With President-elect Donald Trump preparing to enter the White House and Republicans expected to take control of both houses of Congress, the party is poised to consider several far-reaching reforms, including in education. The same thing will happen at the state level, giving Republicans complete control of 23 state governments. And in one state in particular, Texas, the 2024 election could allow Republicans to pass school choice, which is a key part of the party’s platform on education.
Republicans have long dominated Texas politics. They have held the trinity of state government (the governorship and control of both chambers of the state legislature) since 2003. It currently holds a 19-12 majority in the state Senate and an 86-63 majority in the state House. But in recent years, it has repeatedly failed to take any action regarding school choice. According to a recent statement from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the state Senate has passed school choice legislation five times since 2015, “each time it died in the Republican-controlled House. It is impossible and unacceptable,” Patrick wrote.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has made school choice a top priority for the 2023 legislative session. Both the House and Senate have introduced bills to create education savings accounts that students can use for private school tuition, alternative education, and other education-related expenses. But at the end of the year, the House voted 84-63 to remove the ESA from House Bill 1, a massive education bill that also includes teacher raises and increased funding for public schools, halting Abbott’s year-long effort. did.
Twenty-one Republicans (mostly rural*) joined 63 Democrats in voting to kill the ESA, and Abbott immediately began reporting for the entire court to expel the ESA. By the time the primaries began in March, Mr. Abbott had spent $4.4 million trying to defeat these Republicans, repeatedly visiting their districts to support his opponents. According to Politico, Texas’ 2024 state primary race cost far more than normal due to the involvement of pro-school choice donors. In fact, Mr. Abbott received more than $6 million from billionaire investor Jeff Yass, a vocal supporter of school choice.
Mr. Abbott did not campaign against every Republican who voted against the ESA, but seven of the 10 he targeted lost their primaries. Another lost his case because he was targeted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who voted for impeachment) and pro-bond groups. One of them advanced to a runoff in May, but Mr. Abbott supported the challenger, and Mr. Abbott ultimately won the seat. The remaining five did not seek re-election. In total, 14 of the 21 Republicans who voted against the ESA in 2023 will not return to Congress next year. And their replacements were all approved by Abbott. **
Additionally, in last week’s general election, Democrats lost two seats in the state House of Representatives, Districts 80 and 34, to Republican school choice advocates.
Add all this up and it appears that Mr. Abbott now has the votes to get an ESA or similar program through the state Legislature. “If you count just what I call the true hardcore school choice supporters, there are 79 yes votes in the Texas House of Representatives. We need 76 votes to pass,” he said at a private Christian school the day after the election. He said this in public.
This means Texas could pass a school choice bill as early as January or February 2025. The Texas legislative session begins Jan. 14, and although new bills typically cannot be passed within the first 60 days of a session, Abbott could name the school choice bill “. Use “Urgent Items” to help you get through faster.
footnote
*This isn’t all that surprising. Local Republican lawmakers across the country oppose using public funds to pay for private schools because public schools are the employment and education hubs of their communities.
**Mr. Abbott did not publicly endorse one of these candidates in the primary, but ultimately endorsed her against her Democratic opponent before the general election.
