School Choice Clips for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Eyes of the school choice world focus in for a historic day in Texas
American Federation for Children: Texas House Passes Largest Day-One School Choice Bill in American History
The American Federation for Children celebrates the Texas House’s preliminary passage of the largest day-one school choice bill in American history. The $1 billion program, which creates education savings accounts of more than $10,000 per student to cover a variety of education-related expenses, passed on second reading in an 85-63 vote early Thursday morning.
This victory marks the first time ever that the Texas House has passed a private school choice bill. With the Senate having advanced school choice legislation already, the chambers must now concur to send school choice to the Governor’s desk as quickly as possible.
Statement from Tommy Schultz, CEO, American Federation for Children:
“School choice is coming to Texas. We applaud the tireless leadership of Governor Abbott, Speaker Burrows, Chairman Buckley, and the many legislative champions who have fought for this moment. Most of all, we honor the parents across Texas who have courageously stood up for their children’s right to learn and helped bring us to this pivotal point.
For the first time in history, the Texas House has passed a school choice bill – marking a major milestone by advancing what is set to be the largest day-one school choice program in the nation. We remain committed to supporting parents every step of the way until this legislation is signed into law. We look forward to celebrating with families across Texas as our state takes its place as a national leader in education freedom.”
Details:
All six million Texas K-12 students would be eligible to apply.
ESA funds would cover a variety of educational expenses including tuition at a non-public school, tutoring, extracurricular activities, transportation, special needs therapies, and more.
Students with disabilities and students from low- or middle-income families would be first in line if demand exceeds available funding.
Participating schools and families would remain protected from burdensome regulations affecting curriculum, admissions, and other matters.
National:
Jerusalem Post: Karen Tandy: The Educational Choice Act is a breakthrough for Jewish education access in US
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-850354
In 2025, US President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have an unprecedented opportunity to ensure families are able to align their children’s education with their values and unique needs. Trump’s January 29, 2025, Executive Order expanding educational freedom and opportunity for families sets a clear goal: to provide parents with the flexibility to determine the best educational options for their children. The congressional mandate to rewrite the federal tax code this year presents a clear path to achieving that goal by including the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) in the major tax bill currently being negotiated in the House and Senate.
Florida:
Tampa Free Press: Florida Sen. Moody Champions Federal School Choice Act At Tampa Event, Highlighting Parental Empowerment
Senator Ashley Moody (Fla.-R) joined local officials, parent groups, and school choice advocates in Tampa today to promote the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), federal legislation she has co-sponsored. The event, involving the Invest in Education Foundation, focused on how the proposed bill aims to empower parents nationwide by expanding educational options, complementing Florida’s existing robust school choice programs. . . . Ashley Elliott, representing the American Federation for Children, shared a powerful personal testimony, attributing her ability to graduate high school and attend college, rather than potentially facing incarceration, to school choice programs like those the ECCA seeks to emulate nationally.
Louisiana:
The Advocate: Patrick Wall: Louisiana's new private education program draws nearly 40,000 applications
A new program to help Louisiana families pay for private education drew nearly 40,000 applications in less than two months, state officials said Wednesday — a number that Gov. Jeff Landry, who has championed the program, called “astounding.” Beginning next school year, the LA GATOR Scholarship Program will give tax dollars to eligible families to pay for private school tuition and other approved expenses like tutoring and school uniforms. It will replace the state’s existing voucher program for poor families.
Michigan:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Molly Macek: Federal scholarship program would help Michigan
https://www.mackinac.org/blog/2025/federal-scholarship-program-would-help-michigan
The Educational Choice for Children Act, which was introduced earlier this year in the U.S. House and Senate, could bring more educational opportunity to Michigan students. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, defenders of the public school status quo have brought out their long knives in an effort to undermine a policy that has the potential to help families across the state.
North Carolina:
Carolina Journal: David N. Bass: NC Senate budget devotes $24 billion to K-12 education, funds Opportunity Scholarships
North Carolina Senate lawmakers have proposed a $24 billion K-12 education budget for the new biennium that includes across-the-board raises for teachers and school personnel, funds the school choice Opportunity Scholarship Program, and invests in classroom resources, while addressing workforce development initiatives. . . . The budget continues to fund the Opportunity Scholarship Program, the state’s voucher program meant to enable K-12 students to attend an eligible private school of their family’s choosing. Stein’s budget proposal puts a moratorium on new students in the program and eventually phases it out entirely.
