Governor Abbott vows expansion of school choice during legislative session

Governor Greg Abbott has committed to collaborating with the Texas Legislature to expand school choice during the current legislative session. The announcement was made at a Parent Empowerment Night held at Harvest Christian Academy in Edinburg.

"Education excellence is what we're trying to achieve," stated Governor Abbott. "We need to ensure that every student gets to find the pathway that's best for them and that we make it available for parents to choose the pathway that’s best for their child. When we finish the session, we will set record highs for the most funding for our public schools than ever in the history of our state. We're going to increase teacher salaries so that the average teacher salary in Texas will be at a record high in Texas. We must become No. 1 in educating our students, and the pathway to achieve that is through school choice."

Abbott reiterated his strong support for school choice, highlighting it as an emergency item for the 89th Legislative Session. He emphasized that many Texans from rural, urban, and suburban areas are in favor of expanding school choice options for families across the state. The Governor also expressed his ambition to make Texas a leading state in education by empowering parents, supporting and training teachers effectively, and upholding high academic standards.

The event saw attendance from several notable figures including Representative Janie Lopez, Edinburg Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Diaz, Texas Public Policy Foundation Campaign Director Mandy Drogin, Harvest Christian Academy Head Principal Joe Cruz, Harvest Christian Academy Elementary Principal Joshua Andrade, among other advocates of school choice.

Governor Abbott had previously declared school choice as an emergency item during his State of the State Address on Sunday.