Texas has recently passed a slate of sweeping education bills that could reshape classrooms, funding, and policies across the state for years to come.
- Senate Bill 2 (SB 2)
Passed in April 17th, SB 2 will create one of the United States’ largest school voucher programs, and will allow parents to pay for their children’s private school tuition or other education-related expenses with public tax dollars. The legislation opens up an Education Savings Account (ESA) program. Eligible families can receive up to an estimated $10,000 per student. Disabled students may receive up to $30,000 per year, and homeschoolers up to $2,000. Out of 5.5 million students within Texas, the bill will most likely help between 75,000-100,000.
The Texas legislature has long been opposed to “school choice” legislation. One legislative session ago, a similar bill to SB 2 was outright rejected by the majority. The heavy hands of Governor Abbott and President Trump have played a large part in the turning of the tides. Governor Abbott has pushed campaigning asking for the legislation, and President Trump personally called to unify Republicans on this issue.
Critics, however, say the bill is limited in its reach and that it takes away financial incentive for systemic improvement in public schools. They also mention that this may lead to significant governmental control over private education, citing the requirement that “all providers be pre-approved by the Comptroller.” There is still time, however, before we will see any changes. The bill is set to go into effect for the 2026–2027 school year, when we will see the full effects of such a drastic change.
- House Bill 2 (HB 2)
Passed in tandem with SB 2, HB 2 will provide around $8.5 billion in new money to public schools, which comes in the wake of long-running challenges after years of stagnant funding. $4 billion will go toward raising pay for educators, along with providing educator preparation, special education, safety requirements, and early childhood learning. Furthermore, HB 2 makes significant revisions to the state’s existing school funding formulas, raising the basic allotment per student from $6,160 to $6,215. It also expands teacher incentive programs and adds more grant funding for various school initiatives.
This is an enormous win for educators across Texas, who, on average, earn over $9,000 less than the national average. The bill will go into effect for the 2026–2027 school year, but certain benefits like teacher certification fee waivers began September 1st.
- Texas Senate Bill 10 (SB 10)
Signed into law on June 20th, SB 10 requires all public elementary and secondary schools in Texas to display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in a “conspicuous” place in each classroom. The changes were set to take effect for the 2025–2026 school year, mandating the display be no smaller than 16×20 inches and be legible “from anywhere in the classroom.” Schools are not required to purchase posters using district or state funds, but are required to display them, and as an alternative they may accept privately donated posters.
This is a massive gain for Texas Republicans, who have been trying for years to bridge the divide of Church and State. However, this comes at the cost of nearly half a decade of precedent. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court case Stone v. Graham said a similar Kentucky law violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause—forbiding schools from showcasing the Ten Commandments in classrooms. More recently, a 2024 federal district court decided in Roake v. Brumley that a similar Louisiana law violates parents’ and students’ rights under the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment.
In response to SB 10, a federal lawsuit was filed in the case Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District, and a federal district court has issued a preliminary injunction—halting the bill from taking effect temporarily.
- Senate Bill 12 (SB 12)
The June SB 12 extends the state’s ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies to K-12 schools, disallowing schools from taking race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation into account in hiring decisions. Furthermore, it bans schools from offering guidance or programs that focus on sexual orientation or gender identity. This immediately affects student-led clubs like the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, which schools are now not allowed to sponsor.
The defense for this bill cites giving parents more control over their children’s education, however, this simply depletes resources for already vulnerable children and teens, who may not have anywhere else to go with questions about themselves. Limiting support to populations that will exist—whether legislators want them to or not—targets and censors marginalized groups, while providing no alternative outlet for aid.
As these bills move toward implementation, Texans will be watching closely to see how they reshape the educational landscape. For some families, the changes may open doors to private schooling opportunities or deliver long-overdue pay raises for teachers. For others, the new laws may spark concerns about equity, inclusivity, and constitutional rights.