SB 3, according to the Senate press release, aims to create school choice by sending parents part of the money spent on public education through two methods. The first will allow parents to receive a portion of the money intended to educate their child at a traditional public school, which averages about $9,000 per year. This money would be placed in a trust account and could only be used for educational costs, like private school tuition or online courses. The amount received is based on need, ranging from 60 percent of the cost for educating a student at a public school in a year for families above twice the poverty line, to 75 percent for poor families, and 90 percent for families with disabled children. Bill author and Senate Education Committee Chair Senator Larry Taylor of Friendswood says that the state will split the cost with districts in the first year. He added that the lack of school choice programs in Texas is holding the state back. "Thirty other states have school choice programs across this nation. We are behind the curve," said Taylor. "If Texas wants to remain economically sound…we need to pass school choice legislation, to give our students the opportunity to receive a great education tailored to their specific needs."
The second method would allow the creation of tax credit scholarship accounts, where people or businesses can donate money to the education of eligible children in exchange for a tax write-off. This amount would be capped at $100 million per year to start and would be open to kids who are below the 200 percent federal poverty line threshold, are in foster care or are the children of service members. The bill must now be approved by the Education Committee before it can head to the full Senate for consideration.
