By: Da’Taeveyon Daniels, May 15
https://www.projectcensored.org/texas-billion-heist-public-education/
The 89th Texas Legislative Session will be remembered for many things — but if you’re a student, teacher, or parent trying to make public education work in this state, it’s going down as the year lawmakers finally dropped their mask. With the official end of the legislative session (called adjournment sine die, which is looming on June 2), the Texas House made history by passing a private school voucher bill, Senate Bill 2, for the first time since 1957. It’s not just a symbolic win for GOP Governor Greg Abbott and his billionaire backers. It’s a real, measurable, billion-dollar transfer of public resources into private hands.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t education reform. It’s economic sabotage by design, not accident, as evidenced by the billion-dollar diversion from the public to the private sector with no public oversight. It’s a calculated attempt to shrink public institutions and turn education into a product, reserved for those who can already afford access. Despite the confetti statements from the Governor’s office, no, this is not a win for “parent choice.” It’s a win for privatization, and Texans — especially those in rural, immigrant, and working-class communities — will be paying the price.
Vouchers Passed, but Who’s Buying?
SB2 establishes a $1 billion Education Savings Account (ESA) program, giving qualifying families about $10,000 yearly to cover private school tuition, homeschool costs, transportation, textbooks, and therapy. On paper, it’s being sold as a lifeline for underserved students, but let’s not get distracted by the branding.
That $10,000 doesn’t come close to covering the actual cost of elite private schools in Texas, which average more than $11,000 annually and climb much higher in urban centers. More importantly, private schools participating in the ESA program aren’t required to accept anyone. They can — and will — cherry-pick their enrollees. That means students with disabilities, discipline histories, or families who can’t foot the rest of the bill will be left behind. Unlike public schools, these private institutions don’t have to abide by federal protections like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
To top it off, SB2 bars undocumented students from participating altogether. That’s right — while public schools remain constitutionally obligated to educate all students, the state is now writing checks that explicitly exclude immigrant families. So much for “choice.”
Rural Reality Check
Take it from Hazel, a Students Organized for a Real Shot (SORS) organizer and student in rural North Texas: “There’s no ‘choice’ where I live. My public school is the only school. And now they want to take money from it?”
That’s the reality for thousands of families across Texas. Public schools in small towns aren’t just classrooms — they’re lifelines. They’re often the largest employers, food hubs, and mental health support systems in the entire community. Gutting them doesn’t create opportunity. It hollows out the very infrastructure that keeps these places alive.
Some conservatives have recognized this contradiction. Though when it came time to vote, only two Republicans, former House Speaker Dade Phelan and Rep. Gary VanDeaver, dared to oppose SB2. The rest folded under pressure from Gov. Abbott and the powerful voucher machine which includes groups like the American Federation for Children and Texas-based mega-donors (like Dick Uihlein and Jeff Yass) who’ve spent millions reshaping the Legislature through targeted primary campaigns. Make no mistake: This wasn’t just a policy fight. It was a hostile takeover.
Map depicting the flow of political contributions that supported school privatization efforts in Texas. The red dots indicate legislative seats won in 2024 by candidates supported by Jeff Yass and other advocates of school vouchers. Credit: Alyshaw, Little Sis, Feb. 3, 2025.
What About Public Schools?
While many lawmakers were busy high-fiving over vouchers, public schools continued to drown under outdated funding formulas and chronic disinvestment. Texas still ranks in the bottom third of states for per-pupil spending, and even after the Legislature approved a $7.7 billion education package through House Bill 2, many districts are still facing budget shortfalls and teacher shortages.
Sure, HB2 raises the basic allotment from $6,160 to $6,555, and ties future increases to property value growth. But educators on the ground know it’s not enough. The funding doesn’t account for years of inflation or meet the rising costs of special education, staffing, and school maintenance. It’s a start, but it’s far from transformative, and lawmakers knew that when they passed it.
