Our top story: The vast majority of the students who are applying for #vouchers are already enrolled in private schools, being homeschooled, or entering school for the first time. About 1% of the state's 5.5M public school students have applied. https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#politics #USpol #Texas #education #news #schools

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer
Missouri judge dismisses lawsuit over $50 million in private school voucher funding • Missouri Independent

A Cole County Circuit Court judge rules that Missouri lawmakers can give general revenue dollars to the MOScholars voucher program.

Missouri Independent

Top story: Applications had been submitted for about 275,000 students as of late March. But just 25% were for students currently enrolled in public schools.

That amounts to about 1% of the state’s 5.5 million public school students. https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#education #schools #vouchers #TXlege #racism #politics #USpol #news

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer

Top story: What would’ve been school-choice proponents’ triumphant publicity tour was instead consumed by catty finger-pointing over who’s to blame for the seemingly botched attempt to religiously discriminate against some program participants. https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#Texas #politics #USpol #news #vouchers #education #schools #news #TXlege #racism

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer

From Justin Miller: GOP legislators repeatedly insisted that “Texas Education Freedom Accounts” would be open to any and all types of private #schools—of all creeds and persuasions.

In predictable fashion, they haven't quite lived up to that promise. https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#Texas #politics #USpol #news #vouchers #education #TXlege

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer
"In recent months, the possibility of state funding going to Islamic private schools has emerged as a new front. This has complicated the initial phase of the $1 billion school choice program, a signature policy achievement of Gov. Greg Abbott" #school #vouchers https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/texas-voucher-program-islamic-schools-funding-fight.html
Texas Voucher Program Incites Fight Over Funding Islamic Schools

As Muslim private schools try to join Texas’ new voucher program, top Republicans have vowed to stop what they call “radical Islamic indoctrination.”

The New York Times

Applications had been submitted for about 275,000 students as of late March. But just 25% percent were for students currently enrolled in public #schools. (That amounts to about 1% of the state’s 5.5 million public school students.) https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#education #vouchers #Texas #politics #USpol #TXlege

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer

“The exclusion is not based on individualized findings of unlawful conduct by any specific school, but rather on categorical presumptions that Islamic schools are suspect and potentially linked to terrorism by virtue of their religious identity and community associations.” https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#racism #religion #education #politics #USpol #Texas #vouchers #schools

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer

New from Justin Miller: What would’ve been school-choice proponents’ triumphant publicity tour was instead consumed by catty finger-pointing over who’s to blame for the seemingly botched attempt to religiously discriminate against some program participants. https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-discrimination-brouhaha-abbott/

#vouchers #Politics #USpol #Republicans #Texas #TXlege #news #education #schools

School Vouchers Are What We Thought They Were

The nascent "freedom accounts" program is, predictably, burdened by Republicans’ insistence on religious discrimination—and likely set to benefit those already outside the public school system.

The Texas Observer

"Of the 274,183 Texans who applied for vouchers before Tuesday night’s deadline, 45% are white, 23% are Hispanic and 12% are Black. Low-income families make up 37% of applicants — defined by the program as a family of four earning $66,000 or less per year. Children with disabilities make up 16% of applicants."

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/01/texas-voucher-applications-demographics/

#PublicHealth #education #schools #PrivateSchools #vouchers #race #ethnicity #disabilities #disparities #texas #txlege

White Texans, students previously in private school or home-school make up bulk of voucher applicants

Of the almost 275,000 students who applied for vouchers, 45% are white and 75% attended a private school or home-school in 2024-25, final numbers show.

The Texas Tribune