Texans Get School Choice, State Control Over Private Education

By Carole Hornsby Haynes        April 30, 2025 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott hailed the passage of “universal school choice” by the Texas House a “historic victory.” Not only is the program unpopular with Democrats, it is unpopular with many Republicans who view it as a Trojan horse for a new government education system. 

SB2 creates an Education Savings Account (ESA) to be administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The House devised a non-transparent funding formula based on 85%of what public schools get for each student through state and local funding. Eligible families will receive nearly $8,000 per student from state funds to cover expenses such as private school tuition, instructional materials, tutors, school uniforms, online programs, transportation, and therapy. Homeschool students can receive up to $2,000 annually while students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 each year. 

Rather than creating a parallel standalone structure, the House has linked funding for the school choice program directly to the existing public education system. The result is a program with limited accessibility for students, little competition for public education, and less positive change.

SB2 was paired with a bill for public education funding that reinforces the status quo instead of disrupting it. Instead of experiencing financial losses when students withdraw from public education, schools will retain their full funding. There will be no incentive for public schools to improve since there will be no competition. This runs counter to the free-market system that private schools and homeschools inspire. 

An even greater tax burden now will fall on Texas taxpayers who will be forced to prop up a failing government system while funding a school choice program. 

Nearly $8 billion in new funding is being allocated for Texas government schools even though the billions already spent have failed to move the needle. “The price (for non-universal choice) shouldn’t have been a massive increase in funding for the education bureaucracy,” wrote U.S. Rep Chip Roy (R-Tx). “But here we are. With just $1B in funding [for school choice], less than 1.5% of 6.3 million school-age kids will benefit. But the same ‘deal’ throws $8B more at a $100B-a-year bloated school system.” 

In a morning newsletter Governor Abbott wrote, “Soon, Texas will be #1 in the country for education, and parents across the state will have the power to choose the best school for their children - regardless of income, background, or zip code.”

Considering the claim that the new $8 billion school funding is to appease the public education crowd, it remains to be seen how Texas can support two full blown education systems given that 30 percent are expected to leave public education by 2030.

The school choice legislation with its audits, documentation mandates, and provider regulations show a bureaucratic mindset rather than an innovative approach to reforming education. There are stringent requirements tied to the ESA funding while the $8 billion bill has no strings attached. Public schools will not have to cut indoctrination if they use the new funding. ESA participants must provide documentation to show improvement while public school have no such requirements. Educational service providers and vendors of educational products must be pre-approved by the state comptroller. ESA participants are required to purchase their products through these state approved vendors – the bureaucracy determines winner and losers. If homeschool parents want to use other instructional materials, it is likely they will face uphill challenges for funding. 

Even though the ESA program demands purchasing only from state approved vendors, public schools have no such requirement. Texas law allows Texas public schools to use, at taxpayer expense, non-state board approved instructional products. 

In Texas, private schools have no requirements for registration, licensing, approval, or accreditation. This will change under SB2 with the requirement that private schools be accredited by an organization recognized by the Texas Education Agency or by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. The requirement for state accreditation will limit the participation of popular free market models such as micro-schools or homeschool co-ops. 

For homeschool families, the requirement for tutors and teaching services to be accredited or have a license will limit their participation in the program as well. 

Public education requirements for teacher certification and school accreditation have not improved academic achievement. The reading levels, critical thinking abiity, and general knowledge of public school graduates are far below those of a few decades ago. Most colleges now require remedial classes in basic subjects for incoming freshmen.  In comparison, students who are home-educated typically score 15 to 25 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.  

Will there be other Texas government strings on state-funded private and homeschools in time? Texas already requires Social Emotional Learning for public schools, despite the fact that it is the vehicle for integrating far left Marxism and radical sex into academic lessons.