Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said Thursday that creating a private-school voucher program in Texas is “the defining issue” of the legislative session, reassuring a crowd of conservative supporters gathered in Austin that their long wait for school choice was over.

Education is a major focus of the Texas Legislature this year, from teacher pay and training to tuition support for private education and homeschooling. Why it matters: Republican lawmakers' approach to education could harm public schools even as the legislators look to direct more money toward classrooms.