Story perspectives

Texas Starts $2,000 Vouchers for 73,000 Families

7/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

Texas began disbursing vouchers to 73,000 families on the day Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced his resignation.
Hancock will leave on July 31 2026 after Governor Greg Abbott appointed Senator Don Huffines to take over on August 1 2026.
It gives $2,000 to homeschool and nonpublic students and pays students 25% now, another 25% on October 1, balance on February 1 2027.
Huffines, who beat Hancock in the March primary, will face Senator Sarah Eckhardt in November for a term.

History

Historical Context

Texas’s modern school-choice system traces back to the 1949 Gilmer-Aikin Act, which merged 4,500 rural districts and created the Texas Education Agency to equalize funding. Building on that framework, Governor George W. Bush signed the 1996 Texas Education Reform Act, allocating $1 billion for vouchers serving about 30,000 low-income students. In 2024 Governor Greg Abbott expanded the program to 73,000 families with $2,000 vouchers.

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Story summary

Texas began disbursing vouchers to 73,000 families on the day Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced his resignation.
Hancock will leave on July 31 2026 after Governor Greg Abbott appointed Senator Don Huffines to take over on August 1 2026.
It gives $2,000 to homeschool and nonpublic students and pays students 25% now, another 25% on October 1, balance on February 1 2027.
Huffines, who beat Hancock in the March primary, will face Senator Sarah Eckhardt in November for a term.

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