Across Texas, public school districts are facing budget cuts and declining student enrollment. A major proponent of these issues is money reallocation to the newly established voucher system that was passed in May 2025.
Formally known as the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the voucher system set aside $1 billion from the funding intended for public schools to give lower-income families the opportunity to send their children to a private school of their choice. The program opened for applications in February 2026.
While the intention may have been to help lower, middle class income families, 75% of families that applied to the program were already enrolled in private schools– indicating that most people interested in the program, already have the funds to send their children to private school, according to The Texas Tribune.
Districts across the state are already facing financial issues due to inflation, and with the voucher system, schools are being forced to close, staff are being fired or redistributed, and programs are shrinking or disappearing entirely.
According to the Texas State Teachers Association, Texas spent an average of $13,189 per student in public school during the 2024–2025 school year. That may seem like a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to the national average of $18,853 per student.
Texas is implementing a voucher system that diverts $1 billion from an already tight budget for thousands of public schools across the state. In doing so, Texas is forcing school districts to take preemptive measures to prevent financial deficits brought on by the remnants of post-pandemic inflation.
In an effort to minimize these deficits, Hays ISD, located outside of Austin and serving the Buda, Kyle, and San Marcos communities, approved $12.5 million in budget cuts, which includes cutting fine arts programs and teacher stipends, along with laying off educators, according to Kut News.
Many students who attend school look forward to their elective classes, however, despite the class fees that parents pay for their students, some districts are being forced to shut down those programs entirely because there is not enough money to go around. Even worse, some districts are closing schools in order to minimize deficits in their budgets.
Regardless of the protests from parents and students, Split Fort Bend ISD is expected to close seven elementary schools due to declining enrollment and budget concerns, according to Houston Public Media.
Students will be relocated to other schools and separated from their friends, which could negatively impact mental health and emotional development. If these trends continue to escalate, more public schools across Texas may have to close or cut programs that allow students to explore their interests and find community.
Similarly, Austin ISD is already confirmed to have school closures along with the possibility of cut programs, decreased staff and staff pay, and administrative positions, according to a message sent by superintendent, Matias Segura. Projections for the 2027-2028 school year reveal a $181 million budget shortfall, according to KVUE abc.
As for Conroe ISD, the district is cutting costs to prevent cutting staff, closing schools and falling into an $8 million deficit, according to The Courier. According to the article, cuts will be made by eliminating the Community in Schools program, instructional coaching positions, and other programs with low enrollment throughout the district. Unlike other districts, Conroe plans to open three schools, so they do not anticipate teacher layoffs at this time. Teachers will have options to apply for other jobs in the district if they are no longer needed at their original campus.
These are just a few examples of districts making significant cuts in the state.
Texas public schools are struggling to stay afloat because of an insufficient budget. With the addition of the voucher program, precious funds are siphoned away from public schools and into private schools, where education laws have no jurisdiction.
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