ATPE Statement on House and Senate Voucher Votes
School Finance Texas Legislature Privatization | Vouchers
Date Posted: 4/06/2023
On Thursday, the Texas House and Senate took opposing stances on voucher bills, offering a glimpse at the drama that awaits during the remaining weeks of the regular session. The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), the state’s largest educator association, thanks the lawmakers in both chambers who stood up for the Legislature’s constitutional duty to support and maintain public schools.
In the House, the vote to attach an anti-voucher amendment by Rep. Abel Herrero (D–Corpus Christi) to House Bill (HB) 1, the appropriations, bill passed 86-52, with 11 “present not voting.”
“We are grateful to those representatives who listened to the thousands of educators who contacted them this week to explain how allowing taxpayer dollars to be spent without accountability will hurt Texas children,” ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes said. “We know they are facing enormous political pressure to vote the other way.”
The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill (SB 8) by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) on an 18-13 vote. Among other “parental rights” provisions, SB 8 contains an “Education Savings Account” voucher.
“We are also thankful for the 13 senators who voted with the families and educators who have proudly chosen Texas public schools,” Holmes said. “This battle is far from over, but today’s results in the House show what we have long known: Texas public schools are the backbones of our communities, whether urban, suburban or rural, and we have lawmakers with the backbones to protect those public schools.”
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In my district it is the charter schools that are luring away students with promises of free private school education.
Alternate schools have long taken funds for education and then done nothing. Defrauding the taxpayer, but even worse, also NOT educating the student. This is not to say all schools are this way but with so little oversight it is a festering issue. No one seems to be watching the schools and by the time the culprit is caught it is far to late for the children and there is NO recourse against the criminal that committed the imbezzelment to recoup funds or help the children. Money GONE and students so off course that they woud need a 24 hour day to catch up for who knows how long !!! Thinking this is a good idea is not taking in the whole picture. There would need to be a stringent test and audit program in place. Throwing money at a situation is not an automatic success. We have seen that in the public schools as well. Have a plan before you start frivilously cashing those tax dollar checks. Better yet put it on the public ballot as a test vote. You will have a quick and definite idea of the public stance.