Texas Education Freedom Accounts began funding participating students for the 2026–2027 school year. The state program provides money for approved private-school tuition and other eligible educational expenses, with different awards and participation rules for different students. In August, the Comptroller reported that more than 100,000 students were receiving funding and that more than 100,000 additional students remained on the waitlist. Demand shows that many families want the program, but it does not by itself establish academic results, access in every community or the appropriate level of public spending. Expanding funding could reach additional families; maintaining the budget would allow more time to assess the first year. Narrower eligibility could concentrate support on students with greater financial or educational needs, while opponents of the program favor using the money within public education. The next funding decision belongs to state policymakers through the appropriations process. This poll asks what principle should guide that decision. It does not assume a particular expansion bill has passed or that every waitlisted family would receive the same award. A school that works for one child may not work for another. Families on a waiting list deserve an understandable answer, and taxpayers deserve more than a count of applications. I would like the next budget discussion to show who can actually use these accounts, what they pay for and what the first year teaches us.
What should determine the next funding decision for Texas Education Freedom Accounts?