Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the state's private school voucher program bill into law, giving families access to state funds to pay for their kids' tuition.
The passage of the state's private school voucher program into law marks a significant win for Abbott, who spent millions of dollars to reshape Texas' Legislature to win the votes he needed. The latest development comes after Senate Bill 2 was approved by the Texas House last month.
Texas School Voucher Program Signed Into Law
The bill will spend up to $1 billion over the next two years for the creation of educational savings accounts, which are a form of vouchers. The annual cost of the recently approved program is expected to rise to around $4.8 billion by 2030, which needs to be approved by the Legislature.
Supporters of the program argue that the school voucher will give families more options in choosing an institution for their kids, including religious schools. On the other hand, opponents believe that the program could cut into public school funding and enrollment, according to Axios.
The voucher program is set to become one of the largest in the United States and will give families a total equal to about 85% of what public schools get for every student in state and local funding. An analysis showed that this would mean anywhere between $10,000 and $10,900 per year for each child.
If demand for the program exceeds its budget, priority eligibility would be given to families found to have low incomes or children with disabilities. This comes even though the program itself is open to families of any income, even those who already have kids in private school.
Support From President Donald Trump
During the signing of the program on Saturday, Abbott said that it was the culmination of a movement that swept across the state and the nation. This comes as President Donald Trump previously expressed his support of the program, CBS News reported.
The president also issued an executive order in January earlier this year that frees up federal funding for school choice programs. Gov. Abbott noted on Saturday that the program would not have succeeded without the support of members of the House and Senate.
The development puts Texas alongside 30 other states that have implemented similar programs in their areas. There are about a dozen of these that launched or expanded their programs in the past few years to make more students eligible to apply, as per ABC News.
