Texas has officially stamped “approved” on its shiny new school voucher rules—a billion-dollar program designed to send public money to private schools while insisting it’s absolutely not doing that. The state comptroller’s office laid out timelines: private schools can start signing up Dec. 9, vendors get their turn soon after, and families can apply starting Feb. 4. The whole thing kicks off for the 2026–27 school year, just in time for lawmakers to tell everyone, “See? We fixed education,” without actually fixing anything.
Families using the program can expect about $10,300 per kid, more if the student has disabilities, and a mere $2,000 if they’re homeschooled. (Because nothing says “educational equality” like handing out wildly different checks for the same job: teaching kids.) The state also cleared up a minor “oopsie” in the draft rules that would’ve shorted private preschoolers more than $8,000 each. No worries—pre-K is getting the full amount now, as long as they meet public pre-K requirements, which is definitely not confusing at all.
Disability rights advocates raised alarms about the program’s loose proof-of-disability standards, warning that requiring only a Social Security letter or doctor note could push kids without actual educational needs ahead of those who need real services. The comptroller’s office shrugged and basically said, “Nah, we’re good,” promising that real evaluations will happen after families get into the program and private schools accept them. So, you know… later. Eventually. Probably.
And when it came to holding private schools accountable—reporting graduation rates, academic growth, or, heaven forbid, disclosing donors—the state responded with a firm, “Absolutely not.” They’ll publish the bare-minimum data required by law, nothing more. Because if there’s one thing Texas officials love, it’s funneling public dollars into private institutions with as few questions asked as possible.
But hey, if the goal is to weaken public schools, shift tax dollars upward, and call it “freedom,” mission accomplished—right?
https://www.kcbd.com/2025/11/26/state-finalizes-rules-texas-school-voucher-program/
