Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today on the passage of Senate Bill 2, Providing School Choice, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe:
“From the first day I arrived in the Texas Senate, my goal and passion has been to improve public education in Texas and provide great education options for all students. As senator, I served as chair of the Senate Committee on Education and led the effort to reform high school diplomas, reduce STAAR tests from 15 to 5, reform charter schools, and fully fund public education.
“In addition to supporting a robust public education system, which should be the finest in the country, I support SB 2 because I strongly believe that parents deserve choice in their child’s education. SB 2 is a universal school choice bill, with a strong focus on special needs students and students in failing schools.
“The Texas Senate’s passage of SB 2 is the biggest launch of any universal school choice program in American history, with $1 billion in funding for 100,000 students. Sen. Creighton has done an outstanding job authoring and carrying this bill.
“This is the sixth time the Texas Senate has passed school choice, with every previous bill dying in the Texas House. The Senate will pass school choice over and over again until the House passes this bill. The days of limiting millions of Texas students to a one-size-fits-all approach are over.”
“In addition to supporting a robust public education system, which should be the finest in the country, I support SB 2 because I strongly believe that parents deserve choice in their child’s education. SB 2 is a universal school choice bill, with a strong focus on special needs students and students in failing schools.
“The Texas Senate’s passage of SB 2 is the biggest launch of any universal school choice program in American history, with $1 billion in funding for 100,000 students. Sen. Creighton has done an outstanding job authoring and carrying this bill.
“This is the sixth time the Texas Senate has passed school choice, with every previous bill dying in the Texas House. The Senate will pass school choice over and over again until the House passes this bill. The days of limiting millions of Texas students to a one-size-fits-all approach are over.”
SB 2, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, establishes an education savings account (ESA) program that gives parents a broader choice to direct their child’s school funding. The program will be administered by the comptroller and its capacity is 100,000 students. Eligibility is universal, with 80% of funds going to families with special needs children or those earning under $161,000 per year.
