Will Texas pass a school choice plan? Here's what key stakeholders say

AUSTIN, Texas — In November 2023, Governor Greg Abbott was in the early steps of unveiling a plan to endorse primary challengers against Republicans opposed to vouchers. Now, a year later, he's claimed a preliminary victory in passing school choice, but some lawmakers are still divided.

Of his fifteen primary endorsements, eleven will be coming to the Texas legislature in January. Though that puts school choice much closer to passage than in the previous session, it still appears to be a closer vote. Abbott has said he has 79 "hardcore school choice," which is enough to pass.

"School choice advocates and supporters have a lot of reasons to be optimistic," James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project said to CBS Austin. " I still think the details are yet to be determined. And how firm all of that support is, again, depending on what the particulars are is yet to be seen. But overall, I think there are reasons, if you are a school choice advocate, to be optimistic that something is going to happen this time."

Those particulars like will not be revealed until after the session begins in January, when the priority legislation is filed. As Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Republican Brandon Creighton will likely file the legislation on the Senate side, and he's told CBS Austin he plans to be "consistent" with the legislation this session.

ALSO| The Austin Airport advises early arrivals as holiday travel remains strong through Monday

"I believe that school choice will pass," Senator Creighton said. "Texas should be leading on that. Unfortunately, we're following. But we could have the best plan in America as a launch, and I do believe that will be the case by the time the session closes out."

Democrats, though, still broadly say they're opposed to any vouchers-like plan that allocates taxpayer money toward private schooling.

I agree that we will most probably have to deal with vouchers again," Representative Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, one of the most vocal opponents to school choice, said. "Me, Gina Hinojosa, representative for central Austin, I will never support a voucher. It is, I believe, detrimental to our public schools, and I don't know that our public schools would survive a universal voucher, which is the ultimate goal of the proponents."

The next legislative session will begin on January 14, 2025.