AUSTIN, Texas, May 24 (UPI) -- The Texas Legislature narrowly turned down efforts to institute a statewide school voucher program.
The state House of Representatives tabled one amendment regarding a voucher program on a 72-71 vote and another lost on a 72-72 vote Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported. A bill was revamped to make vouchers only available for public schools, but parliamentary action killed the bill for the session, the newspaper said.
The main issue was a pilot program that would have allowed some 30,000 students in high-poverty districts in Texas to qualify for vouchers.
"This is a proposal that would drain millions of dollars from public school budgets at a time we can't seem to come up with money for textbooks we've already promised to kids," said Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, the Chronicle reported.
A Legislative Budget Board estimated the schools districts affected by the two-year program would have lost a total $69 million a year.
