ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes has the following statement on House Bill (HB) 1 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado): 

“Our educator members have been clear: They expect the organization to oppose any bill with a private school voucher program, period. 

“Our legislative program—written and approved by our Texas educator members each year—is unambiguous in its opposition to vouchers, including ESAs. There are no ‘small’ vouchers. There are no exceptions for deals or buyoffs. 

“Public educators aren’t fooled by this bill, and legislators shouldn’t be, either. 

“This approach—having one or a handful of legislators throw everything but the kitchen sink into a bill without broad input or vetting—is not a serious way to make good policy. It leads to massive unintended consequences, D.C.-style pork, and, in the case of this bill, a huge transfer of authority away from locally elected leaders to state bureaucrats. 

“Ultimately, HB 1 is a thinly veiled attempt to buy off legislators and educators in a quest to appease a governor who has chosen to put politics over the needs of 5.4 million Texas schoolchildren.  

“We are grateful that the majority of legislators see through it, continue to oppose voucher scams, and are eager to move on and address school funding in a meaningful way. We look forward to working with them to lift up all public school students.” 

About the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
Founded in 1980, ATPE is the leading educators’ association in Texas with approximately 90,000 members statewide. With its strong collaborative philosophy, ATPE speaks for classroom teachers, administrators, and future, retired, and para-educators and works to create better opportunities for Texas’ more than five million public school students. | atpe.org