What changes will Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa bring to Texas schools?

Well, Texas is getting a new governor, and that could mean changes to public education. Governor-elect Greg Abbott has promised to make major changes to Texas education, including school vouchers, also state takeovers of public school districts. So we have Jillian Hartman here, and just telling us what that could mean for Texas schools and families, because that's a big question now, Jillian. Yeah, that's really one of the biggest questions, is what will happen with the school voucher programs here in Texas. So I spoke with a private school operator here in Houston. And he tells me that his enrollment at his school actually went up 200% since this program was launched. So he supports the program, and he shared with us how it's helping a local family. And he also mentioned what could happen if this program changes. Particularly, I think about one kid, I won't say his name, but he's nonverbal. And he's probably at a kindergartner's first grader level on education, even though he's a lot older. Um... And it just wasn't working for him where he was. His mama was wondering if he was ever gonna learn anything. And just the joy that she's had that her baby is actually learning. And she's been able to afford something that can fit her budget via TEFA. So that's my joy out of it is the change in You know, changing the families in there in there. In their lives because of TEFA school choice gave parents and some private school teachers resources to be able to service more students. But the world is not going to end if school choice ends, it's just going to be a lot of scratching heads. Did we chop something for partisan reasons? The reasons that we did we chop it. Because it was ineffective. The Texas Education Freedom Accounts Program allows eligible families to use state funding for approved educational expenses, including private school tuition and homeschooling. The program launched this school year after lawmakers approved it in 2025. According to the Texas Comptroller's Office, more than 118,000 students had active awards as of August 28th. The state set aside $1 billion for this program. I am not a proponent of this voucher program. I argued against it vigorously on the floor of the Senate. This is a state subsidizing of a private industry that was doing just I'm just fine without it. And as we've seen most Parents with children who are utilizing the voucher already had their kids in private school already. So we are at least subsidizing something that was already occurring. Or at worst, we are incentivizing, inducing a market that we didn't intend and will not serve our children well. So I am not a fan of this policy. However, it is a policy that has passed the Texas legislature and it is the law. So as the comptroller, I will implement it because it is the law. But as the comptroller, my job is to vigorously follow the money and report back to the legislature if their investment is not panning out. And the legislature very clearly spoke its legislative intention that this create more choice for families. And that it predominantly go to low income families and especially families that had children with disabilities. I believe that we are seeing that that is not the case. And that needs to be brought back to the legislature for their review. So Jillian, what did the Governor-elect say when it comes to the state takeovers at the local schools? Well, it's no secret that she wants to make changes at the Texas Education Agency. So she said day one, she wants to fire the commissioner, replace him with an educator. She also talked about how she wants to end state takeovers at local schools, at public schools. So she wants to return control to the local communities, but we know that she could face challenges under current state law. So we'll have to wait to see what happens. All right, Jillian, thank you.