Texas school choice plans may indicate what to expect under Trump

(NewsNation) — Texas could become home to the nation’s largest school choice program next year, and some believe it could be an indicator of what to expect with Trump’s administration.

School choice, a plan to use public money to subsidize private school tuition, has been a hot-button issue that has divided parents for decades. Texas state leadership said it would prioritize school choice including legislative work.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who canceled the latest legislative session, said he would push for school choice, even going so far as to call the measure, among other things, an “emergency.” This would allow lawmakers to work on these bills earlier than others.

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To ensure his proposed bill is not shot down again this year, Abbott threw his support behind candidates this election cycle who would support school choice.

The governor said he believes his efforts were successful.

“I made sure that we elected Republicans to the House of Representatives in sufficient numbers to pass a school-selector as the Senate has done many times,” Abbott said.

Nationally, 28 states and the District of Columbia already have some form of school choice legislation, according to Educateinon the week.

That number has grown exponentially in recent years, and opponents of school choice say they are concerned it will grow even faster under President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.

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Trump has repeatedly said he supports school choice, and with a Republican-controlled Congress, there is new optimism for advocates at the federal level.

However, voters in Colorado and Kentucky rejected separate school choice proposals last week.

Back in Texas, lawmakers could start filing bills as soon as next week even though the new session doesn’t begin until January.

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