Moving swiftly on a central Republican priority, the Texas Senate approved a “school choice” bill Wednesday that would put taxpayer dollars toward private school education. The 19-12 vote was largely along partisan lines with state Sen.

The Texas Senate has passed SB 2, which now awaits approval from the House. Here's what lawmakers say about the proposed school voucher program.

"The Texas Senate's passage of SB 2 is the biggest launch of any universal school choice program in American history, with $1 billion in funding for 100,000 students," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement Wednesday night.

School choice' legislation appears to have momentum in the Texas House after newly elected Speaker Dustin Burrows showed support for the policy.

The Texas Senate has approved Senate Bill 2 (SB 2), a school choice proposal that would allow families to use tax dollars for private and homeschooling. The bill, which now moves to the Texas House for further debate, has sparked strong opinions on both sides.

Texans also heard from their fellow citizens as part of the Democratic Party’s response to Abbott’s speech, with state Democrats enlisting a public school educator, an OB/GYN, electricians’ union representative and the state’s Democratic chair to represent what the party hoped to project as the voice of everyday Texans.

Keller ISD is considering splitting the district in two​ in order to help achieve "long-term financial stability."