Texas State Sen. Paul Bettencourt congratulated fellow State Sen. Brandon Creighton on finally getting school choice SB1 approved by the Senate and moved on to the House. In a statement, Bettencourt praised SB1, calling it "by far the best universal school choice bill that we’ve passed out of the Senate."

The Texas Senate approved SB1 on Oct. 13th. This bill would allow parents and their children to switch schools to where they feel is the best environment for their child's learning. Under SB1, $500 million in general revenue would be used to create more than 60,000 education savings accounts worth $8,000 each. Parents could then use these accounts to pay for their child's new schooling. The majority of these funds would be reserved for low or middle-class individuals, providing them with opportunities they may not have otherwise been granted.

In addition to SB1, there is also SB2, another bill aimed at improving education in Texas. If passed in the House, SB2 would distribute higher pay to teachers, with the goal of increasing teacher retention rates, particularly in small rural areas where teachers are often paid significantly less than their counterparts in larger cities. This bill would result in a 30 percent total increase in state public education funding this session.

Bettencourt School Choice post | Bettencourt Platform X

Creighton, who proposed both SB1 and SB2, is from Conroe, Texas. He obtained his law degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law and currently serves as the Senator for District 4. In addition to education, Creighton has worked on reforming areas such as property tax relief, transportation infrastructure, and border security.

Bettencourt, who congratulated Creighton on the approval of SB1, has also been instrumental in passing important legislation. He has focused on reducing property taxes and played a key role in passing the Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act in 2019. Bettencourt serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government and is a member of the Finance, Education, and Criminal Justice Committees. He has been the Representative for District 15 since 2015.

With SB1 now moving to the House, supporters of school choice in Texas are hopeful that the bill will continue to gain traction and ultimately become law.