(Central Square) – After the Republicans sweep many state legislative seats on Election Day, Gov. Greg Abbott said he has more than enough votes to pass school choice in the next legislative session. That and property tax reform, he said, are his top priorities for the Texas Legislature to consider when they convene in January.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also announced that school choice is a top priority for the Texas Senate.

School choice was a legislative priority of Abbott and Patrick in the regular and special legislative sessions two years ago, but the legislation failed to pass in the Republican-controlled House. The Texas Legislature meets every two years for approximately 140 days, unless the governor calls a special legislative session.

In 2023, 21 House Republicans opposed a school choice bill that the Senate repeatedly passed. After the legislative session ended, five retired and 16 ran for re-election. Throughout the primary season, Abbott has endorsed and campaigned for candidates he says support school choice, including those who challenged incumbent Republicans whom Abbott had previously endorsed for being among the 21.

In the March primary, May runoff and general election, school choice won on the ballot after nearly all Abbott candidates endorsed and campaigned for the win, The Center Square reported.

“With the general election over, Texans now look to the upcoming legislative session that begins in January. Each legislative session, the Texas Senate and Texas House take turns introducing the state budget. This session is the Senate’s turn. Accordingly, Senate Bill 1 will be in the state budget,” Patrick said, referring to the school choice bill introduced last legislative session by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe.

Creighton repeatedly PUT two companion education bills in the regular legislative session and subsequent special sessions. Both passed the Senate with bipartisan support only to be killed each time by House Republicans.

SB 1, “Empowering Parental Rights,” created the first Universal Education Savings Account (ESA) pilot program in Texas, funding $8,000 per student per year for approximately 60,000 students to be used for a number of related purposes of schooling and education. SB 2, “Increasing Teacher Pay and Increasing School Funding,” appropriated $5.2 billion to increase teacher pay and per-pupil and per-campus allocations, Center Square reported.

SB 1, in the next legislative session, is the budget bill. Senate Bill 2 is the Senate’s school choice legislation, Patrick said.

Creating an ESA program is important because “a one-size-fits-all approach to education in a state with a population of 30 million, 254 counties, 1,200 school districts and more than 8,000 campuses simply cannot meet the needs of every student. Patrick said.

While many schools in Texas “strive to be great” and some are great and good, he said, “unfortunately, no matter how hard they try, some schools struggle to meet the unique educational needs that some students have . Parents should be empowered to place their child in the best learning environment, whether it’s a public or private school.”

“Texans across the political spectrum agree that parents must have options to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs to ensure their success. Voters spoke clearly during the primary and general elections; the time for school choice in Texas is long overdue,” he said.

According to a University of Houston POLL among Republican primary voters, 60 percent said they were less likely to vote for an incumbent who voted against school choice; 64 percent said they want the Texas Legislature to pass a school choice bill that benefits all Texas families.

A separate UH POLL found that more than two-thirds of Texans support school choice, with majorities of blacks, Hispanics and Democrats supporting the ESA.

Patrick said “Texas can choose school without undermining the public school system,” rejecting the argument that by funding school choice, there will be less funding for public schools. In the last legislative session, school choice opponents argued that public schools were not fully funded, which Abbott and others rejected, The Center Square reported.

In 2023, the legislature appropriated $39 billion per year for public education. Creighton’s SB 1 allocated $500 million to fund the ESA pilot program for 60,000 students. It was separated from the general fund that allocates funds for public education for 5.5 million public school students.

“School choice is clearly not a (financial) threat to public education,” Patrick said.

Patrick also said he hopes Abbott declares school choice an emergency. That would allow the Legislature to take up the Senate bill and pass it early in the session, rather than waiting until March. The Texas Constitution states that the state legislature cannot pass legislation during the first 60 days of the regular legislative session, unless the governor declares a particular bill to be emergency legislation.

“Since 2015, the Senate has passed school choice five times,” Patrick said. “He died each time in a Republican-controlled house. It is unacceptable and inexcusable. With an expanded Republican majority in the Texas House, there is no reason Texas students should be left behind. Parents must be able to make the best decisions for their children so that they can receive the education that fits their unique needs.”