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School districts influence state election results, school voucher legislation

Online Niel November 7, 2024

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – One of the big issues at the polls this election has focused on public education, or more specifically, school vouchers.

School vouchers, also called education savings accounts (ESAs), were brought up during the 2023 special legislative sessions but did not pass.

Following initial results on Election Day, there’s a possibility that a school voucher program is in the Lone Star State’s future.

Two races that KBTX covered were TX-12 and TX-14. Those seats were previously held by Reps. Kyle Kacal and John Raney, two voices who voted against school vouchers during those special sessions.

Republican candidates-elect Paul Dyson and Trey Wharton won those seats.

Wharton and Dyson campaigned with school choice as part of their platforms.

On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott spoke at a private school in Tyler about his education goals for the 89th Legislature. Follow his full comments Here.

“When it comes to education, when it comes to most things in life, one size doesn’t always fit all,” he said.

But as school districts across the state grapple with budget deficits, concerns that public tax dollars are being used to pay for private education.

Gov. Abbott said that won’t be the case, promising public education funding and teacher raises.

“We’re going to have separate pieces of money: one for public school that we’re going to fully fund, teacher pay raises that we’re going to fully fund and then a separate pot for school choice,” he added.

Local school districts have different positions.

Bryan ISD legislative priorities 2023-2024 The Guide to the 88th Legislature states that the purpose is to “ensure that public tax dollars are not diverted to private entities.”

College Station ISD states in its legislative priorities guide that he “opposes any state plan that would use vouchers.”

In October, Superintendent Tim Harkrider said, “The concern is if you give in to this and vouchers go through and you have a history of them not being successful and the states are billions and billions of dollars in debt, what does that do to the state of education in Texas?”

Bryan ISD Superintendent Ginger Carrabine shared a statement with KBTX Wednesday, saying the district looks forward to working with the newly elected representatives.