School Vouchers
It is time for neighbors to show up at school board meetings and to contact state legislators--again and again--to defend public schools that are the foundation of our democracy. The culture wars have opened an opportunity to dismantle public education in favor of for-profit private schools that are not accountable to tax payers and are not required to meet the same standards as public schools--including accepting every student. Rather than chipping away at public school funding to build private schools, Texas legislators need to finally do what they have been unwilling to do for years: fully fund public schools from an ample fund that is already available. In the process, the state would reduce property taxes that now pay for schools.
Editorial: Abbott eyes school voucher fight and we’ve got a bad case of déjà vu
The Editorial Board, July 5, 2022, The Houston Chronicle
Service Subitle
Presentation by San Antonio Alliance for Teachers, July 9, 2022
Texas Voucher Proposals-88th TX Legislature
Vouchers are the bridge towards dismantling public education. Download the PowerPoint here. Download the Voucher Fact Sheet here and get ready to start talking to your legislators, school board, neighbors, and neighbors.
Vouchers are taxpayer-funded government subsidies for private schools and vendors with no accountability for results. Vouchers reduce fair access to educational opportunity, weaken rights for students with disabilities, and expose taxpayers to fraud. Only district and charter schools can deliver on the promise of quality school choice with both transparency and accountability in the use of public dollars. Download the Voucher Position Paper.
The political math of school choice in rural Texas
Jay Leeson, May 22, 2022, The Dallas Morning News
Vouchers are unpopular in places where public schools are the lifeblood of community. “Choice” is a political synonym for “consolidation” and “consolidation” is another way of saying “closing” communities.
Harmful programs that redirect funds from public schools to private institutions are spreading rapidly across the country.