Abbott to Add Teacher Pay to Special Session if Texas Lawmakers Pass School Vouchers

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Abbott to Add Teacher Pay to Special Session if Texas Lawmakers Pass School Vouchers

Teachers were the only state employees to not receive a raise in the regular session.

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks a at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. He said Thursday he’ll add school funding and teacher raises to the ongoing special session if lawmakers pass a school voucher program, one of his legislative priorities this year. (Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune)

By Maia Pandey

October 16, 2023
From

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Just hours after the Texas Senate its priority school voucher bill, Gov. said he would add teacher raises and public school funding to his if the Texas Legislature passes vouchers.

Abbott, who spoke Thursday at a parental rights event organized by the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, so far has listed education savings accounts, a voucher-like program, as the only education item in his agenda for the special session. Though lawmakers have already drafted a bill on public school funding — which was also cleared by the Senate on Thursday — it cannot pass unless Abbott adds the issue to his agenda. The school vouchers and funding bills now head to the Texas House.

“I want to make sure we provide a carrot to make sure this legislation gets passed,” Abbott said of vouchers. “Once [education savings accounts] are passed, I will put on the legislative agenda full funding for public education, including teacher pay raises for teachers across the state.”

During the regular session, lawmakers failed to pass a number of policies to support teachers amid a standoff over school vouchers. The stalemate came despite to better teachers’ working conditions from a task force assembled by Abbott last year to examine the state’s worsening teacher shortage.

Teachers were the only state employees to not receive a raise in the regular session and have said they feel their raises are being “held hostage” to a vouchers bill. Many have said they’d than see school vouchers implemented in the state.

Abbott, who took the stage at the summit just a few blocks from the Texas Capitol, said he thinks the House is at the “one-yard line” from passing education savings accounts. A coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans have historically blocked voucher legislation in the House.

Since before the special session, the governor’s office has been working with a group of House Republicans to draft a voucher bill that currently stands at 181 pages, Abbott said.

“I will not stop until we get [education savings accounts] passed in the state of Texas,” he added.

Earlier in the daylong event, several pro-voucher, Republican representatives laid out paths to passing the proposed bill in the House.

Rep. , R-Wichita Falls, said previous legislation has failed because voucher opponents, particularly teachers and superintendents, are “highly motivated” to stop the program.

“Some of the Republicans that aren’t voting for it are very scared to go against the school, principal, superintendent,” Frank said. “These are very well-connected people in every district in the state. Those are not people that you want to cross, if you can help it politically. I don’t like crossing them.”

Frank said he’s also spoken to rural representatives who argue that private schools either don’t exist in their district or are more expensive than the proposed $8,000 voucher. But if residents had access to money to specifically pay for private school, the market would respond by establishing schools that more closely fit their budgets, Frank said. He added that he would support a voucher closer to $10,000 to reflect the average cost of private schools in Texas.

To garner public support for vouchers, Rep. , R-Lakeway, said advocates need to frame the program as giving taxpayers who opt out of the public school system their dollars back. Voucher opponents have often voiced concerns that an education savings account program would siphon away public school funds.

“I had a superintendent yesterday tell me, ‘How can you support public dollars going into private schools?’ And I said, ‘I just don’t agree with the premise of your question because it is parents’ dollars to begin with,’” Troxclair said.

Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

This article originally appeared in a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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Articles by Maia Pandey

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                <h2>Abbott to Add Teacher Pay to Special Session if Texas Lawmakers Pass Vouchers</h2>

                <h2>Teachers were the only state employees to not receive a raise in the regular session.</h2>

                <p class="sans">By <a rel="author" href="/contributor/716338/">Maia Pandey</a></p>

                <img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/texas-greg-abbott-teacher-pay-vouchers.jpg">

                <p>This story first appeared at <a href="/">The 74</a>, a nonprofit news site covering education. <a href="/about/newsletters/?utm_source=republish-button&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=republish">Sign up for free newsletters from The 74</a> to get more like this in your inbox.</p>
                <p>Just hours after the Texas Senate  its priority school voucher bill, Gov.  said he would add teacher raises and public school funding to his  if the Texas Legislature passes vouchers.</p>
<p>Abbott, who spoke Thursday at a parental rights event organized by the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, so far has listed education savings accounts, a voucher-like program, as the only education item in his agenda for the special session. Though lawmakers have already drafted a bill on public school funding — which was also cleared by the Senate on Thursday — it cannot pass unless Abbott adds the issue to his agenda. The school vouchers and funding bills now head to the Texas House.</p>
<p>“I want to make sure we provide a carrot to make sure this legislation gets passed,” Abbott said of vouchers. “Once [education savings accounts] are passed, I will put on the legislative agenda full funding for public education, including teacher pay raises for teachers across the state.”</p>

<p>During the regular session, lawmakers failed to pass a number of policies to support teachers amid a standoff over school vouchers. The stalemate came despite  to better teachers’ working conditions from a task force assembled by Abbott last year to examine the state’s worsening teacher shortage.</p>
<p>Teachers were the only state employees to not receive a raise in the regular session and have said they feel their raises are being “held hostage” to a vouchers bill. Many have said they’d  than see school vouchers implemented in the state.</p>
<p>Abbott, who took the stage at the summit just a few blocks from the Texas Capitol, said he thinks the House is at the “one-yard line” from passing education savings accounts. A coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans have historically blocked voucher legislation in the House.</p>
<p>Since before the special session, the governor’s office has been working with a group of House Republicans to draft a voucher bill that currently stands at 181 pages, Abbott said.</p>
<p>“I will not stop until we get [education savings accounts] passed in the state of Texas,” he added.</p>
<p>Earlier in the daylong event, several pro-voucher, Republican representatives laid out paths to passing the proposed bill in the House.</p>
<p>Rep. , R-Wichita Falls, said previous legislation has failed because voucher opponents, particularly teachers and superintendents, are “highly motivated” to stop the program.</p>
<p>“Some of the Republicans that aren’t voting for it are very scared to go against the school, principal, superintendent,” Frank said. “These are very well-connected people in every district in the state. Those are not people that you want to cross, if you can help it politically. I don’t like crossing them.”</p>
<p>Frank said he’s also spoken to rural representatives who argue that private schools either don’t exist in their district or are more expensive than the proposed $8,000 voucher. But if residents had access to money to specifically pay for private school, the market would respond by establishing schools that more closely fit their budgets, Frank said. He added that he would support a voucher closer to $10,000 to reflect the average cost of private schools in Texas.</p>
<p>To garner public support for vouchers, Rep. , R-Lakeway, said advocates need to frame the program as giving taxpayers who opt out of the public school system their dollars back. Voucher opponents have often voiced concerns that an education savings account program would siphon away public school funds.</p>
<p>“I had a superintendent yesterday tell me, ‘How can you support public dollars going into private schools?’ And I said, ‘I just don’t agree with the premise of your question because it is parents’ dollars to begin with,’” Troxclair said.</p>
<p><i>Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .</i></p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared in  a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.</em></p>

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