AUSTIN, Texas – Texas will implement a $1 billion school voucher program, one of the largest in the country, that uses public dollars to fund private school tuition under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed Saturday, capping off a yearslong effort by Republicans.

School voucher supporters have long targeted the state, where past efforts buckled for decades against resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans. Last month President Donald Trump called lawmakers before a key vote needed to finally get the bill to Abbott’s desk.

Texas joins more than 30 other states that have implemented a similar program, of which about a dozen have launched or expanded their programs in recent years to make most students eligible.

School vouchers have been Abbott’s primary focus this year, coming off a 2024 election cycle in which he led a campaign to oust GOP lawmakers who voted against a similar bill last session.

Republican lawmakers and bill supporters say it will give parents more choice by letting them pull their children out of poor-performing public schools.

“Gone are the days that families are limited to only the schools assigned by government,” Abbott said before signing the bill at the governor’s mansion. “The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child.”

Democrats and Republicans in rural districts have criticized the program, saying it will drain financial resources from Texas’ more than 5 million public school students and subsidize the private education of wealthy families.

Beginning next school year, Texas families can receive $10,000 per year to help pay for students’ private school tuition. Children with disabilities can qualify for as much as $30,000 a year. The program will be capped at $1 billion for the first year and cover up to 90,000 students but could cost up to $4.5 billion a year by 2030.

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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.