![]() When introducing SB 8 to the committee, Creighton said that education savings accounts would not affect the state’s public education budget. But it showed that the issue was not a high priority for voters as those surveyed felt that school safety, teacher compensation and curriculum are more important. “We’re talking about our Texas parents, our moms and dads and their kids and the expectations for them.”Ī University of Texas at Austin survey, released earlier this month, found that 46% of voters supported education savings accounts, while 41% opposed them. “There’s no offense meant towards our public schools,” Creighton said. ![]() But similar programs have faced staunch opposition from Democrats and rural Republicans, who worry using state money to pay for private schooling will result in less funding for public schools in areas with fewer education options. Supporters have framed education savings accounts as a tool to give parents more choices when deciding how and where to educate their children. “Parental choice programs provide hope for the thousands of families who need better access to personalized educational options and are currently denied access to their tax dollars for exercising this natural right,” he said. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, which would create a program similar to vouchers that would let parents who opt out of the public education system use taxpayer money to pay for their children’s private schooling. More than 380 supporters and opponents attended the Senate Committee on Education meeting and signed up to testify on Senate Bill 8, authored by state Sen. “We will see a strengthening of the parochial private schools and we will see a weakening of the public schools,” said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, who testified against the bill proposing such accounts. ![]() Greg Abbott’s top causes this legislative session - giving a glimpse at the support behind the program and the questions it faces about how it works, who it benefits and its broader impact on the public education system. ![]() Texas senators on Wednesday held their first meeting to discuss education savings accounts - one of Gov. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
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