【Epoch Times News – December 26, 2025】
The Acting State Auditor of Texas, Kelly Hancock, is attempting to block some schools with ties to the Chinese Communist government and identified by Texas as “foreign terrorist organizations” from receiving funding under the new “Texas Education Freedom Account” (TEFA) program.
According to local media reports in Texas, the TEFA education program in Texas is set to commence in early February. Under this initiative, private schools, homeschooling, and other alternative educational choices will be eligible to receive state government funds for tuition, textbooks, computers, extracurricular activities, and other related expenses. The program will provide a subsidy of $10,474 per child for the 2025-2026 school year, but all purchases and services must be approved by the state government.
Hancock recently sent a letter to the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton seeking legal clarification to prevent institutions that hosted public events promoted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) from participating in the TEFA program. Governor Greg Abbott designated CAIR as a “foreign terrorist organization” in mid-November, leading the organization to file a lawsuit days later.
In his letter, Hancock also inquired about a school associated with “advisors of the Communist Party of China” and its eligibility for the program.
Hancock expressed concerns that a certain accredited school applying for the program might have ties to advisors of the Communist Party of China.
In his communication to Paxton, Hancock stated: “We are concerned that these schools may risk disqualification from TEFA program participation for violations of Senate Bill 19.358 ‘and other relevant laws.'”
He also mentioned a new law prohibiting foreign nationals from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from owning land in Texas.
The letter mentioned that all relevant schools have received accreditation from Cognia, a non-profit school accreditation organization approved by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC).
TEFA funding will take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
On Tuesday (December 23), Hancock posted on social media platform X: “Texans deserve the highest assurance that taxpayer money will not be directly or indirectly used to support institutions linked to foreign terrorist organizations, transnational criminal networks, or any hostile foreign governments.”