Raymond warns school vouchers may fall short for many families

State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond, who represents District 42 and opposed Senate Bill 2 allowing families to have more educational choices for their children, said many families might return to the public system when they see the difference in services and costs.

The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program was established by the Texas Legislature through Senate Bill 2.

Administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the TEFA program gives parents more freedom and flexibility to choose the best educational environment for their children, with funds used outside the traditional public school system.

Launching in the 2026-27 school year, the $1 billion state-funded program offers accounts for private school tuition, homeschooling and educational services.

"I have always been against the school vouchers because the vast majority of students attend public schools," he said. "Public resources should be for public schools. We have to invest in them because they accept all students without exception."

Raymond said many families who are selected may believe they will use the vouchers to pay tuition, however, he noted that many of these schools have higher tuition fees than what the state will fund per student.

"Many parents will go to a private school with their voucher and will likely be told that they have to pay a difference of several thousand dollars, and some families probably won't be able to afford these additional amounts," he said. "What will happen is that those who will take advantage of the school voucher program are those who were already enrolled in private schools."

According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, of the 274,183 applicants, 77% were already enrolled in private schools, raising questions about whether the program will primarily benefit wealthier families.

Raymond said the program is just beginning and expects the number of students applying for school vouchers to increase by the 2027-28 school year.

"I have no doubt that many families will be interested and that the number of students in the program will increase, believing it will help them or that it's better for their children," he said. "I understand that parents want the best education for their children, and I have nothing against private schools, since my children attended public, private and charter schools. But a private school can refuse to accept certain students if it doesn't want to, and that's not fair."

When asked whether legislators could draft a law to repeal the current one, Raymond said it was possible.

"Every two years we have new legislatures, and I think there will come a point when it will become clear that school vouchers will cause more harm than good," he said. "Then it's likely that all of us who were against it will unite to work on something like that. I don't know when, but at some point in the future."

Raymond also said he does not know whether the Legislature will approve or invest more financial resources in the program.

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