Senate Democrats Fight to Keep Public Dollars in Public Schools

AUSTIN, TX – The Texas Senate Democratic Caucus released the following statement on the passage of Senate Bill 2:

Today, Senate Democrats were united in their strong opposition to Senate Bill 2, which would create an “Education Savings Account” program. This latest voucher scheme siphons off billions of taxpayer dollars for private vendors without requiring the transparency, accountability or anti-discrimination standards our public schools must follow.

Multiple amendments by Senate Democrats to protect Texas children and hold these private entities to the same standards required of our public schools were summarily rejected, strictly on partisan lines. Rejected amendments included provisions to protect and prioritize children with disabilities, and requirements for private schools to institute the same anti-discrimination protections as public schools and to provide basic reporting and accountability data. Also rejected were amendments to implement safeguards against ballooning costs and limit eligibility by changing the definition of "low-income household" from a whopping 500 percent of FPL ($160,750 for a family of four) to better reflect the income of Texas’ working families (median household income in Texas was $75,780 in 2023) were also rejected.

With a budget surplus of $24 billion, we have another historic opportunity to make our children our top priority by making long-overdue investments in public education. Instead, state leaders are prioritizing a voucher program that will be nothing more than a coupon for the wealthy to keep sending their children to the private schools they’re already attending, and will do little to help the 5.5 million children who rely on our neighborhood schools.

S.B. 2 diverts billions of taxpayer dollars to private entities, making future investments in our public schools to reduce class sizes, increase teacher pay or improve student outcomes less feasible. Notably, these private entities—who stand to make millions of dollars—will be accountable only to their shareholders, not to the public. Furthermore, if this new entitlement program truly were intended to help children with disabilities and at-risk children, then it would hold private schools who accept ESA funds to at least the same minimum standards required of our public schools and would not allow them to pick and choose what students they accept.

Senate Democrats remain laser-focused on fully funding our public schools, supporting our teachers and fighting for the future of every Texas child. If this legislation becomes law, more than 98 percent of children who will remain in our neighborhood schools will be devastated by the financial impacts of this voucher scheme, with children with disabilities, at-risk children and rural communities the hardest hit. History will show Senate Bill 2 was not “school choice” for Texas families but rather public subsidization of private schools’ choice.