This is the first year for education savings accounts, which allow Texas families to use taxpayer dollars for private or home schooling.
Texas’ chief financial officer requested that lawmakers double the amount of money available for the state’s private school voucher program, resulting in a total of more than $2 billion.
In the appropriations request for 2028–29 biennium, Texas Comptroller Don Huffines asked the Legislature to raise the program’s base funding by $1 billion so more families can use taxpayer money to cover private school or home schooling costs.
Last year, the Legislature approved $1 billion for the rollout and the 2026-27 school year, the first of the program.
Officials from the comptroller’s office noted Thursday that the request was based on the number of current participants and students on the waitlist, as required by state law. However, if the state also provided funding to those on the waitlist, that would bring the total to roughly $4 billion over the next two years.
Huffines requested an additional $226 million to accommodate funding increases for families currently participating in the program.
“The Comptroller’s Office expects that the interest list will only grow larger as the state continues to promote the program and participating families communicate positive experiences to others in their communities,” according to the request. “The state has a moral imperative to serve these children.”
The Texas State Teachers Association on Thursday criticized the budget request, saying taxpayers need more information on who has signed up to receive voucher funding before raising the program’s price tag.
Recent state data shows that 70% of families who joined or have pending invites to the program already attended a private school or home-school.
“Many school districts have been forced to close campuses or eliminate programs to tackle budget deficits,” the association said in a statement. “We can’t afford to keep draining increasing amounts of tax dollars from these public schools to support religious and other private schools.”
Legislators will tackle Texas’ two-year budget when the next lawmaking session begins in January.
Participating families with a child in private school currently qualify for about $10,500 annually. Home-schoolers receive up to $2,000 per year.
Children with disabilities qualify for up to $30,000, an amount based on what it would cost to educate that student in a public school. However, fewer than 30 students have received the full amount.
Nearly 110,000 students have received funding so far, while more than 106,000 families remain on the waitlist, according to the budget request.
The Texas Tribune previously reported that tight application deadlines and confusing documentation requirements made it difficult for families of students with disabilities to receive money reserved for special education. That led to officials in the comptroller’s office saying they would push for additional funding for those families in future years.
Huffines asked for that additional funding in the new request, where officials note that they expect nearly 15,000 participating children to receive appropriate special education documentation next year, which could then make them eligible for additional money. The comptroller would use some of the $226 million — requested in addition to the billion-dollar increase — to accommodate those families.
Roughly 7,300 students who currently attend private schools under the program have a documented disability, receiving the base $10,500 plus an average of more than $5,000 in additional special education funding, according to the request.
Spending on the program during the 2026-27 biennium was limited to $1 billion. Legislative budget experts predicted that it could rise to roughly $4.8 billion by 2030.
Source: Jaden Edison, The Texas Tribune
Photo Credit: Students pledge allegiance during ‘Parent Empowerment Night’ at San Antonio Christian School in San Antonio. Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune
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