Texas launched a $1 billion school voucher program in early 2026 offering up to $20,000 in additional state funding for students with disabilities. To qualify for the extra benefits, families needed an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which only public schools can create. Of 43,000 voucher applicants who indicated their child had a disability, 80% sought public school evaluations, overwhelming districts statewide.

The result: evaluation requests tripled in some districts, staff worked weekends to meet federal deadlines, and schools spent hundreds of thousands of extra dollars with minimal state reimbursement.

What Happened

The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, passed by the state legislature, provides voucher funding for families to use at private schools or for homeschool expenses. Students with disabilities qualify for up to $20,000, significantly more than the base voucher amount. But accessing that higher tier requires an IEP, the legally binding education plan created through a public school evaluation process.

Cy-Fair Independent School District saw evaluation requests from non-enrolled students triple, jumping from 360 to 921. Rural districts north of Dallas-Fort Worth saw increases up to 125%. Gunter ISD fielded 39 additional requests. Whitesboro ISD received 67 more. Bells ISD handled 42 extra evaluations.

Nearly 30,000 students ultimately received the enhanced special education voucher funding. To get there, public schools had to evaluate them first.

The Resource Strain

Districts are required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to complete evaluations within 45 business days, then meet with parents within 30 days to discuss findings. The law doesn't distinguish between currently enrolled students and those seeking vouchers. The obligation is the same.

Cy-Fair ISD spent $275,000 more than the prior year on evaluations for students not enrolled in the district. Evaluation costs range from $500 to $5,000 depending on the complexity of the child's needs. The state reimbursed districts $1,000 per evaluation. Marchelle Peters, a Cy-Fair administrator, called that amount "a thimble of water in a house fire."

Staff worked weekends. Districts contracted with outside evaluators to handle the volume. Brandon Enos, superintendent of Gunter ISD, said his district was "forced to be the unpaid gatekeepers of these vouchers."

Andrea Chevalier of the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education framed it plainly: "It's this mechanism that the school district has to engage with for parent access to private funds that have nothing to do with the school district."

Families Caught in the Middle

The state didn't provide clear guidance on the voucher-IEP requirement until November 2025, months after families began planning. The voucher application deadline was March 31, 2026, later extended by two weeks. Many families scrambled to request evaluations in time.

Steven Aleman of Disability Rights Texas said there was "seemingly no foresight that all of a sudden we'd have this huge rush on school districts in spring 2026."

For families who'd been paying out-of-pocket for private education or services, the voucher represented a lifeline. Valerie Brown, a Texas parent, told Disability Scoop: "We can't keep sustaining. It's so expensive, we can't keep going into debt."

But accessing that funding meant navigating a public school system they may have left years earlier. Some families didn't realize the evaluation would take months. Others didn't know private schools couldn't create IEPs. The confusion was widespread.

What This Means for Families

If you're seeking a Texas voucher for a child with disabilities, you need an IEP from a public school. That means requesting an evaluation, waiting 45 business days, then attending a meeting to review results and develop the plan. Private schools, therapists, and advocates can't create IEPs. Only public school districts have that authority under IDEA.

If your child is already enrolled in special education, the surge in evaluations may affect district capacity. Ask your case manager directly whether resource constraints are delaying services or meetings. IDEA timelines still apply to your child's annual review and triennial evaluation.

For districts, the financial and staffing strain is real. The $1,000 state reimbursement doesn't cover the actual cost of comprehensive evaluations, especially when districts must contract external providers to meet demand. Cy-Fair's documented $275,000 shortfall demonstrates the gap.

What Families Can Do Now

• If seeking a voucher: Request the evaluation in writing as soon as possible. The 45-day clock starts when the district receives your written request. Don't wait until the voucher application deadline.
• If already in special education: Monitor whether your child's services, annual review, or evaluation timelines are being delayed. Document any delays and request written explanations.
• Know your IDEA rights: Public schools must evaluate within 45 business days regardless of enrollment status or voucher participation. If a district misses the deadline, file a complaint with the Texas Education Agency.

The Texas Education Agency's Special Education page provides complaint forms and procedural safeguards. Disability Rights Texas offers free advocacy support for families navigating disputes.

Where the Program Goes Next

The voucher program's first year revealed a structural problem: tying expanded funding to a public school gatekeeping mechanism created a bottleneck the system wasn't designed to handle. Whether the state adjusts reimbursement rates, expands evaluation capacity, or changes eligibility criteria for future years remains to be seen.

For now, families need to understand the timeline, districts need resources to meet the obligation, and the evaluation surge will likely continue as long as the voucher program ties enhanced funding to IEPs.