SAN ANTONIO – Texas Education Freedom Accounts spokesperson Travis Pillow shared record-breaking numbers for the first week of applications.
“In the first hour that we opened applications, we saw over 8,000 students submitted applications,” Pillow said.
A week after the application portal opened, Pillow said more than 92,000 applications were submitted. He also said that about four in five students marked that they intend on using TEFA funds for private school.
“We want to see Texas become the No. 1 state for education, and one of the ways that we do that is we put parents in the driver’s seat,” Pillow said.
However, the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel (SAATSP) has been a group grounded against TEFA as they push for more funding to public school systems in Texas.
“Every legislative cycle we go and we make appeals that say we need money, we need money to pay our teachers, to pay out support staff, we need money for resources, we need money for student mental health,” Alejandra Lopez with SAATSP said.
Pillow told KSAT that the $1 billion the Legislature put aside for TEFA was not for public schools.
“As families sign up for Texas Education Freedom Accounts, that has no impact on public school funding in the state of Texas,” Pillow said. “The Legislature funded this program from a separate pool of money.”
Lopez expressed her frustration and fear of the program’s expansion.
“We know from other states that have implemented similar programs that this price tag just continues to balloon,” Lopez said.
Pillow said the program getting bigger is not off the table. If there are more TEFA applications than the $1 billion can serve, then there will be a lottery prioritizing students with disabilities and low-income families.
“Everything’s bigger in Texas, but it could continue to get bigger in future years,” Pillow said. “So, we will keep a list of all the families who apply. And even if they’re not able to participate in year one, we will bring that list to the Legislature to inform their decision making about funding for future years."
Lopez said her organization’s fight to increase funding for public schools and end school choice is not over simply because the application portal is now open.
“Ultimately, vouchers are about taking public dollars and putting them in private institutions when our public schools should be the ones receiving those dollars,” Lopez said. “One thing that we are making absolutely sure is that we’re supporting candidates during these primary elections and on into the general elections that are anti-vouchers."
Pillow also emphasized that a majority of TEFA applicants are middle-to-low income.
“Seven out of 10 students who have applied so far are in those middle- to low-income categories, which means that we’re seeing a pool of applicants that really reflects the economic diversity of the state of Texas,” Pillow said.
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