The comptroller's race and TEFA: what the candidates say, and what changes for Austin families

Early voting in the November 3 general election opens today, October 19, and one race on the Travis, Williamson and Hays County ballots matters more to TEFA families than its low profile suggests. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts runs Texas Education Freedom Accounts. That office approves schools and vendors, oversees the company that operates the payment platform, and sets the calendar families live by. Whoever wins starts a four-year term in January. Here is what the candidates have said about the program, what the office can and can't change, and what Central Texas families with an account, or hoping for one, should keep doing either way. We don't endorse candidates.

How the office changed hands this year

TEFA launched under Kelly Hancock, the acting comptroller, who ran for a full term and lost the Republican primary in March to Don Huffines, a former state senator and businessman from Dallas. Hancock submitted his resignation on July 1, 2026, effective at the end of the month. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Huffines to the post the next day, and he took office August 1. On August 13, his office announced that more than 100,000 students had received accounts in the program's first year, while more than 100,000 others remained on the waitlist.

So the incumbent on the ballot is an appointee who has run the program for under three months. His main opponent is Sarah Eckhardt, the Democratic state senator from Austin and a former Travis County judge.

What the four candidates say about TEFA

Community Impact sent all four candidates a questionnaire in September. In their answers:

Don Huffines (Republican): said the program works because parents know what is best for their children, and that his goal is to make it available to "every family and student who wishes to participate."
Sarah Eckhardt (Democrat): said she would put a priority on showing Texans where their money goes, starting with the $1 billion program. She said she would monitor Odyssey, the program's administrator, for fairness and publish who benefits compared with public school needs.
Shehla Faizi (Green): said she wants to end vouchers and reinvest in public schools, calling the program unfair to families, schools and taxpayers.
V. Alonzo Echavarria-Garza (Libertarian): did not respond to the questionnaire.

Read the full answers before you vote. The questionnaire also covers the economy and transparency.

What a comptroller can change

The office has real room to shape how TEFA feels to a family. It writes the program rules; the current ones were published in the Texas Register in December 2025 after the agency received about 300 public comments. It decides when the application window opens, how long it stays open and when awards go out. It reviews every school, tutor, therapist and vendor before they can be paid from an account. It oversees Odyssey, whose platform handles tuition payments and marketplace purchases. And it publishes, or doesn't publish, data on who is using the program.

The comptroller also issues the revenue estimate that guides the Legislature's two-year budget, which indirectly shapes how much money lawmakers feel they can put toward any program.

What a comptroller can't change

The program exists because of Senate Bill 2, a law passed by the Legislature, and only the Legislature can rewrite it or decide how much to spend. The 2026-27 award, $10,474 at a participating private school, is set by formula at roughly 85% of the estimated statewide average funding per student. The IEP add-on, the $30,000 cap, the $2,000 homeschool amount and the priority tiers all come from the statute.

The 90th Legislature is where those questions will be argued. Bill prefiling opens November 9, 2026. Lawmakers convene January 12, 2027, the last day to file most bills is March 12, and the session ends May 31. Families should watch for bills that touch funding levels, eligibility or the priority tiers.

What doesn't depend on the election

If your child already has an account at an Austin-area private school, the program's published schedule calls for the remaining 50% of the 2026-27 award on February 1, 2027, provided your child stays enrolled at a participating school. Students who joined from the waitlist after July 15 may have prorated amounts. Neither depends on November's result.

For 2027-28, the state hasn't announced application dates or amounts. Joining the interest list at EducationFreedom.Texas.gov is still the surest way to hear when the window opens. Meanwhile, apply for school-based aid on each school's own calendar; spring deadlines won't wait for the state. Our TEFA guide covers the basics, and the TEFA calculator shows what your child would receive at this year's amounts.

If you vote in Travis County

Early voting runs October 19 through October 30, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and you may vote at any Travis County polling place.
On October 29 and 30, seven sites stay open until 10 p.m., including the Travis County Clerk's office at 5501 Airport Blvd. and the Texas Union on the UT campus.
An application for a mail ballot has to be received by October 23. A postmark isn't enough.
Bring one of the seven accepted forms of photo ID. If you can't get one, ask about the reasonable-impediment form.

Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell voters should check their own county elections office for sites and hours.

How Austin used the program in year one

Central Texas took to TEFA quickly, and not evenly. Our look at Austin ISD's 1,020 accounts and the suburbs that outpaced it breaks down the first-year numbers by district. Whoever wins, those families will be the ones living with the next comptroller's rules. If you want help sorting out TEFA, school aid and the rest of your options for 2027-28, start the funding check.

Sources

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