The Texas comptroller’s office provided clarity on Thursday regarding the state’s school voucher law, indicating that students with disabilities may be eligible for nearly $20,000 more in taxpayer funding each year.
Under Senate Bill 2, families receive approximately $10,500 annually for private school tuition and $2,000 for home-schooling. However, students with disabilities can qualify for as much as $30,000, contingent upon having undergone a special education evaluation from a public school.
If families do not complete the necessary evaluations before the voucher application deadline on Tuesday, they are not explicitly allowed to access the additional funds in future years, even if they later obtain an evaluation.
In a recent article, the comptroller’s office acknowledged that students without assessments could be confined to the lower funding tier in subsequent years. The office committed to ongoing reviews of the law to explore potential accommodations for these families.
Shortly after the article was published, the comptroller’s office suggested a possible solution. According to comptroller spokesperson Travis Pillow, the interpretation of the voucher law defines a “child with a disability” as someone eligible for a public school’s special education program, which necessitates completing an evaluation.
The comptroller’s office believes that families who missed the evaluation deadline for the inaugural year of the voucher program could still complete it before the next enrollment period. However, this would require legislative approval for increased funding to support expanded eligibility.
Despite the comptroller’s narrow definition of a “child with a disability” for funding purposes, this does not align with the broader criteria applied during the voucher application process.
Under current state law, students with disabilities are given priority for vouchers when demand exceeds available funding. Interestingly, those seeking priority do not need a public school evaluation, merely medical documentation.
Additionally, the comptroller’s office may seek legislative clarification on scenarios such as whether a home-schooled student eligible for $2,000 could transition to a private school and receive the $10,500 allocated for that category. Pillow noted that lawmakers may also need to consider the evolving nature of learning disabilities when assessing funding eligibility.
Many Texas parents were unaware of the evaluation requirement until they initiated the voucher application process during the 41-day window that commenced on February 4. This lack of awareness has led to a surge in requests for special education documentation directed at public school districts from private schools and prospective voucher applicants.
Once a parent requests an evaluation, school districts have 15 school days to provide an opportunity for written consent. After receiving consent, districts are given 45 school days to complete the evaluation, followed by an additional 30 calendar days for parents and educators to collaborate on an accommodation plan.
