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Passing school vouchers, the top legislative priority of Gov. Greg Abbott in the new special session, was always going to require a delicately assembled coalition of Republicans.
The inclusion of compromise becomes necessary as it involves finding common ground between the Senate, known for its conservative stance, and a group of rural House members who have historically aligned with Democrats to oppose the proposal.
But as the special session began Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan were at each other’s throats, hardly a signal of a productive lawmaking environment. And Phelan indicated his desire that any voucher program be paired with more public school funding, which could prove to be another complicating factor in the negotiations.
Patrick called on Phelan to resign because the speaker demanded he return $3 million to a major backer, the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, after The Texas Tribune reported its leader had met with a white supremacist and antisemitic activist. Patrick accused Phelan of using this weekend’s Hamas attack on Israel for political gain.
In a statement, Patrick expressed his disbelief, stating, “I never imagined Dade Phelan would sink to such depths. He has truly reached rock bottom. His most recent act is repulsive, vile, and deceitful.”
Phelan stood his ground, repeating his assertion that the group bore the blame for the “politically corrupt” state of the Texas Republican Party.
Phelan stated, “I want to clarify that I did not accept $3 million from a PAC that aligns itself with Nazis and those who sympathize with them. This issue does not concern me. My fellow House members… do not receive funds from this PAC. We distance ourselves from individuals who engage in deviant behavior, are outcasts, or associate with Holocaust deniers.”
Abbott’s office chose not to address the Tribune report when asked for comment, and he remained silent regarding the Phelan-Patrick altercation on Monday. However, he is expected to deliver a speech at an event supporting Israel in Austin later in the evening.
In light of this situation, the House convened briefly, lasting for less than thirty minutes. It swiftly and unanimously passed a resolution in favor of Israel, following the recent attack by Hamas militants. The session then adjourned until Thursday.
After unanimously passing a pro-Israel resolution, the Senate swiftly shifted its focus. The Senate Finance Committee convened a late afternoon hearing to deliberate on legislation aimed at allocating additional funds to public schools. Although this topic was not part of Abbott’s special session agenda, it is a crucial requirement for numerous lawmakers who support the implementation of school vouchers.
The bill’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said during the hearing that vouchers are “for a different day” and “not connected” to his school funding bill, which would include teacher pay raises and additional funding for school safety upgrades.
According to Creighton, vouchers are unrelated to the present situation. He believes that our efforts to fund public schools are sufficient to support both the schools and the teachers.
“In addition to that,” he stated, “we have a minuscule portion of the budget allocated for vouchers.”
Although public school funding is not a priority for Abbott in the special session, the Senate has commenced discussions on several matters that are. On Monday, the chamber forwarded bills to committee that aim to prohibit private employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccines, enhance penalties for human smuggling, and establish a state criminal offense for illegal entry from a foreign country.
According to Phelan, the conflict between Patrick and him would not affect the special session. He assured that the House would proceed with its priorities and engage in discussions with the Senate to resolve any discrepancies in the proposed legislation, just as it has done in the past.
Phelan confidently expressed that his team members are exceptional individuals who have joined for genuine reasons. He emphasized that they will remain unaffected by any external distractions, just as they always have in the past.
Democrats show united front
On Monday, the Democratic caucuses in both chambers conducted news conferences, making a firm commitment to oppose voucher proposals, even if it means sacrificing teacher salary increments and further funding for public schools.
“Senate Democrats stand united in our opposition to any [voucher] legislation, regardless of what it’s tied to, including teacher pay raises and allotment,” said Sen. Carol Alvarado of Houston, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters his group is “very clear: no vouchers and no deals.”
“A voucher scam is a poison pill that will end up taking more out of our public schools than it puts in,” said Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin.
Meanwhile, Creighton’s $5.2 billion school funding bill, Senate Bill 2, would help school officials with the rising costs of running a district, provide teacher raises and direct more funding for school safety.
In a statement, Creighton emphasized that the responsibility lies with lawmakers to unlock the potential of education for the 6 million students they serve, as the future of Texas starts in the classroom.
The passage of the bill during this special session remains uncertain as Governor Abbott did not include public school funding or teacher raises in his agenda. The agenda solely focused on the implementation of education savings accounts, a school voucher program that allows families to use state funds for private schooling. It is important to note that according to the state constitution, only bills related to the governor’s agenda items can be passed during special sessions. However, the governor retains the power to modify the agenda at any given time.
Creighton announced his plan to submit a school voucher program on Monday evening.
New school funding proposal
SB 2 proposes an increase in the basic allotment, which is the fundamental funding schools receive per student, from $6,160 to $6,235. This allocation is utilized to cover the regular functioning expenses of a district and can potentially support augmenting teacher salaries.
As part of the bill, teachers will be eligible for a one-time pay bonus. Individuals teaching in districts with fewer than 5,000 students would be entitled to a $10,000 payment, whereas those employed in districts with over 5,000 students would receive a $3,000 payment.
Creighton attempted to pass a provision during the regular session, similar to the legislation, aimed at benefiting teachers in small districts with higher compensation. This initiative aimed to address the issue of comparatively lower salaries for teachers in such districts.
Teachers in suburban and urban school districts receive an average salary of approximately $61,432, which is nearly $10,000 higher than their counterparts in rural regions, according to an analysis conducted by the Texas Tribune.
Nevertheless, teachers and unions have voiced their concerns over the method of using student enrollment in districts to determine the allocation of larger bonuses to educators. They argue that this approach does not accurately reflect the financial needs of individuals. It is worth noting that living expenses tend to be higher in bigger metropolitan areas.
SB 2 would also expand and increase funding to the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program that promises to pay teachers up to six-figure salaries if they meet certain performance requirements. About 13,000 teachers, or about 4% of the state’s educators, are currently part of the program.
And finally, the bill increases funding that goes to school for safety upgrades. Under House Bill 3, the flagship school safety law passed in May, schools received $15,000 per campus for security upgrades and an additional $10 per student attendance. SB 2 would amend those amounts and instead give schools $30,000 per campus and $20 per student attendance.
If the bill ties teacher raises solely to one-time bonuses and includes the condition of passing school vouchers, Monty Exter, governmental relations director for the Association of Texas Professional Educators, emphasized the need for Texas to adopt a more reasonable, sufficient, transparent, and consistent approach. He stated that his organization would be against the bill in such a scenario.
Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said Senate Democrats will not support the bill if it means that school vouchers will pass and are ready to give up funding for teacher raises and other public school funding to put a stop to vouchers this session.
Maia Pandey contributed to this story.
Disclosure: Association of Texas Professional Educators has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
