Schools react to the passage of school vouchers

TYLER – School leaders in East Texas share their opinions following the Texas House’s passage of the private school voucher program early Thursday morning.

The Texas House and Senate have each passed different versions of the bill and will now need to negotiate a compromise. Once an agreement is reached, the final version will be sent to Gov. Abbott’s desk.

Joel Enge, Director of Kingdom Life Academy, is a vocal advocate for the proposed bill, which he believes empowers families with greater educational choice .“Parents now have the opportunity to choose,” Enge said. “They have educational freedom.”

Kingdom Life Academy, a project-based micro-Christian school in Tyler, sees education savings accounts as a game-changer—one that could open doors for more students to access schools like theirs.

“Education savings accounts are going to allow students to attend schools like Kingdom Life Academy at a minimal or no cost,” Enge said.

He added that this kind of support could also inspire the creation of more innovative schools across East Texas. “Teachers are going to have the opportunity, they’re going to have the financial support to step out of the traditional educational system,” Enge said.

Others were disappointed by the news, like Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Suratt, who said “it’s embarrassing, it’s terrible leadership.”

“These are wealthy families sending their kids to private schools where they’re going to get most of the money,” Surratt said. “That’s just not right, it’s not a conservative principle and it’s not fair to public schools.”

He believes lawmakers have embarrassed Texas. “Most of the people in Texas are against it,” Suratt said. “Most of the representatives and senators are against it, but they’re too scared politically to vote against the governor.”

Surratt believes this won’t have a big impact on his district, adding that most East Texans do not have access to private school education. Now, both school leaders—along with many educators across Texas—are awaiting the final version and how it will impact their classrooms.