Texas governor signs $1B voucher bill in milestone for school choice

Texas will implement a billion school voucher project one of the largest in the country that uses masses dollars to fund private school tuition under a bill Gov Greg Abbott signed Saturday capping off a yearslong effort by Republicans School voucher supporters have long targeted the state where past efforts buckled for decades against resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans Last month President Donald Trump called lawmakers before a key vote needed to at last get the bill to Abbott s desk Texas joins more than other states that have implemented a similar initiative of which about a dozen have launched or expanded their programs in newest years to make bulk students eligible School vouchers have been Abbott s primary focus this year coming off a ballot cycle in which he led a campaign to oust GOP lawmakers who voted against a similar bill last session Republican lawmakers and bill supporters say it will give parents more choice by letting them pull their children out of poor-performing society schools Gone are the days that families are limited to only the schools assigned by regime Abbott mentioned before signing the bill at the governor s mansion The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child Democrats and Republicans in rural districts have criticized the operation saying it will drain financial guidance from Texas more than million constituents school students and subsidize the private teaching of wealthy families Beginning next school year Texas families can receive per year to help pay for students private school tuition Children with disabilities can qualify for as much as a year The scheme will be capped at billion for the first year and cover up to students but could cost up to billion a year by