Texas Advocacy - Oppose Increased Private School Dollars
The new school voucher program, TEFA, took effect this fall, providing public funds to help families pay for private school tuition. The program is administered by the State Comptroller’s Office, while the Legislature ultimately determines how much funding the program receives.

The Comptroller’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) seeks to more than double the funding for the TEFA voucher program from the current $1 billion to at least $2.3 billion—an increase of at least $1.3 billion, despite a complete lack of outcome data to evaluate the program’s effectiveness,

Importantly, this is a funding request, not an approved appropriation. Lawmakers still have the opportunity to review the program’s early data and determine whether it supports such a substantial increase in public funding.

Early information raises important questions about whether additional funding is warranted. Approximately 74% of students receiving vouchers were already enrolled in private schools, meaning many voucher recipients were not transitioning from public schools. At the same time, fewer than 30 students received the maximum $30,000 award available for students receiving special education services.

Before committing billions more in public dollars, policymakers should have a clear understanding of who is benefiting from the program, how students with disabilities are being served, and whether the program is achieving its intended goals.

For students with disabilities, transparency and accountability are particularly important. Families deserve to know whether voucher-funded schools have the services, supports, qualified personnel, and accessibility needed to meet their children’s individual needs. Policymakers also need reliable data to understand how the program is affecting students with disabilities and the broader education system.

The Legislature is now considering the state’s budget and recommendations that could shape future voucher funding. This is an important opportunity to tell your state legislators that any increase in voucher funding should be based on evidence, transparency, and accountability, not assumptions about the program’s effectiveness.

We’re asking advocates to:

• Oppose increasing funding for the school voucher program until sufficient data is available to evaluate its effectiveness and impact.
• Demand greater transparency and accountability, including comprehensive data on students receiving vouchers and how public funds are being used.
• Ensure students with disabilities are included in meaningful data collection and reporting, including information about the services and supports they receive.
• Prioritize public education funding and ensure that students with disabilities have access to the resources and services they need to succeed.
• Contact your state legislators today and urge them to put students and families first.