Texas’s new school voucher program is off to a strong start, surpassing 100,000 applicants in less than two weeks. The pace continues to fuel concerns about the future of public schooling.
The Education Freedom Accounts offer eligible students more than $10,000 for private school expenses and up to $30,000 for students with disabilities. Roughly $2,000 is available for homeschooling costs.
Eighty percent of current applicants intend to use the vouchers to enroll their children in private school, while the rest are seeking homeschooling and other alternatives, according to a fact sheet from the Texas Comptroller’s office.
Public school leaders have long argued that only parents already considering private schooling are taking advantage of such resources. However, the data suggest that 70% of applicants are from the low- or middle-income households prioritized by state lawmakers.
“Texas families are now more in control of their child’s academic success, regardless of their location or income,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement on Monday, celebrating the largest launch of a new school choice program in the country.
The response suggests a strong interest among families who want more say in their child’s education, implying that supply may not be able to meet future demand, Nathan Cunneen, Texas state director for the American Federation for Children, told Texas Scorecard.
“Texas lawmakers should take note and prepare to fully fund the program waitlist in future legislative sessions so that every family who wants a choice can access it,” Cunneen told the news outlet.
Hesitation persists
When the program launched two weeks ago, private school leaders showed early signs of concern about the vouchers and their impact on the public sector.
Participation in the program is optional for private schools, and many are choosing not to, including the Selwyn School in Argyle, which has an annual tuition of up to $28,000, CBS News reports.
Deborah Hof, head of school, told the news outlet that there are still too many unanswered questions about the program. “Right now, I have no idea how it’s going to work, and I’m not willing to take the risk of losing our independence,” Hof told CBS News.
“On a more personal level, I worry about the public sector. If we pay taxes for the good of the whole, for police, for fire, for schools, I hate to see money leaving schools when there will be many more children in public than in private. There’s a piece of me that also doesn’t like the pain it will probably cause the public sector.”
Meanwhile, states like Florida are opting into the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, which allows taxpayers to earn a tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for donating to qualifying scholarship-granting organizations that assist K12 student and their families with educational expenses.
Florida families will be able to supplement their existing scholarships, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“About 1.4 million students are enrolled in school choice options in Florida—more than most other states’ entire K12 school population,” he said in a statement last month.
School choice participation has yet to pick up in traditionally progressive states. At least 23 states, mostly Republican-led, have opted into the federal program, according to the latest reports.
One major concern is the regulation surrounding the program, Lesnie Hiner, vice president of legal policy at EdChoice, told The Hill.
“The IRS has not yet drafted any of the rules, so no one could really say for sure if the scholarship-granting organizations are meeting all the requirements of the statute and the regulations, because the regulations aren’t done yet,” Hiner told the news outlet.
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