Gov.-elect Hinojosa wants to shutter the state’s school voucher plan. Can she?

Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan is expected to be a major topic in the upcoming legislative session, especially after Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa has been outspoken about ending it.

The governor alone cannot do that, and the path forward runs through the Legislature.

“We will work tirelessly to undo the damage of the Texas voucher scam,” Hinojosa said in her acceptance speech on Election Day.

The change comes a year after around 110,000 Texas students started using school vouchers, paying under the program backed by Abbott.

Austin Bussing, an assistant professor of political science at Trinity University, said administration changes are the most immediate win for the incoming governor. Hinojosa said her first order of business will be firing Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath.

“I think the important question is, who will then take the place of Morath?” Bussing said. “The governor can’t sort of unilaterally place somebody in that position because that’s going to be subject to Senate confirmation.”

Bussing said Texas keeping the Senate’s Republican majority could be the biggest roadblock to legislation favoring Democrats, but also said her bipartisan team to transition into the governor’s mansion could help.

However, some Republicans in rural areas have opposed vouchers. Bussing said it could come down to some key Senate Republicans on the issue.

What can the governor do?

“The powers of the governor in Texas state government, they don’t have the power to introduce a bill into the legislature,” Bussing said. “So she can, sort of through rhetoric and speeches, try to establish an agenda of things that were important in the campaign and things that she’s politically committed to.”

The governor does have other pathways. She can veto a specific line item in the budget without vetoing the entire budget, or call a special session specifically on eliminating vouchers. Gov. Abbott did the latter to pass them in the first place.

Role of a new comptroller

The voucher fund of a billion dollars, will also come under new oversight. State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat, is replacing longtime Republican Comptroller Don Huffines.

“They could make that data public, which is something that Huffines has refused to do,” Bussing said.

In a statement to KSAT, Eckhardt’s team said that while she cannot change the law, she is committed to a strict audit.

“The Comptroller’s office does not have the authority to make or change the law. It will be up to the Legislature whether to continue funding the program, at what level, and whether to deliberate any additional changes to the program,” a spokesperson for Eckhardt said. “The Comptroller-elect is committed to following the law, providing information about the program as required and conducting a thorough audit to ensure maximal transparency for Texans and their representatives.”

What remains unclear is what happens to the 110,000 children attending private school with tax dollars if the program is unwound.

Read also:

• Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa outlines education priorities, vows to review school voucher program
• Parents of students with disabilities should plan their school voucher application now, experts say