By james art 
The legislators in Austin discussed on Tuesday on the night of one of the most transgressing bills passing through the legislature this year. The Senate Bill 2 will allow families to use tax dollars for public schools for private and home schools.
The Texas Senate Committee of Education K-16 held a hearing on the bill. Such ideas have passed the upper house many times, but a coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats has rejected the idea so far. Governor Abut said this time he had numbers to pass it through the lower camera.
“One size responds to the whole education does not work for many of our students,” said Senator Kreyton, “Too many families are trapped by their postal code.”
SB 2 includes $ 1 billion in the next two -year budget, enough to give up $ 100,000 and their families, approximately $ 10,000 in savings bills for education. There are 5.5 million students in public schools.
Some of the details were discussed on Tuesday afternoon before the defenders of education and the press.
In order to reduce the fraud, the sponsor of the bill, Senator Brandon Creeton, R – Conroe, designed the program to be managed by the Texas controller and state -approved suppliers.
“This money doesn’t go to parents as a voucher. So you can’t go to rooms and buy furniture if you have a thousand dollars,” Senator Creaton said.
In addition to the testing requirement, there are few applied strings so that parents can send students to religious schools or home education at home.
– Just to clarify. This bill will not allow governmental intervention in religious beliefs, whether? “Asked Senator Angela Paxon, P – McCini.
“No,” Senator Creyton replied.
Some Democrats on the Committee were concerned that the program did not prioritize low -income families. In order to qualify for the lottery to obtain a savings bill for education, the family must make 500 percent of the poverty line, which, according to Senator, the West, was approximately $ 150,000 a year. Twenty percent of the bills will be available to any income via lottery.
“At least I don’t see it, it does not give priority to the lowest income in our country or I see nothing there to prioritize children coming from schools in academic failure,” said Senator Royce West, D-Dalas.
“If parents can have these ten thousand but cannot afford to compensate for the difference (in books, transport, uniforms), are they really acceptable,” said Senator Jose Mendes, D – San Antonio.
Even if the proposal passes the Texas House and the Senate, it will probably be challenged in court by the defenders of public schools who are afraid to divert the resources from the current system. They will probably claim that the program violates the state constitution that requires MPs an “effective free school system”.