The Texas Senate passed a school choice funding bill for special needs students early Wednesday morning following a marathon session that covered a slew of legislation.

While President Donald Trump champions “school choice” on a national level and Governor Greg Abbott pledges to sign such a bill into law should one make it to his desk, some Texas homeschoolers question one piece of proposed school choice policy before the Legislature, Senate Bill 3.

Former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee is reportedly on the short list of candidates President-elect Trump is considering for U.S. Secretary of Education, but her view of school choice is that it should be “heavily regulated,” meaning that private and charter schools that accept vouchers would come under greater regulation.

There was some disappointment that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton was asked about their views on education during the debate Monday evening. “K-12 education barely merited a mention in the first presidential debate Monday night,” writes Alyson Klein at

School choice supporters are urging the relocation of a portrait of Massachusetts nativist “Know-Nothing” Party Gov. Henry Gardner from its place of prominence in the State House. As their reason, they cite bigotry inherent in two amendments to the state’s Constitution based on his Party’s anti-Catholic sentiment in the mid-nineteenth century.

The Republican platform affirms the primary role of parents as educators in a child’s life, and supports a constitutional amendment to protect the right of parents to direct their children’s education from the overreach of federal and state governments and from potential international intruders such as the United Nations. It also upholds “parent-driven accountability at every stage of schooling,” and recognizes the value of local control of education.

While on the campaign trail, Rubio has commanded the attention of parents who have opposed the Common Core standards and the federal intrusion into local education that has come with the reform. In addition, he has honed in on the issue of rising college education costs coupled with massive student debt and yet often no jobs for college graduates to show for it.

During the GOP debate Thursday night, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush – who has individually and through his foundations been a champion of the federally funded Common Core standards – said he doesn’t believe the federal government should be involved