Ferg said:

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Reduce administrative positions as a % of Teaching ones to the same ratio as when the DOE was founded.

Force Board elections to go through the 2 party system and hold the elections on the same date as State elections, so you know what you are getting and to increase voter participation.

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Good idea.

While we're doing that can we do away with all of the extra accountability measures and mandates that have been put in since that same time that led to the creation of the positions we're going to eliminate?

You do that and I don't think you would find much opposition to your proposal.

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Ok……..no doubt retail space will get scarce as people snatch it up to open new schools. Better?

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Retail spaces. Closed churches. Open churches. Empty office spaces. Houses. Community centers. Lots of options.

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JR2007 said:
"Poor kids" are families making up to $160k

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Those would be the poor kids at our private school.

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So those of us who choose to send our kids to a Christian School get nothing.

Those who want to had better be poor.

That leaves this money to be spent on the poor kids that get to move.

Taxes given to those that don't pay in. F This.



F this. Schools should simply say they are full. Can't sit here. Seats taken.

I wanted school choice more than anyone here, but not this. This does nothing to hand over control to the individual. It only grows govt. control with all the testing controls. Private schools should not allow these kids into their facilities.

JR2007 said:

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"Poor kids" are families making up to $160k

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It depends on the number of kids and parents.
https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines

A single parent + 1 kid household pulling in $106k a year, while not "poor", are far from "rich" either. That's middle class. They aren't living in Memorial unless they are renting an apartment. Yet they are excluded from the program unless they win one of the few lottery spots.

For two parents with one kid the cutoff is $134k.

For a family of six, the cutoff is $216k. Again, not "poor", but far from "rich". Try paying for 4x private school tuition on a $220k salary and tell me how rich you feel afterwards.

I do not think vouchers should be means tested at all. The education system already subsidizes those who pay little in the way of taxes...those needing relief the most are those paying into the system. Make it a flat rate per student. That said, if you are going to means test, deciding 5x is the cut off is way too low. It should be closer to 10x the poverty guideline.

The System said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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PGAG said:

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In almost every case, the move to private schools leads to the deterioration of public schools. I believe this will be the start of that trend. It will however be a long road. This bill will only assist 100k students. And my educated guess is that a large majority of those will be children already enrolled in private education.

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READ THE BILL.

80% of spots are reserved for low income students already enrolled in public school.

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And if those 80% of spots aren't filled with poor kids, then the spots go to a lottery for everyone. Do you honestly believe 80% of those spots will go to poor kids? Yeah, Abbott and his Super PACs don't either. It's the foot in the door for an ever expanding private school subsidy for the wealthy already attending private school.

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But we've been told that those poor kids are clamoring to escape those terrible schools and will be beating a trail out of them with vouchers. Let's see how this plays out after time rather than immediately jumping to conclusions.

B-1 83 said:

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The System said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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PGAG said:

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In almost every case, the move to private schools leads to the deterioration of public schools. I believe this will be the start of that trend. It will however be a long road. This bill will only assist 100k students. And my educated guess is that a large majority of those will be children already enrolled in private education.

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READ THE BILL.

80% of spots are reserved for low income students already enrolled in public school.

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And if those 80% of spots aren't filled with poor kids, then the spots go to a lottery for everyone. Do you honestly believe 80% of those spots will go to poor kids? Yeah, Abbott and his Super PACs don't either. It's the foot in the door for an ever expanding private school subsidy for the wealthy already attending private school.

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But we've been told that those poor kids are clamoring to escape those terrible schools and will be beating a trail out of them with vouchers. Let's see how this plays out after time rather than immediately jumping to conclusions.

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Poor kids also rely on school transportation and free/reduced school meals. Does a private school voucher also provide those?

The harsh truth is that most private schools cost significantly more than $10,000 per year. So, you'll be asking for additional capital outlays from parents that are not likely to have disposable income

The System said:

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B-1 83 said:

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The System said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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PGAG said:

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In almost every case, the move to private schools leads to the deterioration of public schools. I believe this will be the start of that trend. It will however be a long road. This bill will only assist 100k students. And my educated guess is that a large majority of those will be children already enrolled in private education.

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READ THE BILL.

80% of spots are reserved for low income students already enrolled in public school.

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And if those 80% of spots aren't filled with poor kids, then the spots go to a lottery for everyone. Do you honestly believe 80% of those spots will go to poor kids? Yeah, Abbott and his Super PACs don't either. It's the foot in the door for an ever expanding private school subsidy for the wealthy already attending private school.

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But we've been told that those poor kids are clamoring to escape those terrible schools and will be beating a trail out of them with vouchers. Let's see how this plays out after time rather than immediately jumping to conclusions.

