Texas governor signs largest US school voucher law, marking conservative shift

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday signed a law making more than 5 million students eligible to use state funds for private schools, a watershed moment in the conservative campaign to remake public education in America.

Texas is allocating $1 billion for the first two years of the program to offer parents vouchers to pay for school. It is the 16th state to make all students eligible to receive public funds for private education.

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"Today is the culmination of a movement that has swept across our state and across our country," Abbott said during a signing ceremony at the governor's mansion. "The day has arrived that empowers parents to choose the school that’s best for their child."

The so-called universal school choice programs are all in states whose legislatures are dominated by Republicans, who for years have accused public schools of indoctrinating children with liberal ideology.

Advocates say school vouchers put control of children's education into the hands of parents. Opponents say they drain money from public schools and predominantly benefit wealthier children.