TEXAS HOUSE EDUCATION CHIEF SAYS SCHOOL CHOICE LEGISLATION WON’T MOVE FORWARD

  

State Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Houston), the chairman of the House Public Education Committee, said Tuesday that school choice legislation has no path forward in the House during this legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called Senate Bill 3 one of his top priorities. The bill would create two separate programs to subsidize private school tuition and homeschooling.

During a Texas Tribune event, Huberty said that he and his colleagues in the House already debated the issue and determined school vouchers would reduce school accountability by putting public dollars in private schools and would distract from pressing issues- like fixing the school finance system.

Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) says that while she is not on the education committee this legislative session, she will keep a close eye on any movement of the bill:

In September, Brenham ISD set its legislative priorities- one which opposes any bill that promotes vouchers being used to fund charter schools, another that opposes any public school funds being used to support private or parochial schools.

Brenham Superintendent Walter Jackson said previously that the district "strongly opposes the use of public funds to support the agenda of the growing charter school movement."