AUSTIN, Texas — Both the Texas Senate and House have school voucher or educational savings account proposals that allocate extra funding for students with disabilities to use at private schools. Some families believe the money won’t guarantee an equal education for students with disabilities, but private school advocates say the educational opportunities may even be better.
Leander Independent School District mom Desaray Granzow was among the crowd of teachers and parents who came to the Texas Capitol to tell lawmakers why they are against a school voucher system.
“You cannot have financial accountability of public dollars in a private school, because there is no accountability in a private school,” said Granzow.
As a mom of two daughters with disabilities, she is specifically focused on a private school's accountability to students with disabilities.
“You have to have the parents and families involved to make those positive changes. And Leander was willing to do it. It took a lot of work. I think where we are right now, we're light years ahead of where we used to be. We're seeing kids be diagnosed at a better rate,” she said.
Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, a sponsor of one voucher proposal, says lawmakers had students with disabilities in mind when crafting his bill that puts $1,500 into an educational savings account on top of the $10,000 to use at a private school.
“They'll make the best decision based on the opportunities that are out there, and if those opportunities aren't better than what the public school offers, they'll stay in the public school,” said Creighton.
The House proposal bases additional money for students with disabilities on what the state regularly spends on special education services in public schools — a number that can fluctuate depending on the classroom from $1,000 to $5,000. But Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath told the House Committee on Public Education that the state is already facing a $1.7 billion special education funding deficit.
If families can afford to send their student to a private school, some disability advocates say private schools may not be able to accommodate students.
“Private schools don't have to serve kids with disabilities. If they do, there may be additional costs,” said Jolene Sanders with the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities.
The average cost of a Texas private school for students with a disability is $20,000. According to the Texas Private Schools Association, 75% of all private schools serve students with disabilities and 50 schools serve special needs kids exclusively.
“That sounds like segregation to me,” said Sanders.
Laura Colangelo with the Texas Private Schools Association disagrees.
“They're not trying to keep them segregated. They're trying to meet their needs,” she said.
Private school supporters say private schools can provide extra help. Even though private schools aren’t required to follow the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, many create contract agreements with families before admitting them to schools.
“It means that they are being served in a different way. And the private school heads that I've talked to say that they actually have a pretty easy time hiring special education teachers because they are released from some of the federal bureaucracy,” said Colangelo.
The Senate approved its voucher bill out of the chamber, while the House has yet to assign its bill to a committee.
CORRECTION: This story previously claimed that the average cost of Texas private school is $20,000 for both students with and without disabilities. The video attached to this story also claimed the same. (Feb. 27, 2025)
