School Funding

John Cornyn (R)

Cornyn has voted for Title I and IDEA appropriations every cycle and supports increased Pell Grant funding while opposing the Biden-era student-loan-forgiveness executive orders. He co-sponsored expanded 529 plans for K-12 expenses, federal school-choice tax credits, and the Educational Choice for Children Act, and supports the Trump administration's school-choice priority though he has not signed onto the most aggressive federal preemption proposals. He has opposed eliminating the Department of Education while supporting significant restructuring of its civil-rights and student-loan functions. He has championed full IDEA funding — an unfulfilled 40% federal commitment dating to 1975. He treats school-funding policy as primarily a state-level question, citing federalism limits.

Ken Paxton (R)

Paxton issued the 2023 AG opinion declaring Texas school vouchers and Education Savings Accounts constitutional, holding that Blaine Amendments excluding religious schools violate the First Amendment. He called Texas's $1B voucher law 'a historic step in ensuring that students will have the freedom to seek the educational option that is right for them.' In 2024 he sued seven school districts (including Denton, Frisco, Denison) alleging principals and superintendents illegally electioneered against pro-voucher candidates. In Jan. 2026 he opined that the Comptroller can block voucher schools 'illegally tied to terrorists or foreign adversaries,' leading to exclusion of CAIR-affiliated Islamic schools and a lawsuit. Trump's endorsement specifically lists 'Promote School Choice' among Paxton's commitments.

School Funding

John Cornyn (R)

Ken Paxton (R)

Sources