Texas School Choice on the Brink

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants his state to quit falling behind on school choice, and last month when he called a 30-day special legislative session on education freedom, he promised to convene another one if lawmakers failed to act. Now he should be ready to keep his word, given the lack of progress in the House, with one day of session remaining.

A breakthrough came last week when Mr. Abbott said he’d reached a deal with House Speaker Dad Phelan on a bill to establish education savings accounts, or ESAs, for families who want options outside of public schools. The universal program would be open to any K-12 student, and it would provide about $10,500 to each. That’s more generous than the $8,000 ESA package passed by the state Senate earlier in the session.