Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows says he will vote for school choice as Democrats fight to kill the bill
On Tuesday, the Texas House Public Education Committee will hear from supporters and opponents of taxpayer-funded education savings accounts.
The House is considering a $1 billion bill that would allow up to 100,000 students in Texas to attend private schools.
Speaker Dustin Burrows told CBS News Texas that he and other House Republicans plan to pass it.
"I do believe expanding education opportunities for families is a good thing. It is a bill that has tremendous momentum behind it. It has tremendous support among all demographics, and I do believe it's going to pass this session," Burrows said.
When asked if he will vote for the legislation, Burrows added, "I think at the end of the day I'm going to be voting for it and supporting it."
The state Senate has already approved its version of a school choice bill with many similarities.
On Monday, about 400 educators, parents and students from across the state, including 75 from Dallas, went to the Texas Capitol to voice their opposition to the legislation.
"The voucher bill will take away from public education," said Sheila Walker, president of the NEA in Dallas. "A lot of districts are closing schools based on operating at a deficit. All schools in Texas are operating at a deficit, so we need the money."
State Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, who serves on the House Public Education Committee, said the $1 billion proposed for education savings accounts should go to public schools instead.
"The problem is that the Republican push is toward privatizing public education by constantly increasing charter schools and now providing vouchers to people who want to take their kids out of public schools and put them in private schools," Bryant said.
The fight over education savings accounts, or vouchers, is part of a larger debate over school funding in Austin.
Burrows said House Republicans want to inject as much as $9 billion in new money into public schools.
"This is actually money we're going to be putting into the classroom," Burrows said. "This is real dollars, new dollars our teachers, our educators, our families are going to feel in there. It is the largest school finance bill in the history of Texas, even after adjusting for inflation."
Democrats point to the basic allotment for school districts, which has remained at $6,160 since 2019. House Republicans have proposed raising it by $220 to $6,380. Bryant said it should go up by more than $1,380 to $7,540.
"Just to keep up with inflation since the last time it was increased," Burrows said. "It's a completely negligent way to approach our responsibility to educate our children."
Even if the House approves school choice and increased school funding, they will have to negotiate any differences with the Senate.
Watch Eye On Politics on CBS News Texas at 7:30 Sunday morning on air and streaming.
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