Texas – Texas Governor Greg Abbott is keeping observers in suspense about his next move regarding the state’s education policy, following a deadlock in the legislature’s special session. His comments came after an adventurous skydiving experience with a 106-year-old World War II veteran.
Governor Abbott’s response to questions about calling a fifth special session or pushing his school choice plan was succinct yet intriguing. “Stay tuned,” he said after skydiving with Al Blaschke, a centenarian WWII veteran, near San Marcos. This remark came in the wake of the fourth special session, which is currently at an impasse.
Earlier this month, the Texas House voted to eliminate taxpayer-financed education savings accounts from a significant bill. This decision has led to a standstill, with the Republican majority in the chamber contemplating their next steps. According to a CBS News Texas report on Monday, lawmakers are considering their options carefully.
The House faces the choice of considering two bills already approved by the Senate. The first bill approves education savings accounts, while the second provides additional funding for schools and raises for teachers. However, the House has yet to take decisive action, as indicated by Speaker Dade Phelan, who adjourned the session until Friday afternoon. The Senate, which briefly convened earlier in the day, plans to reconvene on Thursday morning.
Governor Abbott previously stated his intent to call lawmakers back to the Capitol in the coming months if any education bill passed without including taxpayer subsidies for private school attendance. However, he has not reiterated this stance recently.
Dr. Joshua Blank, Research Director at the Texas Politics Project at UT Austin, opined on the situation. He suggested that the best course for Governor Abbott might be to step back and shift the focus to other actors. “At this point for Abbott, the best thing to do honestly would be to exit the field and to point fingers at other actors. So, if Abbott continues to push on this into the next year, ultimately it starts to make him look weak as a governor, because he’s repeatedly showing that this is actually not something that he can accomplish,” Blank said.
In a move reflecting his position, Abbott last week endorsed the re-election campaigns of 58 House Republicans who voted to keep education savings accounts in the bill. However, he stopped short of supporting the 21 Republicans who voted against the ESAs, nor has he endorsed their primary challengers.
The current session is scheduled to end on December 7, leaving the fate of Texas’ education policy in a state of uncertainty.
