Texas Comptroller Don Huffines wants legislators to double the state's school voucher program to $2 billion, a move that could pull more funding from Clear Creek ISD.
Huffines asked lawmakers on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to expand Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) to clear a waitlist of more than 100,000 students, Houston Public Media reported. The Legislature allocated $1 billion for the program's first year. The comptroller's office is now seeking nearly $1 billion more to serve waitlisted families, plus $82 million for newly eligible siblings and $200 million for students expected to file special education documentation.
The program received more than 270,000 applications in its inaugural year. Of those, 248,000 were deemed eligible, far exceeding capacity. About 85,000 students confirmed enrollment for the 2026-27 school year.
Travis Pillow, a TEFA spokesperson, told lawmakers the waitlist is "the longest school choice waitlist in the country."
What it means locally
CCISD is already losing students and money. The district reported 38,780 enrolled students for 2025-26, down from 39,684 the year before and a peak of 42,388 in 2019-20, according to Texas Education Agency data cited by Houston Public Media.
Chief Financial Officer Alice Benzaia told the board that a $16 million drop in state and local funding, driven by the loss of roughly 1,000 students, caused the district's $23 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026-27. The board approved a budget exceeding $430 million with that gap on Aug. 24.
The comptroller's office said approximately 70% of TEFA recipients statewide were previously enrolled in private school or homeschooled. The remaining 30% came from public schools. Neither CCISD nor Friendswood ISD has disclosed how many of its students hold TEFA vouchers.
The budget strain is showing. CCISD teachers received a 1% pay raise for 2026-27, down from 3% the prior year. The district is reducing staff through attrition, exploring land sales and considering a $19.1 million voter-approval tax rate election in fall 2027, according to Community Impact.
"We really invite our community to engage in discussions with their state elected officials," CCISD board member Arturo Sanchez said at a July board meeting. "While we all appreciate lower taxes ... we also appreciate an environment where students can learn and thrive."
Program evaluation not yet funded
Not everyone supports expanding TEFA before evaluating it. Dee Carney, director of the Texas Center for Voucher Transparency, noted that the comptroller's funding request did not include money for a program evaluation required by state law.
The nonpartisan Texas Legislative Budget Board has projected TEFA could grow to $3.3 billion by 2028 and $4.8 billion by 2030.
The comptroller's office said it plans to announce a new TEFA application window in the coming weeks. CCISD's board is scheduled to formally adopt its tax rate at the Sept. 28 meeting.
