cbsaustin.com · September 8, 2026
Texas Comptroller seeks more school voucher funding as skeptics question who benefits
# Texas Comptroller seeks more school voucher funding as skeptics question who benefits
by Andrew Lamparski
Tue, September 8, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Updated Tue, September 8, 2026 at 7:09 PM
The Texas Comptroller’s Office began notifying parents on April 22 about eligibility for the state’s new voucher program. More than 42,600 students will receive award notices through April 24, with initial recipients including children with disabilities and their siblings from families earning up to 500% of the federal poverty level. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas — The debate over whether to expand Texas’ new school voucher program is already underway, with the state comptroller asking lawmakers for over $2 billion more over the next two fiscal years. Some, however, are pressing for more details about who is benefiting from the program.
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Don Huffines is requesting about $2.3 billion for the program through fiscal years 2028 and 2029 in order to continue the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program.
A legislative appropriations request from the office also adds that funding every student currently on the waitlist could push the total cost to roughly $4 billion for two years by increasing the amount of annual funding needed by $980 million, as first reported by the Texas Tribune.
Huffines is urging lawmakers to expand the program. In a statement Tuesday, Huffines said he looks forward to working with lawmakers to provide students greater educational opportunity.
“Texas is home to the longest school choice waitlist in the country, which demonstrates strong demand from parents to choose the education that’s right for their children. I look forward to working with the Legislature to fulfill our state’s obligation to provide greater opportunity for Texas students to learn in the best environment for their individual needs.”
Advocates with the Texas Center for Voucher Transparency said the size of the waitlist is only part of the picture.
“Who is waiting matters as much as how many are waiting,” said Dee Carney, director of the center.
A new report from the organization details potential barriers to the voucher program options in Texas. It points to cost, religious affiliation and special education limitations at private schools as reasons families may ultimately need to opt out of the program.
The center also reports that 80% of students currently on the waitlist for the program were not previously enrolled in public school.
University of Texas education policy professor David DeMatthews said other states have seen families opt out of school voucher programs because of the high costs of attending private schools.
"Private schools, they're in the driver's seat. They can pick who enters their school, and if they don't like who enters--even after making an admissions decision--can expel those students. It's a very different system than what families in the public schools might be used to," DeMatthews added.
The state’s August report found about 80 percent of the first 85,000 participants came from households at or below twice the federal poverty level. But the report did not break down how many participants were actually at or below the poverty line.
CBS Austin has filed an open records request with the comptroller's office for more detailed information related to the income of applicant families and participant families.
The comptroller's office is expected to participate in a hearing with the Legislative Budget Board on Wednesday related to its funding requests.