The Texas Parental Empowerment Act of 2025 establishes a Parental Empowerment Program administered by the comptroller of public accounts, aimed at empowering parents to make educational decisions for their children. The program allows parents or legal guardians of eligible students to receive reimbursement for tuition paid to private schools, provided they agree to accept an amount less than the state average maintenance and operations expenditures per student. The reimbursement can be the lesser of the tuition paid or 80% of the state average. The bill emphasizes that private schools chosen by parents are not required to comply with state educational laws that were not in effect as of January 1, 2025.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions for the comptroller to adjust enrollment estimates for school districts based on information provided under the new program and mandates annual reporting on the number of eligible students likely to participate. The comptroller is also authorized to deduct a percentage from each reimbursement to cover administrative costs, with a cap on the deduction. The act is set to take effect on September 1, 2025, and includes specific rules to prevent fraud and ensure financial accountability within the program.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 48.266 (Education Code 48)