East Texas Rep says school choice will pass in State House

TYLER – Our news partner, KETK, reports that school choice may soon pass it’s final hurdle in the Texas House of Representatives. Governor Greg Abbott said that for the first time in our state’s history, a school choice proposal has enough backing from representatives.

“I think House Bill Three is going to be one of the finest, if not the finest, school choice bill in America,” said State Rep. Brent Money (R) Greenville.

Money, who represents Hopkins and Van Zandt counties in Austin, said the bill will allow parents another option for education and should only affect the students and families who apply for the program.

“There are strong protections, legal protections, the strongest in the state that say that this program cannot be used to change the way homeschoolers homeschool, private schoolers private school and it’s not going to change the public schools either,” Money said.

He explained that more than 30 other states have a version of school choice already and this has been in the works in Texas for around a decade.

“The governor has been pushing it hard for the last four or five years and I think it’s been an effort of a lot of people,” Money said.

The bill is receiving more support than ever before with 75 Republican house members giving it enough votes to clear the state’s lower chamber.

“I believe it will pass,” Money said. “We already have enough co-authors that even if only the co-authors vote for it, it will pass.”

Longview representative Jay Dean was one of 11 not on the support list. Critics worry the legislation will come at a heavy cost to our public schools.

“It’s not about helping poor inner-city schools or students that fail in school,” Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Suratt said. “That’s not what it’s about. It’s about getting money to wealthy families that children are already in private schools.”

If passed, students and their families could apply for the program starting next spring and by the start of school in 2026 it could potentially support about a 100,000 Texas students.

“The state of Texas will pay for that education wherever it may be,” Money said.

The senate passed its version of the bill earlier this month and it will now need to fully pass the house before being handed over to the governor for his signature. In a message last night, the governor was clear “school choice will soon be law.”