In a year marked by sweeping changes, Texas lawmakers have rewritten the playbook for public education, passing a series of laws that will reshape classrooms from the smallest towns to the state’s sprawling cities. The 2025 legislative session delivered both a much-needed funding boost for public schools and the introduction of a controversial school voucher program, all while layering in new rules on discipline, religious displays, and what books students can read. As the dust settles, communities—especially in rural Texas—are left to grapple with what these changes mean for their children, their teachers, and the very fabric of their towns.
At the heart of this transformation is House Bill 2, a landmark measure that injects $8.5 billion into public education over the next two years. According to The Texas Tribune, this is the largest investment in Texas schools in recent memory, aimed at reversing years of stagnant funding and offering a long-awaited lifeline to districts on the brink of financial ruin. For teachers, the bill brings hope in the form of significant pay raises: those with three to four years of experience in districts with 5,000 or fewer students will see a $4,000 bump, while veteran educators with five or more years will receive $8,000. In larger districts, the raises are $2,500 and $5,000, respectively. The Teacher Incentive Allotment program is also expanding, rewarding educators who make measurable improvements in student performance.
But it’s not just about salaries. The new law overhauls special education funding, tying it to the individual needs of students—a move that public education advocates hail as a more equitable approach. Districts will now receive $1,000 for each evaluation they conduct to assess a student for a disability. These targeted investments, however, come with strings attached. As one rural superintendent told Texas Monthly, "The House passed a good bill, but the Senate desecrated it," referencing the modest increase in per-student basic allotment, which remains the most flexible revenue stream for public schools.
While public schools celebrate the influx of cash, another major change looms on the horizon: the $1 billion school voucher program, funded through Senate Bill 2. This initiative will allow Texas families to use taxpayer dollars to pay for private schooling via education savings accounts (ESAs). Supporters, like Representative Joanne Shofner, argue that introducing market competition will "increase productivity and decrease cost." Mandy Drogin of the Texas Public Policy Foundation echoed this optimism, saying, "Parents want to be able to send their child to the school down the street and have them receive a high-quality, values-aligned education. If that’s what the public system is providing, then their children will continue at that school."
Yet, in rural communities—where public schools are often the heartbeat of the town and private options are scarce—the prospect of vouchers is far from universally welcomed. According to Texas Monthly, the Trans-Pecos region, roughly the size of South Carolina, had just two accredited private schools outside El Paso in 2022. For schools like Marathon ISD, which already face teacher shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and razor-thin budgets, the loss of even a handful of students (and the state funding that follows them) could be devastating. Arturo Alferez, interim superintendent of Marfa ISD, noted, "Our property values are going up, but we’re losing students, and that puts the district more and more in a hole."
The debate over vouchers is deeply personal for many families. Ariele Gentiles, a Marfa mother of three, found a lifeline for her autistic son at Wonder School Marfa, a small, unaccredited Montessori-style "microschool." While the new ESAs may help her family afford tuition, Gentiles remains conflicted: "It’s a very knotty thing to untangle as someone who wants to champion public education and sees the total value in it." Critics, like education researcher Joshua Cowen, warn that ESAs could drain resources from already underfunded public schools, subsidize tuition for those already in private schools, and distribute significant funds to wealthier families. Cowen described voucher results from other states as "catastrophic," citing learning losses on par with the impacts of COVID-19 and Hurricane Katrina.
Beyond funding, the 2025 session saw Texas lawmakers assert new controls over school culture and discipline. House Bill 1481 bans student use of personal wireless devices during school hours, a move supporters say will sharpen focus and reduce bullying. Critics, however, worry about students’ ability to contact parents or emergency services. Brian Woods of the Texas Association of School Administrators reassured parents, noting, "I don’t see that school safety is materially, negatively impacted by students not having access to their cell phones. In my experience, virtually every classroom has a phone in it, and also has an alternative method of contacting an office area in the school."
Religious expression in schools is also taking center stage. Senate Bill 10 requires every classroom to display a 16-by-20-inch poster of the Ten Commandments, provided the posters are privately donated. The law has sparked legal challenges, with the American Civil Liberties Union and parents filing suit, and oral arguments already underway in federal court. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 11 allows time for prayer or reading religious texts during the school day, provided there is parental consent and no public prayer over school speakers.
On the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Senate Bill 12 bans such programs in K-12 schools and prohibits consideration of race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation in hiring and training. The law also prevents schools from sponsoring clubs based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Supporters say it empowers parents to decide what programs their children join, while critics argue it targets marginalized groups and could harm students’ sense of belonging and mental health. Lawsuits challenging the DEI ban are already in motion.
Library books are also under scrutiny. Senate Bill 13 allows parents and school boards to challenge library materials and establish advisory councils if enough parents petition. The law bans materials deemed "indecent or profane," raising fears among advocates that it will lead to the removal of books on sexuality and gender identity. Texas banned 540 books in the 2023–24 school year, according to PEN America.
Discipline policies are shifting as well. House Bill 6 expands when schools can issue out-of-school suspensions—even for the youngest and homeless students—and extends the duration of in-school suspensions. Alternative education programs can now be delivered remotely, a practice linked to learning loss during the pandemic. Lawmakers insist these measures will protect classrooms and maintain order, but critics caution that more punitive approaches may not address the root causes of disruptive behavior.
For rural communities, these changes come as both a relief and a challenge. Schools remain the social and economic backbone of towns like Marathon and Marfa, where educators often wear many hats—from teaching to driving the bus to organizing community dinners. As veteran superintendent Ivonne Durant put it, "Here, for the first time, I found the true meaning of ‘from the boardroom to the classroom.’" The new funding offers some breathing room, but as the state embarks on an ambitious experiment in parallel public and private education systems, many wonder how long the good times will last.
There’s no question that Texas schools are entering uncharted territory. Whether these sweeping reforms will strengthen public education or erode it remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the future of Texas classrooms will be shaped as much by the communities that rally around them as by the lawmakers in Austin.
