Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says there's been a breakthrough on school choice bill
AUSTIN, Texas - After months of deadlock, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said there's a breakthrough on the school voucher controversy.
Part of the agreement will expand the special session agenda to include school funding.
But time is running out, and on Tuesday, there weren't enough lawmakers to hold a session.
School choice, or school vouchers - whatever you call the debate - has long been opposed by Texas House Democrats and rural Republicans.
That makes the announcement of a tentative deal a little cloudy.
As an incentive, Gov. Abbott expanded the special session to include public school funding and teacher pay.
Abbott makes another push for school voucher deal
Gov. Greg Abbott is expanding his special session agenda in hopes more House Republicans will support his school voucher plan. School choice has been his top priority this third special session. FOX 4's Shannon Murray has a look at the new incentives.
House Republican Chairman Craig Goldman made the announcement with a direct dig at House Democrats.
"Included in this call, among other things, are teacher pay raises. We can’t bring it up without a quorum. So this is on the Democrats," Goldman said.
While Abbott expanded the special session agenda, the House could not accept the resolution due to a lack of a quorum.
Not only were Democrats absent, but some Republicans were also missing from the floor.
"There was a majority of the Republican caucus here. There was not only a majority of the Democrat caucus not here, they were specifically told not to be here by their leadership," Goldman said.
House Democrat Chair Trey Martinez Fischer reacted to that by saying: "I know math is hard, but you don't get to blame House Democrats for a lack of quorum when 20 Republicans were not present on the House floor. That said, what the hell took House Republicans so long to realize what Democrats have known since day-one of the regular and special session: our teachers need a pay raise."
Texas Senate gives approval to 'school choice' bill, but House members say they will block it
The Texas Senate gave preliminary approval, once again, to school funding bills that include education savings accounts, but there's no guarantee of a similar outcome in the Texas House.
The specific details of the total plan are unknown, but House leadership is hoping an omnibus bill is passed.
The bill would provide $10,400 per student for parents to opt out of public school and enroll in private school instead, which is a sticking point for Republicans in areas where public schools are the only viable option.
"But how many students would be eligible is still unclear and if there are more applicants than there are funds to pay for, how would students be prioritized? That’s also unclear," said SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson.
In a statement, Gov. Abbott said: "We will also provide billions more in public education funding to boost Texas’ top-notch public school system, including teacher pay raises, while staying within the constitutional spending limit…Importantly, the STAAR Test will be phased out to be replaced with an improved assessment system."
Asked if he thinks this deal can pass the House, Goldman put it this way: "I think all options are on the table."
A school choice bill has been Gov. Abbott's top priority for this legislative session.
School Choice Bill: Political scientist on compromise
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he has come to an agreement that will allow a controversial bill on school choice to pass the Texas Legislature. SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson breaks down the bill and why he thinks the Governor should not be too confident about the bill's passage.
Political analysts say that the compromise on addition education measures is an effort to appease both sides of the aisle.
"I think he's come to the realization that this is a political necessity," said Wilson.
Billions of dollars from the budget surplus will be used for the teacher pay raises, school safety and special education.
"In this case he’s added in some incentive, some compromise, that says, ‘Okay, if you come along with school choice we can also do some things that some rural Republicans and even some Democrats want to do,’" said Wilson.
The school choice program would allow families to use taxpayer money for a different school option, like private schools.
"Overall, Texans Support school choice. Not every single person obviously, but the balance of public opinion in the state favors increasing options for parents," said Wilson.
Tuesday, the teacher's union Texas AFT, which represents about 65,000 educators said in a statement, in part, "no deal on taxpayer-funded vouchers […] is acceptable […] there is no room for compromise on this issue."
[REPORTER: "Why do these teachers unions oppose it so much?"]
"There are a variety of reasons. Teachers' unions say that they’re opposed because they think it will take money out of public education, will weaken the quality of public education," Wilson said.
Wilson says he's not sure if Abbott's bargaining chips will be enough to push the bill through the Texas Legislature.
"If I were the Governor, I wouldn’t count my chickens until the vote actually takes place," said Wilson.