Meanwhile, teachers continue to leave the profession in staggering numbers. According to the Texas American Federation of Teachers, more than 66 percent considered quitting in 2022. Instead of offering competitive salaries or mental health support, this Legislature gave them censorship bills like Senate Bill 13, which would authorize politically-appointed parents to make sweeping decisions about what books students will be able to find in their school libraries, coupled with gestapo-like legal action against teachers deemed to have violated Texas state law by teaching “teaching woke critical race theory.” Because nothing says “thank you for your service” quite like criminalizing your curriculum.
Manufactured Crisis, Manufactured Choice
First, they failed to fund us. Then, they blamed us for failing.
That’s the playbook. The state basic allotment per pupil hasn’t budged since 2019, starving school districts of resources. Yet when STAAR test scores dip, schools are cast as the problem, and the Texas Education Agency swoops in with state-mandated takeovers. That’s the manufactured crisis. Lawmakers are selling “choice” as the solution, but it’s a trapdoor, not a lifeline.
Jakiyla, a Students Organized for a Real Shot (SORS) Dallas-Fort Worth area organizer, noted, “After COVID, our schools were already struggling. And now with this voucher bill, we’re being told we don’t even deserve recovery. We’re just collateral damage in someone else’s agenda.” Jakiyla’s words speak to what countless students across Texas are feeling. Let’s not pretend vouchers are happening in a vacuum. They’re part of a broader campaign to destabilize and delegitimize public education.
Since 2021, Texas has passed multiple laws banning so-called “divisive topics,” cracked down on libraries, and launched attacks on curriculum deemed too inclusive. The state even flirted with legislation this session that would allow politicians to micromanage schoolbook collections — because apparently, To Kill a Mockingbird is a bigger threat than poverty or crumbling campuses.
This isn’t about helping kids. It’s about consolidating power and controlling what students learn and how they learn it. It’s about shifting accountability away from the public and into the hands of private actors with no obligation to serve all students, uphold civil rights, or even report outcomes.
What Happens After Sine Die?
As we approach June 2, the focus will shift to the implementation of these programs, legal challenges to SB2’s more extreme provisions (like its citizenship clause), and the behind-closed-doors conference committee process to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill. Expect behind-closed-door negotiations over who gets priority for vouchers, what oversight looks like, and how funding rules may shift over time. Generally, expect more spin, but the facts don’t lie. Texas educates more than 5.4 million public school students, and each one deserves a fully funded, fully staffed, censorship-free education. That’s not some radical demand — it’s a moral and constitutional imperative.
Yet, with the passage of SB2, the Legislature made a choice to invest in exclusion instead of equity and privatization instead of the public good.
This Is How We Fight Back
This legislative session was billed as a turning point — a chance to “reinvest in Texas kids.” Instead, lawmakers handed our future over to lobbyists and political donors, making it clear that public schools are not their priority. Unless we organize, speak out, and hold them accountable, this billion-dollar heist will be just the beginning.
Charter expansions are next. Teacher “accountability” bills are on the horizon. More manufactured outrage over library and classroom content is guaranteed. The goal isn’t excellence — it’s control.
But here’s what they don’t expect: resistance. From rural towns to big cities, from high schoolers to retired educators, Texans are waking up. We know what’s being taken from us. And we’re not going quiet.
If Texas has taught us anything, it’s that underdogs don’t stay quiet — and when we rise, we raise hell, and we’re just getting started.
Da’Taeveyon Daniels (he/him) is a student organizer and education advocate from Fort Worth, Texas—a proud product of Texas public schools. A QuestBridge Scholar studying Political Science at Rice University, Daniels has worked nationwide to elevate student voices in legislation, combat book bans, and organize for education rights. His advocacy has gained national recognition from the National Coalition Against Censorship, Institute for Citizens and Scholars, Texas Appleseed, GLAAD, Teen Vogue, and student-led nonprofits nationwide. In Summer 2024, he completed a student internship with Project Censored.
Daniels currently serves as the founder and Executive Director of Students Organized for a Real Shot (SORS), a national movement organizing students for a real shot at a brighter future. He also serves as a National Advisory Councilmember for the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), Advisory Councilmember for the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, Executive Councilmember for Brady United Against Gun Violence, and an Education Justice Fellow with Texas Appleseed.
What About Public Schools?