Texas Lawmakers Propose School Choice Plan

Tax credits would help students escape government schools

Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick on Wednesday set two explosive education issues on a collision course in the upcoming legislative session.

Inside a Catholic elementary school just blocks from the Texas Capitol, Patrick unveiled a broad, five-point education reform package that includes a plan for helping public school students attend private schools. The "tax-credit scholarship" would be paid for through donations from businesses that would in turn receive a partial tax credit from the state.

Patrick plans to link the controversial "school choice" element with changes to the state's testing and accountability system, an issue that has generated considerable political heat among parents and business interests. The bill hasn't yet been filed.