The Texas School Coalition, which represents districts that pay recapture to the state, continues to oppose private-school vouchers, which would take needed dollars away from underfunded public schools and put them in private and home schools without accountability for those schools’ performance.
“Schools across Texas are struggling to start the year with the teachers and other employees they need, and unfortunately legislators are still talking about taking dollars out of those schools in order to fund unaccountable school vouchers,” said Christy Rome, Executive Director of the Texas School Coalition. “The Legislature failed to use our $33 billion surplus to make significant investments in our schools earlier this year, and now we are gearing up for a debate over vouchers that would make it more difficult for schools to educate students. Texans want legislators to put dollars into our public schools, where they are needed most.”
The report points to the need to increase the Basic Allotment for schools, noting that districts are facing higher costs due to inflation and rates of teacher attrition that are well above the national average.
“We are glad that the House recognizes the need for more funding,” Rome said. “However, we know that voucher supporters are unlikely to approve new funding unless vouchers are included. The linking of these issues is only harming students and teachers. The upcoming special session should focus only on supporting and improving public education rather than diverting dollars to private and home schools.”
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