Texas launched what is expected to become the largest school choice program in the country, drawing 62,000 sign-ups in its first three days and sparking furious pushback from the state’s teachers unions.
The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program recorded 8,000 registrations within its first hour of opening. By day’s end it had 42,000. Under the program, families receive $10,000 per year toward private school tuition, home-schooling, or virtual learning. Children with disabilities qualify for up to $30,000 annually.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure into law last May after a decades-long fight against Democrats, teachers unions, and a handful of reluctant Republicans.
The Texas American Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT) issued a statement calling the program a “growing billion-dollar boondoggle” ahead of its launch.
Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) President Ovidia Molina pledged in a statement shared with Fox News to “continue working to kill this expensive and discriminatory program,” objecting to state funds flowing to religious schools and private institutions that do not accept all students.
“These schools will use public tax dollars to discriminate against children whose families pay these tax dollars,” Molina said. “Only public schools should receive our tax revenue.”
In February, Abbott celebrated the program’s 100,000 applications. “The TEFA program receiving more than 100,000 applications in less than two weeks proves that families overwhelmingly want school choice,” Abbott said at the time. “Through this program, families will receive funds to send their children to a school that is the best fit for them. I congratulate Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock for his unwavering support and dedication to this program’s monumental success. Texas families are now more in control of their child’s academic success, regardless of their location or income.”
