School Funding

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.

James Talarico (D)

Talarico led the Texas House fight against Abbott's voucher program and his colleagues selected him to lead that opposition. His Senate priorities include rejecting 'voucher scams being pushed by billionaire mega-donors that defund public schools to subsidize private education for the wealthiest Americans.' He wants universal Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, expanded Head Start, the Teacher Quality Partnership and TEACH grants, and protection of federal special-education oversight. In Austin he helped invest $6.5B into public schools for teacher pay, literacy and math initiatives, and capped Pre-K class sizes at 22 students. He has personally targeted billionaires Tim Dunn, Farris Wilks, and Betsy DeVos as the financial backers of the voucher movement.

School Funding

Ken Paxton (R)

James Talarico (D)

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