Abbott makes school vouchers, teacher pay raises a priority for legislators

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants education to be a top priority this legislative session.

On Sunday, Abbott laid out his plans for educational funding, including increasing teacher pay, expanding career training, and offering school choice.

Texas School Choice

What we know:

The Texas Senate is expected to pass Senate Bill 2 this week, setting up a school choice showdown in the Texas House.

"Every child deserves education that’s best for them. It is time to expand that same opportunity to every family in the great state of Texas," Abbott said during his State of the State address.

The so-called school vouchers or education savings accounts would be available to an estimated 100,000 students based on a lottery system. 

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Of the $1 billion in funding, $800 million will be set aside for low-income and special needs students. The remaining $200 million would go to any other student who is selected.

Those students would then receive $10,000 to leave public school and enroll in a private school.

The plan failed multiple times last session. But with a different landscape in the Texas House, Abbott thinks he can follow through on the campaign promise.

"Schools must respond to parents’ concerns, and parents should be empowered to choose the school that’s best for their child," the governor said.

The other side:

Texas House Democrats held a news conference on Monday outside Parmer Lane Elementary. It’s an underfunded public school in Austin on the brink of closing.

"Call them and tell them I am not interested in giving my tax dollars to rich people so they can send their kids to religious private schools," said State Rep. Gene Wu, the Democrat House Chair.

"They can pick and choose students, denying admission based on test scores, discipline history, disability, and even if a student fits their culture," added State Rep. Rhetta Bowers, a Democrat from Garland.

What's next:

Senate staffers say SB2 could come up for a vote as soon as Tuesday.

Texas Teacher Pay Raises

What we know:

While vouchers are a divisive issue, both sides have called for more funding for public schools. Abbott hopes to accomplish that through teacher pay raises.

"To increase teachers’ average salary to an all-time high, I’m declaring teacher pay an emergency item this session," Abbott said.

There is a plan in the Senate to add $5 billion to public school funding. 

That amount would give all Texas teachers a $4,000 raise and rural teachers would get an additional $6,000.

The other side:

Democrats think a public school funding bill should be the priority, not vouchers.

"Everyone on the floor is ready to pass a bill that increases funding for schools. Everyone is ready. The question is, is Gov. Abbott ready?" Wu said.

The Source: The information in this story comes from Gov. Greg Abbott's State of the State address and a news conference held by Texas House Democrats.

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