There Was No Viable Path to Stop Taxpayer-Funded Private School Vouchers

OPINION — Today, I joined my fellow rural, West Texas Republicans—those who stood firm against vouchers a year ago in 2023—in voting for Senate Bill 2, following days of tough negotiations with Public Education Chairman Brad Buckley on behalf of our rural public schools.

We made this decision with a clear understanding: the bill would pass with or without our support. Rather than stand by, we chose to stay in the fight, negotiating critical amendments to reduce the impact on our communities.

Let me be clear: I remain deeply skeptical of this program. Since the day I was elected, I have fought for our public schools—and that fight continues. But after countless conversations with school leaders, constituents, and lifelong supporters, it became clear: allowing this bill to move forward unchanged would be a disservice to the very people I represent.

Once again, rural Republicans—despite being politically diminished for our stand two years ago—mustered one more battle. Today, we secured real, meaningful changes to improve this bill.

These key provisions of these amendments, agreed to by Chairman Buckley, include:

• Annual public audits of the voucher program and any third-party contractors by the State Auditor
• Clear residency requirements to prevent abuse and block non-residents, including undocumented immigrants, from accessing the program
• A ban on pop-up private schools by preventing a private school from being able to receive a voucher until it has been operational and accredited for two straight years.
• A permanent cap limiting non-low-income, non-special-needs recipients to just 20% of the bottom tier vouchers

While this is not a comprehensive list of all the negotiated changes that keep rural communities protected; none of these protections would be in the bill without our involvement.

The House will ensure the amendments stay in any appointed conference committee.

In addition, Chairman Buckley agreed to key provisions in House Bill 2, including a stronger teacher pay raise and a major boost to the basic allotment—long overdue investments.

I know many will be disappointed by this vote—so am I. But in the Texas House, we have to work with the reality in front of us, not the one we wish existed. If there had been any viable path to defeat this proposal, I would have likely taken it. That path simply did not exist.

What did exist was an opportunity to act, to protect our rural schools from greater harm and secure the funding they desperately need. I am proud the House passed an $8 billion education package today. Our schools, and House District 72, cannot wait any longer.

The good news is this: the legislature must vote to fund the voucher program every two years, allowing us to review its impact and end it if it fails Texas families or hurts our schools.

Make no mistake: this major investment in rural education was only possible because we negotiated as a block of rural Republicans. And with the amendments we secured, Senate Bill 2 will now have a far more limited impact on rural Texas.

While vouchers have dominated the headlines, other urgent issues for West Texas remain on the table—and at risk. From rural healthcare and water infrastructure to broadband access and other funding items, these priorities cannot be sidelined. Rural Texas must not be forgotten while attention stays fixed on a single debate.

The truth is, this is not the bill I would have written but it is far better than what was coming. Rural Texas is better protected because we stood up, fought back, and stayed at the table. I did not come here to be a bystander—I came to serve. And I will never stop fighting to ensure our schools, communities, and West Texas values are never left behind.