“Speaker Strauss has always been the stumbling block on this...”
I suspect that Mr. Straus will VERY QUICKLY behave, assuming that he wants to be around after his next Primary, in 2016.
There are new Sheriffs in town, with Dan Patrick being the top of the pack.
It is all about the money. Schools get X dollars per student. The Unions, while opposing school choice, are minimal compared to the school districts, who uniformly oppose them. Loss of students means a loss of money for the district, so fewer $50M football stadiums.