Gov. Greg Abbott received the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Ronald Reagan Award for his stewardship of the state.
The award was presented Wednesday night at the group’s annual Texas Policy Summit dinner, honoring Abbott’s launch of the largest day-one school choice program in the United States.
“A single word that is of paramount importance when it comes to policy or anything involving democracy is the word freedom,” said Abbott. “School choice is about freedom. It’s about the freedom of parents being able to choose the best education pathway for their child. We passed school choice. I consider this to be a victory dinner for everybody in this room, people outside of this room, and for the warriors who helped get school choice across the finish line. More importantly, it is a victory dinner for all the parents out there.”
Abbott told elected officials and advocates that more than 270,000 students applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which prioritize children with disabilities and from low-income families.
The governor said Texas plans to enact more education legislation and invest in career and technical education to become the top state for student learning.
The Ronald Reagan Award recognizes “conservative leaders who champion limited government, free markets, and individual liberty,” according to the governor’s press release.
First Lady Cecilia Abbott, TPPF CEO Greg Sindelar, and other state officials and education leaders attended the dinner.
More event photos are available here.
