Texas GOP forges ahead on school vouchers as local districts suffer from lack of state dollars

San Antonio Independent School District, now grappling with a $50 million budget deficit, has closed campuses, struggled to keep schools heated during winter and is dealing with low teacher morale. All those problems could get worse, education advocates warn, if Gov. Greg Abbott is able to ramrod a bill creating school vouchers though the Texas Legislature. During his State of the State speech last Sunday, Abbott declared vouchers an emergency item, something Lt. Dan Patrick, who controls the agenda of the Texas Senate, said could enable the upper chamber to pass its version of a voucher bill in a matter of days.