AUSTIN – State Representative Trent Ashby (R – Lufkin) issued the following statement regarding the passage of Senate Bill 2 on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“Today, the House of Representatives closed the book on a multi-session struggle over school choice in Texas. Since first taking office, my top priority has been supporting public education, and my commitment to supporting public schools, teachers, and students will never change.
After a disappointing session in 2023, I was more determined than ever to deliver the long-overdue funding to our public schools. However, after a primary election cycle in which school choice candidates prevailed across the state, the political reality was that the House would convene this session with more than enough votes to pass school choice. And, failing to do so would jeopardize critical funding for our public schools.
Instead of sitting idly by and allowing flawed legislation to pass through the legislative process, I felt compelled to do everything in my power to improve the bill.
As a member of the House Committee on Public Education, I worked tirelessly with my colleagues to negotiate important, meaningful safeguards for the ESA program that would protect taxpayer dollars, enhance accountability, and improve transparency.
I’m proud of the work we did to ensure common-sense changes were included in the final version of SB 2. Some of those changes include:
- Requiring accredited private schools to be operational for two years before receiving ESA funding
- Establishing a cap on the percentage of funds that will be available to higher-income households
- Requiring an annual audit of the program to ensure state funding is being used appropriately
- Expanding reporting requirements for ESA participants to measure learning outcomes
- Clarifying residency requirements to ensure only Texas students may participate in the ESA program
Please know that my vote to support SB 2 was not taken lightly. However, I knew that sitting on the sidelines and not engaging in the process would only be detrimental to House District 9 and all of rural Texas. And while not everyone may agree with my vote, rest assured that my support for public education will never waiver, and I will continue to prioritize the success of Texas public schools.
Trent Ashby is in his seventh term as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He currently represents a six-county region that includes Angelina, Houston, Polk, San Augustine, Trinity, and Tyler Counties.