Oklahoma:
OCPA: Ray Carter: Oklahoma lawmakers vote to end discrimination against special-needs children
Members of a state House committee have voted to end a two-tiered system that forces the families of children with special needs to jump through hoops that other families are not subjected to when accessing a school-choice program. “We have two very different forms of school choice available for us today,” said state Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid. “If you are a family with a student—with a traditional student—you can access those funds from day one. If you are a family with a special-needs student, you can’t. We make you wait a year. We make you jump through a hoop that we don’t ask our traditional students to do. We are discriminating as a state against our special-needs students.”
South Carolina:
The State: Joseph Bustos: South Carolina private school choice program proposal gets potential compromise
https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article304270911.html
A plan to restart a program that allows South Carolina families to use tax dollars at kindergarten through 12th grade private schools may have a path forward. The state Senate on Wednesday began debate on a potential compromise between House and Senate plans passed earlier this year aimed at restarting the private school portion of a school choice program struck down by the state Supreme Court in September. But further debate and a vote in the Senate over the compromise is now expected to take place in two weeks, after the upper chamber finishes its budget, but when there’s only two weeks left in the legislative session.
Texas:
The Texan: Cameron Abrams: School Choice, Public Education Funding Bills Pass Initial Vote in Texas House
In what was described as a “historic day on the House floor,” the 89th Legislative Session’s marquee public school finance and school choice bills were passed on second reading. Prior to the day kicking off, Gov. Greg Abbott — who has pushed for school choice in Texas for years both with his political capital and fundraising prowess — gathered Republican members of the House to speak on the issue. The conversation between members and Abbott took on greater significance when President Donald Trump called into the meeting to encourage the House to pass the proposition.
New York Times: Dana Goldstein and J. David Goodman: Texas Is Poised to Create a $1 Billion Private School Voucher Program [Paywall]
The Texas House of Representatives voted early Thursday morning to create one of the largest taxpayer-funded school voucher programs, a hard-fought victory for private school choice activists as they turn their attention to a nationwide voucher push. The measure still has some legislative hurdles to clear before Gov. Greg Abbott signs it into law, but the House vote — 85 to 63 — secured a win that was decades in the making, propelled by the governor’s hardball politics last year. It was also a significant defeat for Democrats, teachers’ unions and some rural conservatives who had long worried that taxpayer-funded
KRLD: Joe Kelley: Texas House approves landmark school choice bill, reshaping state education policy
https://www.audacy.com/krld/news/local/texas-house-approves-landmark-school-choice-bill
In a landmark decision, the Texas House of Representatives passed a controversial school choice bill early Thursday morning, marking a significant shift in the state's education policy. The legislation, a top priority for Governor Greg Abbott, establishes a $1 billion Education Savings Account (ESA) program, allowing parents to use taxpayer funds to cover private school tuition. The bill passed with an 85-62 vote after hours of debate and the tabling of 44 proposed amendments.
CBS Austin: Michael Adkison: Texas House approves school voucher bill, effectively ending legislative battle
In a historic vote following hours of debate, the Texas House of Representatives has given initial approval to legislation that would allocate taxpayer money toward private education, effectively ending a legislative policy battle years in the making and delivering a victory to Governor Greg Abbott. The House voted 85-63 in the early hours of Thursday morning, more than 16 hours after initially convening.
CBS News Texas: Texas house passes universal school choice bill [Video]
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/texas-house-passes-universal-school-choice-bill/
The school choice bill was passed in an 85-62 vote early Thursday morning. The vote took place just after 2 a.m. Thursday, after the House heard 44 amendment proposals to the bill.
CatholicVote: Elise DeGeeter: Texas House passes landmark school choice bill
https://catholicvote.org/texas-house-passes-landmark-school-choice-bill/
The Texas House voted 85-63 just after 2 a.m. Thursday morning to pass a landmark $1 billion school choice bill, advancing Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority and paving the way for the largest program of its kind in the nation. The vote came “after lawmakers debated Senate Bill 2 to near exhaustion. It fell largely on party lines,” Dallas News reported. “The bill will require one last vote before it is passed in the House, though the margins rarely change on final approval. …Once that is complete, it has a clear path to the governor’s desk.”
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