Texas has finalized rules for its private school voucher program, clarifying funding for preschoolers and setting application dates, affecting thousands of families.
AUSTIN, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Texas Tribune. Read the original article here.
Texas’ chief financial officer on Tuesday finalized rules for the state’s private school voucher program, aiming to clear up confusion about funding for pre-kindergarten students and set official dates for schools and families to apply.
Private schools and vendors who currently participate in an existing state program for students with disabilities can apply on Dec. 9, while applications for nonparticipants are set to open shortly after.
The state will then allow families to start applying on Feb. 4, the date Texas’ finance chief and Odyssey — the technology company helping administer the program — had agreed upon in their contract.
Most families will receive about $10,300 in state funds for each student participating in the program, which they can then use to pay for educational expenses or tuition at the private schools approved by the comptroller’s office. Home-schoolers are eligible for $2,000, while students with disabilities could receive up to $30,000.
The office also cleared up a discrepancy between the draft rules it released earlier this year and the state law creating the voucher program. It had proposed that children attending private preschool programs only receive $2,000 — the amount for home-schoolers — and not the more than $10,000 that lawmakers said they intended for all other students. The finalized rules make clear that preschoolers are eligible for the full amount.
This is a developing story; check back for details.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.