The largest day-one school choice program in the country was established on Saturday afternoon when Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2, which established the education savings account (ESA) program, into law.
Abbott will finally push one of his top goals across the finish line after repeated unsuccessful attempts, alleged threats against Republican House members, and a call from President Donald Trump.
Texans from all over the state drove in to see the historic legislation, filling the Governor’s Mansion’s front yard. The Governor’s Office received 1,400 RSVPs for the signing, according to a spokesman.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, and the bill’s writers, State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, accompanied the governor.
Additionally scheduled to speak at the signing are a private school director and a school choice advocate.
Abbott paused to express gratitude to his staff, parents throughout the state, and legislators who helped bring this legislation to a successful conclusion.
To screams and acclaim from the audience, Abbott declared, “School choice is now the law in the great state of Texas.” “The days when families could only attend the government-designated school are long gone. The day has come when parents can select the school that is ideal for their child.
How will ESAs appear?
Approved applicants will be able to use public funds to partially pay for their children’s private school tuition under the ESA program.
Money would be available for parents to utilise for travel, school supplies, uniforms, tuition, and other expenses.
Although the program has a $1 billion initial budget, the law text specifies that the cap would be lifted after the first year of operation.
When they create the budget for the following legislative session, lawmakers could either increase or decrease the program amount, or they could set the same cap.
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What is the amount all students receive?
85% of the statewide average of local and state funding received by each kid in public schools will be given to each child who is accepted into the program. At the moment, that amounts to about over $10,000 annually.
With a ceiling of $30,000, special education kids can get the same amount of money as those who attend public schools. Students who are homeschooled can get up to $2,000 annually.
Who is given priority?
Only a certain number of students will be able to benefit from the program because of the cap. The measure does give applicants priority according to their family income and educational demands. The breakdown is as follows:
| Priority Level | Eligibility |
| 1 | Children with a disability in a household with income at or below 500% of the federal poverty line |
| 2 | Children in a household with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty line |
| 3 | Children in a household with income that is above 200% and below 500% of the federal poverty line |
| 4 | Everyone else |
For a family of four, the federal poverty level is $32,150. For instance, if the household income of a family of four is between $64,300 and $160,750, the child would be in the third priority level.
The program will be filled through a lottery mechanism if the comptroller, the organisation in charge of running it, receives more applications than there are spaces available. A child would be automatically enrolled in the program if their sibling was already enrolled.
