Statement for the Record by the Bush Institute’s Bush Institute’s Robin Berkley, the Ann Kimball Johnson director of education to the Acting Texas Comptroller regarding Education Savings Accounts

Thank you, Comptroller Hancock, for the opportunity to submit written testimony.

I commend the Texas Comptroller’s Office for taking the needed steps to ensure proper implementation of the Education Savings Account (ESA) program created through the proposed rules for Senate Bill 2, 89th(2) Session. The ESA program honors the rights of parents to choose the best education for their children’s unique needs. For ESAs to truly help families, parents need clear, useful information about the program and the quality of participating schools. We support the Texas Legislature’s requirement for annual assessments in grades 3–12 at participating schools. We urge the Comptroller to create rules that:

1. Make assessment data from schools easy for parents to find and understand,
2. Require schools to share clear details about how to enroll, requirements for admission, and how many spots are available by grade, and
3. Ensure information about the ESA program is clear, timely, and well-publicized.

The proposed ESA rules represent a positive step toward expanding educational opportunities for Texas families and helping the program to start strong. These suggested requirements will strengthen the program and support its long-term success for Texas students and families.

Thank you for the opportunity to offer comments, and we look forward to seeing the final rules in place.