Dallas Morning News, Editorial
Voucher plans are giving up on our education system
“The businesses making up the thriving economy of which Texans are so proud are worried, and that worry grows with each passing year… School vouchers are bad for businesses, bad for our communities and bad for the future workforce in Texas.”
Houston Chronicle, Editorial
Rural Republicans held strong. Abbott should give up his voucher scheme.
“If at first (and second, and third, and so on) you don’t succeed, try strong-arming and threats. That was Gov. Greg Abbott’s strategy to try to pass school vouchers in the fourth special session so far. He’ll need to find another trick.
“Tucked inside an omnibus school spending bill in the House, vouchers made it the farthest yet this year: all the way to a floor debate Friday. Once again, however, a bipartisan alliance stood in Abbott’s way, passing an amendment 84-63 that removed vouchers from the bill.”
Houston Chronicle, Edward McKinley and Jasper Scherer
Texas House rejects school voucher proposal, dealing blow to Abbott, private school advocates
“The Texas House rejected a school voucher proposal Friday, dealing an emphatic blow to Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority after months of negotiations and political threats from the third-term Republican.”
Capitol Inside
Abbott Coercion Approach Fails to Pay as 21 GOP Reps Spurn School Choice
“The Republican clearly overestimated the clout that he has with members of his own party in the House… The vote tonight left little doubt that Abbott simply does not have the support to pass school choice in the current House. He must decide if he’s going to cut his losses and toss in the towel on vouchers or continue to force Texas taxpayers to foot the bill for additional special sessions because he can’t bring himself to admit defeat.”
Capitol Inside
Abbott Won’t Concede Defeat on ESAs Despite Failure to Move Needle in House
“Governor Greg Abbott sought to stick a happy face this weekend on the worst and most predictable setback of a long career when he trumpeted a school choice plan in a trio of social media posts that failed to acknowledge that the Texas House killed it Friday night in a vote that wasn’t close.”
Texas Tribune, Zack Despart and Brian Lopez
Texas House votes to remove school vouchers from massive education bill
“The Texas House on Friday voted to strip school vouchers from the chamber’s massive education funding bill, taking an ax to Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority of the year…
“Twenty-one Republicans, most of whom represent rural districts, joined all Democrats in support. The outcome was an embarrassment to Abbott…
KHOU-11, Adam Bennett
Texas House votes to cut school vouchers from education bill
“School vouchers in Texas appear to be dead, at least for now. Vouchers were a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority in the fourth special session.”
KDFW FOX 4, Shaun Rabb and Blake Hanson
Texas House rejects school vouchers
“The Texas House handed Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s key priority for the fourth special session of the Texas Legislature a major defeat, killing a proposal to use taxpayer dollars to help people pay for private school.”
Texas Observer, Josephine Lee
House votes 84-63 to strip vouchers from school funding bill
“In another embarrassing blow to Abbott, his repeated threats to call a special session every single month until the March primaries have not changed the opposition to vouchers.”
Texas Observer, Josephine Lee
Abbott fails on vouchers. Again.
“He threatened. He baited. But no amount of sticks or carrots helped Texas Governor Greg Abbott pass school vouchers… Abbott failed to persuade lawmakers. Again.
“‘Abbott doesn’t talk to Texans,’ Johnson said. ‘He talks to his billionaire masters who hire these people who are not from our communities in Texas. They don’t know our culture. They don’t know the dynamics of our neighborhoods.’”
KXAN, Monica Madden
As promised, Gov. Greg Abbott endorses Republicans who supported school vouchers and excludes incumbent opponents
“The defeat came as a major loss to Abbott, who has invested nearly a year of political capital into trying to garner support for so-called ‘school choice.’”
Houston Chronicle, Jeremy Wallace
Gov. Greg Abbott refocuses on the Texas border after school vouchers sink
“With his school voucher push in shambles, Gov. Greg Abbott headed south to the Texas border this weekend, changing the subject to his preferred issue whenever things get a little rough back in Austin.”
Texas Tribune, Patrick Svitek
Gov. Greg Abbott endorses reelection bids of 58 House members who voted for school vouchers
“It was the most resounding rebuke yet of Abbott’s crusade for ‘school choice’ that has now prompted four special sessions.”
Texas Monthly, Christopher Hooks
Greg Abbott Had Great Ambitions. Donald Trump Had Other Plans.
“He’s spent the last three years pumping billions of dollars and thousands of soldiers down to the border, and, crucially, few of the soldiers talk back—in contrast to Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives, who seem happy to buck Abbott.”
