AUSTIN, Texas — Lawmakers were caught by surprise on Monday when the special session ended in under 30 minutes — one of the bills they were planning to discuss was education savings accounts.
Those savings accounts would allow families to use taxpayer money on private school or home school programs.
Abbott who dubbed the bill “school choice” tweeted earlier today that “school choice will give Texas children the opportunity to thrive in a school that fits their needs.”
25 News spoke with district 56 State Representative Charles "Doc" Anderson, who says his goal is to improve Texas school education.
“We have to improve education — you see all the data around the state, you see all the money we put into it," State Rep. Anderson said.
"Performance levels are pretty low, and we can’t let another generation go by without preparing them for what the real world requires."
State Rep. James Talarico is calling the voucher program a scam.
“In the states that have tried them, vouchers don’t improve student performance, but they do siphon off billions from already underfunded public schools," Talarico said.
During the regular session, one bill proposed giving parents up to $8,000 per student each year.
Public schools receive their funding based on the amount of students who attend their schools, which is why those who oppose the bill believe this is an effort to dismantle public schools.
