AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he will devote much of the Senate’s focus next year to education, including a parental rights bill, possibly eliminating tenure and opening up the Public University Fund to more state colleges.
Patrick laid out a roadmap for the Senate following a vote from a legislative board that sets limits on the state’s budget. With that in hand, Patrick said he felt comfortable outlining his priorities for the state Senate, where he holds near-ironclad control over what bills come up for a vote.
Education was one of several priorities he discussed during a media briefing at the Capitol on Wednesday. He also indicated support for cutting property taxes and using the Legislature to attract the construction of new natural gas power plants.
But his focus on education was notable for what he did not address directly: school vouchers.
Patrick has shown support for a system that would divert public education funds toward private schools. That is unpopular in rural Texas, where education options are often limited and communities’ identities are often enmeshed with their local public school system.
Patrick has said he might forward a voucher system for urban communities only. That would track with legislative priorities he said were greatly influenced by the recent 130-city tour of rural Texas he took to shore up the conservative vote during his reelection campaign.
Those voters delivered for him, and while Patrick said his priorities are not about politics, he wants to deliver for communities where he drew the greatest support.
“I’m laser beam focused on rural Texas not for political reasons,” he said. “I’m focused on it because rural Texas is the heart of who we are, and rural Texas has not been served as well. And sometimes we haven’t had enough money to do these things. But we now have the money.”
Clay Robison, spokesperson for the Texas State Teachers Association, noted while Patrick made no mention of vouchers or school choice Wednesday, he still expects it to be one of his top priorities.
“The fact that Dan Patrick didn’t mention it today does not mean we think he wouldn’t continue to push for it,” Robison said. “He’s made it pretty clear that vouchers will be a top priority.”
The TSTA opposes any form of school choice that “dips into taxpayer money for public schools,” including vouchers, education savings accounts and tax credit scholarships, Robison said.
While Patrick did not mention vouchers specifically, one priority to “empower parents by giving them a voice in their children’s education,” could be aimed in that direction. Patrick also said he would support a parental bill of rights, though it is unclear how that would take shape.
Patrick said his priorities are only “concepts” at this stage, but they should serve as a starting point for lawmakers as they prepare to head back to Austin on Jan. 10 for the next legislative session.
He focused much of his remarks on property tax relief and showed support for increasing homestead exemptions. But with a vote by the Legislative Budget Board on Wednesday to set a spending cap, lawmakers will have to temper their expectations on windfall tax cuts for homeowners.
Patrick made no mention of reducing the property tax impact on renters, who make up more than half the residents in parts of Dallas, according to a recent study.
Electric grid
While Patrick spent more time talking about property taxes and education, his most severe threat was related to the electric grid. Patrick said he wouldn’t allow lawmakers to leave Austin until significant state laws are passed that would encourage the construction of power plants fueled by natural gas.
The concept of new natural gas plants has become a panacea of sorts for fixing the problems with Texas’ power grid that led to its near collapse in February 2021 and blackouts that killed more than 200 Texans.
Failures at natural gas facilities contributed to those blackouts more than any other power sector in Texas, and in response to the deadly 2021 winter storm, lawmakers forced natural gas producers and power plants to undergo winter weatherization.
But the investment climate continues to heavily favor the construction of wind and solar power, which is less reliable than fossil fuel power plants because of their dependence on weather conditions. Patrick said the Legislature needs to “level the playing field.”
“Whether it is incentivizing them, whether it’s building them, whatever the plan is, I personally cannot see myself leaving this building knowing that another (winter storm) Uri can happen,” he said.
Patrick’s other priorities included:
- Education: Increasing teachers’ pay
- Higher education: Creating a new fund for state colleges not eligible for the Permanent University Fund, such as Texas Tech and the University of Houston, and possibly eliminating tenure
- Elections: Ensuring timely counting of votes and restoring some election crimes to felonies
- Border security: Funding Operation Lone Star until President Joe Biden leaves office and funds for rural law enforcement
- Taxes: Raising the homestead exemption to as much as $65,000.
- Much of Patrick’s education priorities, he said, were to counter the creeping liberal agenda in schools and higher education.
“We’re always pushing back on the left, which is always pushing forward seeing how much they can get away with before we say, ‘That’s enough,’” Patrick said.
He is extending that philosophy to tenure for college professors. The practice, designed to give college level academics a certain amount of freedom to teach content of their choosing, drew Patrick’s ire after the faculty council at the University of Texas at Austin approved a resolution defending educators’ right to teach critical race theory — an academic philosophy that has become a GOP straw man in debates over educational curriculum and diversity programs.
While some have said attacking tenure could make it harder for Texas universities to hire qualified educators, Patrick’s stance appears unchanged.
“If you’ve got that attitude — that you have no accountability to anyone, to any parent, any legislator and board of regents — well then maybe we can look at tenure,” he said. “They’ve just gotten a little out of control. Everybody knows it. Everybody’s afraid to say it. And I said, so here we are.”
Staff writer Meghan Mangrum contributed to this report.
