The Texas House of Representatives has officially passed Senate Bill 2.
For years now, the battle around vouchers and private school funding has raged relentlessly with proponents of vouchers citing the need to safeguard parents’ ability to choose where they school their children and opponents calling out the failing states of many public schools across the state.
When Wingspan last examined Senate Bill 2 just two months ago, the story surrounding vouchers was practically the same.
After attempting to pass a voucher bill in the 88th Legislative Session and in the numerous special sessions called upon its conclusion, “school choice” lawmakers in the Texas Senate unsurprisingly introduced a voucher bill at the very beginning of the 89th Legislative Session (hence the bill number of 2).
Unlike the many other times voucher-related bills were introduced, however, lawmakers have made a concerted effort this time around to separate the issue of vouchers from the issue of public school funding. While Senate Bill 2 tackles the issue of vouchers, House Bill 2 – which has also made significant progress, needing only one last vote before heading to the Senate – addresses the growing budget deficits that have left many school districts struggling to stay afloat, increasing the basic allotment by a little under $400 and incentivize teacher certification.
By separating the two issues, lawmakers hope to make more progress on both issues and avoid a repeat of the holding pattern that defined the debate over the last few voucher bills with each side demanding some sort of a twisted quid pro quo from the other in exchange for voting on their bill.
This separation of the two issues made it a lot more probable, politically, for legislation on each issue to be passed. In the case of SB 2 (the voucher bill), however, there may be other factors at play.
First and foremost, the 89th Legislative Session started at the beginning of 2025 with a handful of new faces in both the House and Senate, due to the 2024 election in November. According to the Texas Tribune, however, the changing of the guard was no ordinary one – instead, it was Texas Governor Greg “Abbott’s crusade to build a pro-voucher House majority” that shaped the outcome of the election in such a way that there were more lawmakers amenable to passing a vouchers bill, something that Abbott celebrated in the aftermath of the election, saying “[c]ounting what I call only true hardcore school choice proponents, there are 79 votes in favor in the Texas House,” three more than strictly necessary for passage.
Another factor playing into the success of SB 2 is the political game underpinning it all, making anti-voucher lawmakers wary of voting against the bill.
“The bill was passing regardless of my vote,” state representative Jeff Barry (R-Pearland) said on Facebook, according to KXAN, referring to the 86-63 vote in favor of SB 2. “If I voted against it, I would have had every statewide and national political Al figure against me. Not to mention all of my bills vetoed…. I understand your frustration, and I am disappointed in the outcome as well. If I would have voted against this, all of my bills and appropriations were at risk.”
This sentiment was mirrored by some of Barry’s Democrat colleagues, including state representative James Talarico (D-Austin). Talarico, who proposed a (failed) amendment to turn the issue of vouchers over to Texas voters through a referendum, claimed that the governor pressurized anti-voucher Republican lawmakers (whom Talarico refused to name) by threatening to veto their bills and “make their primaries a ‘blood bath,’” according to KXAN.
Abbott’s X account responded by saying Talarico “lied about the school choice program and the Governor.”
Regardless of the truth behind these factors that may – or may not – have played a role in the success of SB 2, what we can ascertain is the progress that SB 2 has made so far.
Since its introduction at the beginning of the legislative session, SB 2 has been passed by both the Senate and the House, and is set to head back to the Senate for lawmakers to vote on the amendments made by their counterparts in the House. And, if all amendments are approved and there are no unforeseen bumps, the bill is set to head to the governor’s desk and be signed into law, allocating $1 billion for a private school voucher program.
What can you do?
In the interim before the likely passage of SB 2, take the time to read the bill – or at least an analysis of the bill – and get yourself up to speed with how exactly this bill would pan out, specifically in your community.
A copy of SB 2 (House Committee Report edition) can be found here and a copy of the HRO bill analysis here.
It might also be a worthwhile pursuit to examine HB 2, a bill that’s set to allocate upwards of $7 billion for public schools.
A copy of HB 2 (engrossed edition) can be found here and a copy of the HRO bill analysis here.
And while it might be too late for lawmakers to take any drastic decisions regarding this law, reach out to your local senators and representatives to share your thoughts, opinions, and concerns on SB 2, HB 2, or the state of education and education finance in Texas as a whole.
