Texas House files education bills with focus on funding and school choice

The Texas House has officially filed two key education bills, marking the start of what House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) calls the “defining issue of this session.” Dubbed the “Texas Two Step,” the pair of bills aim to overhaul both public school funding and create a school choice program, potentially reshaping the state’s education landscape.

House Bill 2 (HB 2), which focuses on public school funding, includes a series of significant reforms to teacher pay and finance formulas. It proposes raises for teachers based on their designation, with “Master” teachers seeing a base raise of $12,000, and “Exemplary” teachers earning a base increase of $9,000. Teacher pay adjustments also account for high-need and rural factors, with raises ranging from $3,000 to $36,000 depending on the teacher’s classification.

The bill also tackles the issue of funding for open-enrollment charter schools. These schools would now be funded based on a weighted average daily attendance, mirroring the formula used for traditional school districts. To qualify for certain funding, charter schools must demonstrate acceptable performance according to the state’s accountability system.

HB 2 also includes provisions to adjust the calculation of average daily attendance in various educational settings, such as districts with half-day programs or alternative education options.

“The future of Texas education requires both adequate funding for public schools and the flexibility to offer families more educational choices,” said Burrows, emphasizing the balance between funding and school choice during a recent event at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Policy Summit.

In tandem with HB 2, Burrows introduced House Bill 3 (HB 3), which would establish a state-funded school choice program through the creation of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Under this bill, families can access funds from the state’s general revenue to help pay for a range of educational expenses, including tuition for private schools, online courses, textbooks, and even transportation. The bill allocates a “billion dollars” to the ESA program, which will be overseen by the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

The ESA program would provide funding for eligible children, including those attending public schools, prekindergarten programs, and those with special education needs. The funds are distributed based on 85 percent of the estimated average funding per student statewide, with special caps for children with disabilities and homeschooled students. Additionally, if demand exceeds the funding available, a lottery will be used to prioritize applications based on factors like household income and previous enrollment status.

Unused funds in the ESA program can roll over to future years, encouraging more thoughtful, cost-conscious spending by families, according to Burrows. Furthermore, safeguards will ensure that the funds are not used for services provided by individuals closely related to the program participant.

Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), chairman of the House Public Education Committee, noted that the funding for the ESA program will be “dynamic,” rising or falling with changes in public school funding. The Texas Education Agency will manage the calculations based on various metrics.

While the Texas Senate has already passed its version of a universal school choice proposal, Burrows believes that the House will have the necessary votes to pass both education bills. He reiterated that Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are aligned in their support for the measures, with Abbott declaring that by the end of the session, Texas will have both passed a school choice program and allocated more funding to public schools than ever before.

The education reform bills will undergo thorough review in committees before being debated on the House floor, but Burrows is confident that the Texas House will unite behind these proposals. “We’ll champion these bills together as a two-step solution to education reform,” Burrows said, signaling that the House is poised to address both the financial needs of public schools and the desire for more school choice options for families.