Today, Senate Bill 8, passed the Texas Senate Education Committee. This bill would create an education savings account (ESA) program that gives parents $8,000 per student to spend on a wide range of educational expenses, including private school tuition.

Agudath Israel of America, a longtime supporter of school choice efforts in Texas and across the country, welcomes this milestone. Education savings accounts empower parents to make educational decisions that are in the best interest of their child – not limited by a family’s finances. Authored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Brandon Creighton (R- Conroe) and eight other senators, the bill has the support of Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

Last week Agudath Israel brought more than one hundred parents and community leaders from Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio to a rally at the Texas State Capitol to advocate for universal ESAs. The following day, Rabbi Jordan Silvestri of the Robert M. Beren Academy and Rabbi Eliezer Lazaroff, director of Aishel House – Chabad in Houston testified in the Senate committee in support of ESAs.

“We are really pleased to see the bill pass the Senate Education Committee and one step closer to becoming law,” said Rabbi Ari Weisenfeld associate director of state relations for Agudath Israel. “Texas families want to be able to choose the school that can best serves their child’s needs, and are excited at the prospect of being able to participate in the first school choice program in the Lone Star State.”

If you have not already done so and are a Texas resident, please fill out the action alert linked below to ask your elected officials to support a more universal ESA program. If you have already filled it out, please consider sending it to your family and friends. https://agudah.org/texas-school-choice/