Pillow said there is no deadline for schools or vendors to apply to receive TEFA money, so the list is growing every day. <\/p>\n
The voucher-like program could also grow from $1 billion \u2014 already the most expensive such program to launch in the United States \u2014 to much more in the future, as officials analyze how many families apply, what kind of students they are and how much each student is awarded.<\/p>\n
School voucher-like programs have also been launched in Arizona and Florida.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time Texas has awarded taxpayer dollars for families to use on education, launching a much smaller version of the program years ago for students with disabilities who had to be homeschooled that awarded participants $1,500.<\/p>\n
It may be the largest vouchers debut, however, since Texas is using universal eligibility on Day One, compared to a state like Florida, which first launched its program 25 years ago to support low-income students, later creating a program for students with disabilities in 2014 and finally moving to universal eligibility in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a sense of urgency,\u201d said Inga Cotton, head of the School Discovery Network, a local group who promotes school choice and helps families find the right education fit for their children. Once the portal closes in March, families will have to wait until next year to apply, \u201craising the stakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to apply for a TEFA?<\/p>\n
Undocumented children in Texas are not eligible to apply for a TEFA, but applications are open to everyone else. <\/p>\n
To apply<\/a>, families will need<\/a> proof of their child\u2019s legal status, a tax return form from 2024 or 2025 and proof of residency. <\/p>\n While families are expected to get $10,000 per student on average, special education students could receive up to $30,000. For prioritization purposes, families with special needs kids also need to submit a disability certification form<\/a> signed by a licensed professional. <\/p>\n TEFA amounts are based on the school district a family lives in, equaling 85% of how much money that school districts get on average per student.<\/p>\n For additional funding, applicants also need to submit official individualized education plans, which are created after a local school district or charter school tests a child for special needs. <\/p>\n Pre-K eligibility is much narrower<\/a>, following the same criteria Texas uses to determine whether a child is eligible for free preschool. Homeschooling families and families who enroll students in non-accredited private schools can receive $2,000. <\/p>\n TEFA awards are not on a first-come, first-serve basis, said Pillow, who oversaw similar work for the voucher program in Florida. <\/p>\n \u201cWe might see day one enthusiasm, but children will be treated the same,\u201d he said. As long as applications are in before midnight on March 17, \u201ctiming of when you submit your application won\u2019t affect priority.\u201d <\/p>\n There is no deadline for private schools or vendors to get on the list.<\/p>\n Private school participation hinges on being an accredited school under the Texas Private School Accreditation Committee, being a \u201cproven\u201d operator that\u2019s successfully run a campus two years that administers a standardized test.<\/p>\n As for vendors and education services, the state already fast-tracked about 200 vendors who were participating in the Parent-Directed Special Education Services Program<\/a>, a one-time $1,500 online grant for parents\u2019 and guardians\u2019 special education student enrolled in a Texas public school.<\/p>\n Families will be notified of their award in early April getting at least a quarter of the funding by July 1, half of the money by October, and the rest by April of 2027. <\/p>\n Pillow said the TEFA portal were made to be as user friendly as possible: applications are available in Spanish, the site is working in partnership with other state agencies to verify documents quickly. The state comptroller\u2019s office is currently undergoing \u201crobust\u201d testing to \u201cmeet Texas-sized demand.\u201d<\/p>\n Effect on public education<\/p>\n The road to establish a school voucher program in Texas was long and hard-fought. Before passing through the regular 2025 Texas Legislature, Democrats and rural Republicans in the House routinely killed voucher efforts, an issue championed by Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a> in the last few years.<\/p>\n In 2023, Abbott withheld additional public schools funds when lawmakers didn\u2019t pass vouchers. He also campaigned hard against Republicans who opposed vouchers.<\/p>\n It was only until last year that vouchers had enough votes to get through the House and were passed and signed into law by Abbott before he signed off on a public school funding bill.<\/p>\n Now a reality, TEFAs are likely to keep getting scrutiny from state Democrats and public school supporters.<\/p>\n On Monday, the public education advocacy group Our School Our Democracy launched the Texas Center for Voucher Transparency<\/a> as a \u201ccentral, public-facing hub for research and data, policy recommendations, and a confidential system for Texans to report concerns\u201d about the new program.