What Texas could do for teachers – if the school choice fight doesn’t get in the way

It’s been more than a year-and-a-half since Gov. Greg Abbott called for a task force to address Texas’ teacher shortage. In the spring of 2022, he asked for a group to develop policy recommendations to ensure all students learn from a quality educator.

Since then, several of the task force’s ideas have been caught up in one of Abbott’s political fights. Legislation that aimed to improve teacher recruitment and retention died during the regular session after finding its fate tied to a controversial plan to funnel public dollars toward private school tuition.

Now – during the third special session – the question of whether some of the Texas Teacher Vacancy Task Force’s recommendations come to fruition is linked to whether the Legislature votes to create education savings accounts, the voucherlike program Abbott is championing.

“The discussions about vouchers have overshadowed what effectively could be monumental improvements for teachers,” said Charles R. Martinez Jr., dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s college of education. “What’s at stake, honestly, is the next generation of Texans. I can’t think of a more compelling reason to collectively find a way to act.”

Abbott...