BREAKING: Six Attempts Later — Abbott Signs His School Voucher Plan Into Law, Sending Billions to Private Schools.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – After the 88th legislative session, four special sessions, and now the 89th regular session, Greg Abbott finally forced his voucher bill into law. It took a phone call from Donald Trump to manipulate Republican holdouts on the morning of the vote, and with Brad Buckley tabling every amendment, Abbott now has the bill his donor/owner demanded he pass. Abbott made dismantling community public schools the defining issue of his political career — arguably a stepping stone for his higher ambitions — and moved quickly to sign it into law. If only he acted with the same urgency for the measles outbreak, our state water crisis, the rising cost of living, or lowering high property taxes and home prices.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder issued the following statement:
“After years of lying, cheating, and attacking any of those who stood up for public schools, Greg Abbott finally created his new entitlement program for the wealthy by forcing his school voucher scam into law. Abbott knows vouchers are unpopular– that’s why he did everything he could to stop the people of Texas from having an opportunity to vote on it. That is why he groveled and begged Donald Trump on the morning of the vote to convince Republican holdouts to check their spines at the door and throw every teacher and student in their districts under a bus. Now, any increase in school funding is held up in Dan Patrick’s senate as they sprint forward on fancy private-school-coupons where working people need not apply.
Let’s be clear: this bill is only best for the richest people in the state, and rural Texas especially will get the shaft. To top it all off, Abbott’s school shut-downs are in full-swing with no end in sight. Texas Democrats will keep fighting for public schools and make sure voters don’t forget this in 2026.”
Here Are The Real Facts About School Vouchers:
Voucher bill authors Brad Buckley and Brandon Creighton falsely claim the bill prioritizes low-income students and students with disabilities — but their bill allows untethered voucher access to wealthy families.
Proponents claim vouchers will help low-income families and students with disabilities — but only if private schools accept them, and those schools can set their own admission criteria.
SB2 defines “low-income” as up to 500% of the federal poverty line — or over $160,750 for a family of four. The median household income in Texas is just over $76,000.
Abbott and other voucher supporters point to Arizona and Florida as success stories — but those states slashed other budgets, and vouchers mostly benefited rich folks.
Republican lawmakers who were on the fence about the voucher bill have publicly stated that they only voted for it to avoid having their own bills killed or to stay out of the national spotlight.
Even Abbott has admitted this bill will reduce public school funding — and we already know rich families stand to gain the most.
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