09/04/2026
Texas taxpayers are spending $1 billion on the program during its first year now. The comptroller is seeking a new appropriation of $2.3 billion for the next two years, or an additional $150 million a year, when the Legislature convenes in January. Examiners for the Legislative Budget Board will hear the agency’s request on Wednesday.
“Funding for this voucher program should not be increased until the state has had ample time to evaluate who is using it,” TSTA President Linda Estrada said in a statement to the news media. “Based on media reports, many — maybe most — of these vouchers so far are subsidizing families who have already been sending their children to private schools and can afford the tuition without dipping into every other Texas taxpayer’s pocket.”
Estrada also pointed out that the vast majority of Texas schoolchildren are still being educated in Texas public schools, which are still underfunded. Texas spends about $5,000 less per student in average daily attendance (ADA) than the national average, and many school districts have been forced to close campuses or eliminate programs to tackle budget deficits.
“If this tax drain isn’t stopped now, it will become unsustainable,” she said. “This is one reason why TSTA is supporting voucher opponents Gina Hinojosa for governor, Sarah Eckhardt for comptroller and Vikki Goodwin for lieutenant governor in this fall’s election.”
