United ISD official warns Texas voucher law could drain public-school funding

Rebecca Cos Morales, associate superintendent for district administration and student services at United Independent School District, told the Laredo Commission for Women at its June meeting that a recently enacted state voucher law will take effect in September 2025 and the voucher program will begin in the 2026–27 school year.

Cos Morales described key features of the law and raised local concerns about funding, special-education services and district capacity. "It was enacted on May," she said, adding that "it does take effect September 2025" and that the state set a per-student payment of $10,000. She said the law allows up to $30,000 for students with special needs and $2,000 for homeschool or tutoring expenses.

Why it matters: Cos Morales warned the program could divert public dollars and cause enrollment declines that translate into reduced state funding for United ISD and nearby districts. "A loss of even a 100, a couple of 100 students translates into millions in lost revenue," she said, citing United ISD's recent shortfall of about 500 students this year and estimating that loss equated to roughly $5 million for the district.

Program details and priorities: Under the law, Cos Morales said, eligibility covers Texas school-age children, including students already enrolled in private schools and homeschoolers, but requires U.S. citizenship. She described a tiered priority for voucher awards: first priority to students with disabilities, then families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (about $64,300 for a family of four, as she summarized), then higher-income tiers. Cos Morales emphasized that private schools retain discretion to accept or reject students: "The private school can choose to say no. No. We're not taking these students," she said.

Special education and accountability: Cos Morales said public districts remain responsible for providing special-education assessments and some services for eligible students who attend private schools using vouchers, but districts would not receive average-daily-attendance funding for those students. "We get 0 ADA for them," she said. She also flagged that private schools participating in the program are not held to the same teacher-certification requirements as public schools and that the law allows participating private schools to avoid state testing requirements for voucher students.

Fiscal and operational impacts: Cos Morales listed several local risks: reduced state revenue tied to declining enrollment, strain on teacher workforce and pension systems, and pressure to cut specialized programming such as counseling, bilingual services or dual-enrollment offerings. She said United ISD has begun local responses including stepped-up public relations, a "United in Service" customer-service initiative and conservative budgeting scenarios to prepare for potential enrollment declines.

Oversight and fraud concerns: Drawing on research about voucher programs in other states, Cos Morales warned of limited oversight and instances of misuse elsewhere. She said details on how large per‑student sums for special‑education services would be monitored remain unclear and that the 2025–26 year will be used to clarify implementation details.

Local context and capacity: Cos Morales told commissioners that United ISD serves about 40,000 students and Laredo ISD about 20,000, and she questioned whether local private schools have the capacity to absorb large numbers of public-school students. She noted a statutory requirement that private schools must have operated for at least two years to qualify for vouchers, which she said provides some time before new providers could take advantage of the program.

Meeting outcome: The presentation was informational; no formal action was taken by the commission. Commissioners and community members asked questions about special-education assessments, budget deficits, and how returning students are counted; Cos Morales said returning students typically generate only a small payment to the district (she cited about $613) compared with the $10,000 the private school receives for the student.

The commission scheduled no immediate action on the topic; its next meeting is set for August 2025.