protect the religious liberties of our Texas families,” CEO Greg Sindelar said in a statement.

Meanwhile, public school advocates were quick to condemn the bill despite it offering sweeteners such as more money for salaries, one-time bonuses for staff and incentives to bolster high-quality teacher preparation and certification.

Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas State Teachers Association in a statement released Friday that additional money for public schools should not come “at the cost of opening the door to taxpayer-funded vouchers that soon will drain billions of tax dollars from the state budget and cripple public education.”

The ESA would be worth 75% of the state’s average per-student funding that’s typically given to public schools.

Currently, the basic allotment is $6,160 per student with districts receiving additional weighted funding to account for other needs, such as special education. That allotment initally would bump up by $30 and then to $6,500.

Priority for limited spots would be given to certain students, such as those with a disability or those living in poverty or from middle class families.

Buckley’s proposal still faces uncertainty in the House, where rural Republicans have repeatedly joined with Democrats to knock down any voucherlike proposal.

The wide-ranging bill includes giving districts money for a residency program to pay future educators to train with teachers; creating grants to help students with autism; expanding virtual learning opportunities; and a book safety allotment to help schools comply with a new law aimed at keeping out sexually explicit material from campus libraries.

Shannon Holmes, executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, stressed in a statement that “there are are no exceptions for deals or buy offs.”

“This approach—having one or a handful of legislators throw everything but the kitchen sink into a bill without broad input or vetting—is not a serious way to make good policy,” Holmes said.

Buckley’s bill differs from the Senate’s proposal, which has already passed that chamber. The proposal by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would provide a family access to $8,000 to use on a child’s private-school tuition or other related costs, such as uniforms and textbooks.

The ESAs would come from $500 million to be drawn from the state’s general revenue. If more families sought the ESA than the state could afford, they would be selected based on a lottery with certain students prioritized, such as those from low- or middle-income families.

Both the House and Senate bill would limit ESAs for a home-schooled child to $1,000.

Texas has about 5.4 million public school children.

Dax Gonzalez, of the Texas Association of School Boards, noted that the proposal is a “mash-up of several different bills,” including aspects of school policy unrelated to finance.

For example, the bill would create a grant program to help retired teachers to return to the classroom. Districts that hire educators already receiving benefits from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas currently must pay a steep surcharge that can run into the thousands.

While mitigating such costs is a great idea, it doesn’t necessarily belong in this one bill, Gonzalez said. However, it’s the “unpopular” voucherlike ESA program that is really holding up much-needed additional money for public educations, he added.

“I don’t think people realize where schools are right now on funding,” Gonzalez said. “I wish we could address one and then we could address the other. But unfortunately, we can’t.”

Staff writer Marcela Rodrigues and Aarón Torres contributed to this story.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.