A new website launched by the Texas House Democratic Caucus (TXHDC) claims Comal ISD would lose $11,994,683 the first year if Senate Bill 2, a school voucher plan co-sponsored by Canyon Lake’s Texas Sen. Dr. Donna Campbell (R-25) and passed by the Senate on Feb. 5, makes it through the legislature and is signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.
A 35-page House version, HB 3, was introduced Thursday.
“As Greg Abbott attempts to rebrand his devastatingly unpopular school voucher scam with a new ‘Texas Two-Step’ plan, SB 2 and HB 3, Texans should know the truth, these bills are yet another choreographed deception that would drain billions from neighborhood schools and leave Texas kids even further behind,” TXHDC said in a statement.
The caucus said vouchers take taxpayer dollars from local school districts to subsidize private education for the wealthy and could force school districts to raise tax rates.
Campbell said Texans’ education dollars should follow students, not be tied to their zip codes.
Abbott made “school choice” an emergency item earlier this month, allowing these bills to be fast-tracked through the legislature.
According to the TXHDC website, the legislative package could mean as many as 223 fewer teachers for Comal students, 239,893 fewer library books and a projected increase in student-teacher ratio of 7.25%.
Vouchers would cost New Braunfels ISD $4 million a year.
The Texas Tribune reported Thursday the Texas Education Agency (TEA) estimates the state’s public schools receive $15,503 per student, including federal funding and other sources. That number drops to $12,000 without federal assistance.
Under SB 2 families could receive $10,000 a year per student in public taxpayer dollars to fund their children’s tuition at an accredited private school and other expenses like textbooks, transportation and therapy, according to the Texas Tribune. Children with disabilities would receive $11,500 each and home-schooling families would receive $2,000 yearly per student.
The Texas Tribune said HB 3 differs in terms of how much money students would receive, which applicants would take priority, and how the program accommodates students with disabilities.
Students who participate in the program would get 85% of what public schools receive through state and local funding.
Comal ISD’s 2024-25 budget is $450.7 million, which covers the general, debt-services and child nutrition funds.
On its website, Comal ISD said any plans to divert public tax dollars to private entities by utilizing vouchers, tax credits, taxpayer savings grants or tuition reimbursements with no academic or financial accountability or transparency to the state, taxpayers or local communities should be directly opposed.
In June 2024, board president Russ Garner in a statement criticized state legislators for working to divert taxpayer dollars to private schools instead of providing necessary funding to support public education in Texas.
House Democrats’ new website uses information provided by EveryTexan.org, formerly Center for Public Policy Priorities. To review the 89th Legislative Session Voucher Loss Analysis click here.
The analysis details the projected loss of funding to Texas public school districts should one, three or five percent of students accept a voucher.
EveryTexan.org said it used TEA data to compile the report.