<\/p>\n Voucher opponents predict that the program will take students away from traditional public schools, several of which are in financial pinches as student enrollment drops and costs keep going up. <\/p>\n In Texas, public school funding is based on average daily attendance. Public school supporters also say the state has not funded schools at the rate it should to keep up with inflation \u2014 base per-pupil funding only increased by $55 last year. <\/p>\n Most San Antonio schools districts are in multimillion budget deficits and are bracing for the surge in competition for students. <\/p>\n Last year, Northside ISD, the largest local district, announced it would open its boundaries to all students in the greater San Antonio area. At the time, Superintendent John Craft said the move was in direct response<\/a> to the passage of school vouchers. <\/p>\n Other districts are dealing with the budget woes by closing<\/a> under-enrolled campuses are putting more emphasis on \u201cchoice programs\u201d or magnet schools hoping to pad enrollment. <\/p>\n Anti-voucher voices also worry about accountability standards. Unlike public schools, private schools are not required to accept all students regardless of background and aren\u2019t required to issue state exams.<\/p>\n School districts are also required to perform special needs assessments for students upon parents\u2019 requests, whether they\u2019re enrolled at the district or not. This is the only way to get an approved individualized education plan needed to get more TEFA funding for special ed students.<\/p>\n \u201cI went through this process with my own son, and I always got the feeling that the ISDS were stretched, like it\u2019s hard to find qualified people to do those evaluations,\u201d said Cotton, a mother of two.<\/p>\n Concerns over voucher implementation<\/p>\n While state officials are confident in the new program, concerns remain from anti and pro voucher voices alike.<\/p>\n Cotton, a longtime supporter of school choice, is worried about an \u201cunequal distribution of information.\u201d<\/p>\n She thinks that families who may need TEFAs the most \u2014 low-income households with disabilities \u2014 may not be aware of the new program, whereas families already in private school would be most likely \u201cin the know\u201d and may benefit more.<\/p>\n In fact, several private schools opting into vouchers are already communicating with parents, guiding them through the application process and preparing to see at least a small increase in students. <\/p>\n During a recent school fair put on by School Discovery Network, officials said there were more private schools present than ever before. The group has a waitlist for their next event in March.<\/p>\n Previously called the San Antonio Charter Moms, the School Discovery Network rebranded<\/a> last year in part because of school vouchers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew it wasn\u2019t enough just to talk about charter schools anymore, that the private schools were going to become an important section of what we covered,\u201d Cotton said during a Jan. 24 event with dozens of private and charter schools present.<\/p>\n Cotton is also concerned about TEFA\u2019s priority system. Families who enroll in the TEFA program but later drop out or move out of the state would be the least prioritized group if they re-apply, which could be a problem for military families forced to constantly move. <\/p>\n Still, Cotton says she\u2019s enthusiastic about the program and what it could mean for families with special needs students in particular. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is the biggest change in education since we founded the [School Discovery Network] in 2012,\u201d Cotton said.<\/p>\n What vouchers mean in San Antonio<\/p>\n San Antonio has a long history with voucher-like experiments<\/a>. It\u2019s here where local businessman turned policy leader James Leininger started the Horizon Scholarship program for poor San Antonio students to attend private schools in the 1990s. The controversial initiative only lasted a few years, leaving mixed results and bitter feelings among public school advocates.<\/p>\n School vouchers would go on to become Leininger\u2019s white whale as he co-founded the Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank with heavy lobbying power.<\/p>\n Vouchers could also mean a stronger Catholic school system in San Antonio, affected by under-enrollment in recent years leading to a handful of closures. Last year, the Archdiocese of San Antonio announced<\/a> all of its private schools could opt into the voucher program.<\/p>\n Currently, there are 9,000 students enrolled at schools across more than 30 schools in the San Antonio diocese, a number that could increase by the next school cycle.<\/p>\n Vouchers also mean an influx of new schools and service providers moving into Texas.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Brenda-Bazan-christian-school-greg-abbott-dustin-burrows-vouchers-protest.jpg\")
A group of protestors gathered across the street from a pro-school voucher event featuring Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dustin Burrows in February 2025. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/brenda-bazan-greg-abbott-cornerstone-cristian-school-choice-10.jpg\")
Texas Governor Greg Abbott at the Parent Matter Tailgate at Cornerstone Christian School in 2023. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PrimerMicroschools_SchoolVouchers_Tuition_K-8Education_03_01.13.2026_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
The former Montessori school that will be undergoing renovations for a new Primer Microschool located at 6506 W Hausman Rd. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n