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Update 2/16/24: The Texas Legislature's fourth special session adjourned Dec. 6, 2023, with no final bill on vouchers or school funding.
Immediately after the third special session ended Nov. 7, Gov. Greg Abbott called a fourth special session of the 88th Legislature, asking lawmakers “to complete their critical work to empower Texas parents to choose the best education pathway for their child while providing billions more in funding for Texas public schools and continuing to boost safety measures in schools.”
The call agenda includes:
legislation relating to primary and secondary education, including the establishment of an education savings account program, the certification, compensation and health coverage of certain public school employees, the public school finance system, special education in public schools, measures to support the education of public school students that include certain educational grant programs, reading instruction and early childhood education, the provision of virtual education and public school accountability; and
legislation related to school safety measures and related state funding mechanisms.
After the fourth special was called, Rep. Brad Buckley, chair of the House Public Education Committee, filed the updated version of House Bill 1 that was ready at the end of the third special session. HB 1 was then referred to the Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Select Committee and scheduled for a hearing Nov. 9.
Frisco ISD Government Affairs traveled to Austin to testify on HB 1. Kimberly Smith, chief finance and strategy officer for FISD, testified to the possible effects of HB 1 on FISD. Although it would provide significant funding, it would still leave the District $40 million behind 2019 funding levels. Additionally, the voucher program it would create, according to the Legislative Budget Board, would cost the state at least $2 billion by the second year of the program and would have the potential to grow each year. This creates a significant new financial commitment for the state while public schools remain underfunded by more than $14 billion.
After the hearing, HB 1 was voted out of committee on Nov. 10.
House Bill 2, a safety bill that creates a billion-dollar safety grant program for school districts, was heard in a public hearing by the Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Select Committee and was immediately passed out of committee unanimously.
Senate Bill 1, a voucher bill, and Senate Bill 2, a school funding bill, were passed out of the Senate exactly as they were written in the third special session.
Frisco ISD Government Affairs is following the special session closely and providing updates on legislation. To learn more, follow Government Affairs on X, formerly known as Twitter, or on Facebook.
This story will be updated.