With early voting under way, The Dallas Morning News compared what Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, and Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin would do on public education. The piece, republished Oct. 19 by the Victoria Advocate, shows a sharp divide on school choice and a surprising overlap on testing.
Abbott's priorities. The governor championed the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which he signed into law last year and which let families use public dollars for private school for the first time. He points to his record of raising teacher pay, though the article gave no new figures. Abbott named eliminating the STAAR test as a 2025 priority and wants to limit laptop and tablet use in classrooms in favor of physical materials, handwriting and direct instruction. His campaign site calls for a law requiring districts to spend at least 70% of funds in the classroom, and in August he asked Comptroller Don Huffines to examine spending at four school districts. Abbott also proposes tougher penalties, including sex offender registration and at least 10 years in prison without parole, for school staff convicted of improper relationships with students, and he wants public universities to offer three-year bachelor's degrees and discounted summer tuition of $500 for one to five credit hours and $1,000 for six or more.
Hinojosa's priorities. The Democratic nominee wants to end the voucher program, arguing that it mainly benefits wealthier families and those already in private school. She also wants to end STAAR and replace the A-F school rating system, which relies heavily on STAAR scores, with a better measure. She would end state takeovers of school districts — eight Texas districts are currently under state control — and replace Education Commissioner Mike Morath with someone who has more classroom teaching experience. She would also audit and end contracts with vendors serving districts, redirecting the savings to teacher pay.
Where the money stands. The article did not give either candidate a specific new funding figure. As background, it notes that lawmakers raised the per-student base allotment by $55 in 2025, the first increase since 2019, adding about $8.5 billion; roughly half of that goes to teacher retention raises. District officials say inflation-adjusted funding would have added about $1,300 per student. A 2025 law already replaces the end-of-year STAAR with three smaller exams beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
Why it matters to Texas readers. For Christian families and others who have long sought alternatives to a one-size-fits-all system, the voucher question is the sharpest difference on the ballot. Public school parents and teachers, meanwhile, will hear very different promises on funding, testing and state oversight. The most useful thing a voter can do is read each candidate's actual plan rather than a campaign ad.
Open questions: neither campaign's specific dollar figures for new school funding were included in the source article, and we have not independently verified the candidates' campaign-site language beyond the Morning News report.