Grusendorf: Texas Is a School Choice Success Story – And a Blueprint For the Future

The education system in Texas will soon change drastically for the better, thanks to Governor Greg Abbott’s leadership and determination.

After years of political infighting, the 2025 legislative session finally granted Texas families academic freedom like never before. The law signed by Governor Abbot in May, aptly named the Texas Education Freedom Act, established universal education saving accounts (ESAs) for families statewide — a direct cash grant that can be put toward private school tuition, learning materials or education services.

This law will reshape the future of Texas education — putting power back in the hands of students and parents as intended by our Texas Constitution and giving kids the chance to pursue the academic pathway that’s right for them. Freedom in education has finally won the day. 

But as the Lone Star state stands on the precipice of this change, it’s critical to remember that we’ve been here before. As Governor Abbot mentioned in his 2025 State of the State: “Education Savings Accounts have already succeeded in Texas.” In 2020, he created a pilot ESA program to provide $1,500 in cash grants to families with special-needs students. Following the pilot’s incredible success, that program expanded in 2021 by a bipartisan supermajority vote, underscoring its impact.

To date, the Parent Directed Special Education Services (PDSES) program has provided over 160,000 Texas families with more than $225 million. Under the program, families receive a secure and easy-to-use digital wallet where they can access these funds, and a marketplace that allows them to select the products and services best suited for their child. This eliminates the burden on families of pulling together money they may not have to pay for these items, only to face a lengthy reimbursement process.

This program has been successful across the board – for eligible families who are able to access their funds and build a better future for their children; for policymakers, who wanted to create impactful change and a program free of fraud, waste and abuse; and for the public, who can rest assured that taxpayer dollars are safely spent on a program that matters. 

ESAs in Texas have made an incredible impact for the students they serve, and now it is time to ensure that all children who could benefit from additional education assistance, specialized schooling, or smaller class sizes are afforded the same opportunity. 

Governor Abbott’s effort to expand school choice — extending coverage to alternatives outside the traditional public school system — ensures that families get to choose the best educational future for their children. This law, which includes $1 billion in funding for the ESA program, represents a massive investment by the state in the next generation of Texas leaders. 

The PDSES program is proof that Texas can manage an ESA program successfully, and with great results. Now, we must replicate those results at a larger scale. By implementing the program effectively, Texas can become the national leader on what education reform should look like. The successful implementation of the Texas Education Freedom Act will serve as proof that ESAs work, and that when parents and students are given greater control over their own education, we get better outcomes.  

In short, what happens here in the Lone Star State could have ripple effects nationwide, inspiring lawmakers in other states to replicate our efforts. Success in Texas could mean greater educational freedom, innovation, and performance for the whole country.

Texas has a great responsibility on the horizon, but we also have proof in our past that we are up to the challenge. Not only do we need to deliver for Texans from all walks of life, but we must also set an example for our neighbors. The school choice revolution is in full swing. It’s time for Texas to lead the way.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by former state Rep. Kent Grusendorf of Arlington, Texas. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the author.

About Kent Grusendorf

Kent Grusendorf was elected to the Texas State Board of Education in 1982. Four years later he was elected to the Texas Legislature where he served for 20 years. In both political races he defeated an incumbent by running primarily on the issue of education reform. Once elected to the Texas House of Representatives, Speaker Gib Lewis appointed him to the House Public Education Committee, to the Legislative Education Board, and with consent of Governor Bill Clements, to the Governor’s Select Committee tasked to deal with the state’s very first court finding that the school finance system was unconstitutional –Edgewood I. He has been involved in each round of school finance litigation thereafter.

Grusendorf served on numerous other select committees over the years and served as chairman of the 29 member House Select Committee on School Finance, which was tasked to deal with the West Orange school finance decision in 2003. He also served on the Southern Regional Education Board’s Executive Committee, and served as chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Conference (ALEC) Education Task Force. During his last two sessions in the legislature, 2003 and 2005, he chaired the House Public Education Committee.

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