(The Texas Tribune) The comptroller’s office started notifying parents on April 22 about whether they can participate in Texas’ voucher program.
More than 42,600 students will receive award notices through April 24, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said in a statement. The first awardees include children with disabilities — and their siblings — whose families make up to 500% of the federal poverty level, which is $165,000 per year or less for a family of four.
The comptroller’s office, which manages the program, will conduct a lottery during the week of April 27 to determine which students in the second-priority tier — families at or below 200% of the poverty level, or $66,000 or less for a family of four — will receive award notices.
State leaders previously said they expect Texas to have the largest launch of education savings accounts, or ESAs, in the nation, with about 100,000 children using them. Those applicants not receiving the ESAs, which families can use for private schooling or other educational costs, go on a waitlist.
Of the first batch of students invited to join the program, 42% are white, and more than half come from families considered low-income, according to the state’s data. Meanwhile, 53% previously attended a public school.
However, the numbers do not yet reflect who will actually participate in the program. Students are not accepted into the ESA program until their enrollment in a private school is confirmed, which families must complete by July 15. Families can also use the funds for home schooling.
The Texas comptroller’s office will conduct a lottery the week of April 27 to determine which additional families can receive education savings accounts.