On Sunday, Just the News reported that the Texas Senate has passed two education bills that will increase funding for public education and expand school choice.

The problem in public education is not entirely due to funding. In 2013, AEI posted the following graph:

As someone who graduated from high school as part of the largest high school graduation class in American history, I understand the need for buildings, teachers, and administrators. I went to three different junior high schools as the community was building schools to accommodate the baby boomers as they went through high school. I was part of the first high school class in my high school to graduate on single sessions in a long time, and even at that, there were almost 1,000 students in my graduating class. However, we are no longer seeing the student population growth that we saw in the 1960’s. I am all in favor of keeping the number of teachers high–smaller classes are a good thing, but it is time that we took a serious look at cutting the number of administrators.

Just the News reports:

SB 1 creates education savings accounts of up to $8,000 per student and gives Texas families “the power to determine the best school for their child, with their tax dollars,” Creighton (Senator Brandon Creighton) explains.

Creighton said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote that, “Senate Bill 1 is not merely legislation, it’s a pledge to Texas parents, a testament to our trust in their decision-making capabilities and investment in the dreams of our young Texans respecting their individual specific education needs.”

After more than eight hours of debate, the Senate passed SB 1 by a vote of 18-13. Sen. Robert Nichols, R–Jacksonville, was the sole Republican to vote against it.

The bill heads to the House Education Opportunity & Enrichment Committee.

SB 2 allocates record funding for public school education, including increasing the basic allotment for per-student funding and giving raises to teachers across the board.

It passed nearly unanimously by a vote of 30-1. It was received in the House but has not yet been assigned to a committee.

Let’s free education in America!