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Poor kids also rely on school transportation and free/reduced school meals. Does that also come with a private school voucher?

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Rely?

A nutritious school lunch can be made at home for $1.85 a day-

Milk in a thermos- .40, chips in a sandwich bag- .40, carrot sticks- .1 banana .25, sandwich with ham and cheese .70

And that is WAY more nutritious than the school lunch.

MOST kids don't need free and reduced lunch.

MOST kids have a smart phone

If you can afford a smart phone you can afford 1.75 for you kids lunch.

There are some examples where parents really cannot afford it.

That is legitimately 10% of the kids who are on it.

Interesting you ignored his comment about transportation and only focused on free/reduced lunch.

Ags4DaWin said:

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The System said:

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B-1 83 said:

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The System said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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PGAG said:

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In almost every case, the move to private schools leads to the deterioration of public schools. I believe this will be the start of that trend. It will however be a long road. This bill will only assist 100k students. And my educated guess is that a large majority of those will be children already enrolled in private education.

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READ THE BILL.

80% of spots are reserved for low income students already enrolled in public school.

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And if those 80% of spots aren't filled with poor kids, then the spots go to a lottery for everyone. Do you honestly believe 80% of those spots will go to poor kids? Yeah, Abbott and his Super PACs don't either. It's the foot in the door for an ever expanding private school subsidy for the wealthy already attending private school.

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But we've been told that those poor kids are clamoring to escape those terrible schools and will be beating a trail out of them with vouchers. Let's see how this plays out after time rather than immediately jumping to conclusions.

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Poor kids also rely on school transportation and free/reduced school meals. Does that also come with a private school voucher?

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Rely?

A nutritious school lunch can be made at home for $1.85 a day-

Milk in a thermos- .40, chips in a sandwich bag- .40, carrot sticks- .1 banana .25, sandwich with ham and cheese .70

And that is WAY more nutritious than the school lunch.

MOST kids don't need free and reduced lunch.

MOST kids have a smart phone

If you can afford a smart phone you can afford 1.75 for you kids lunch.

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Tell me you know nothing about kids in poverty without telling me. The overwhelming percentage of poor public school kids are directly certified through the state to receive free/reduced meals. Many of the remaining poor kids fill out a free/reduced meal application. And the overwhelming percentage of those students approved either directly or through application participate in the program every single day…including summers while private school kids are sunbathing in 30A or playing select baseball all over the country.

B-1 83 said:

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The System said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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PGAG said:

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In almost every case, the move to private schools leads to the deterioration of public schools. I believe this will be the start of that trend. It will however be a long road. This bill will only assist 100k students. And my educated guess is that a large majority of those will be children already enrolled in private education.

---

READ THE BILL.

80% of spots are reserved for low income students already enrolled in public school.

---

And if those 80% of spots aren't filled with poor kids, then the spots go to a lottery for everyone. Do you honestly believe 80% of those spots will go to poor kids? Yeah, Abbott and his Super PACs don't either. It's the foot in the door for an ever expanding private school subsidy for the wealthy already attending private school.

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But we've been told that those poor kids are clamoring to escape those terrible schools and will be beating a trail out of them with vouchers. Let's see how this plays out after time rather than immediately jumping to conclusions.

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Bottom line is, families that can't currently afford private school, still won't be able to even with the vouchers...especially if private schools see this as consent to raise their tuition. My kids go to a private Christian school so it certainly benefits us...but then I can also send them to public schools in the area. We have school choice now, we just pay for the choice to go to private school.
I will say that lack of education benchmarks required for public schools but not private will be a problem. I wouldn't think parents would want to keep school hopping each year either if they felt like the schools weren't focused on certain standards. Private schools are not all equal and you don't find out until months if not longer that you made a mistake and should move the kids. We like our private school but they could certainly improve some areas of curriculum to better develop the students. They are already counting on an influx of new students.

PGAG said:

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The harsh truth is that most private schools cost significantly more than $10,000 per year. So, you'll be asking for additional capital outlays from parents that are not likely to have disposable income

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Why do you assume they'll choose a private school over a highly rated public school in a different neighborhood?

What makes you think they can afford transportation to a school outside their neighborhood, private or other?

Many students already have that opportunity. I'm in full support of it. An ESA wasn't needed for that to happen. I guess the other reason that I didn't really have that option as top of mind is that Abbot only visited private schools during his crusade.

Edit: As an aside, in situations where the public school is failing, the state can mandate transfers to higher performing campuses and also mandate that transportation be provided

B-1 83 said:

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PGAG said:

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The harsh truth is that most private schools cost significantly more than $10,000 per year. So, you'll be asking for additional capital outlays from parents that are not likely to have disposable income

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Why do you assume they'll choose a private school over a highly rated public school in a different neighborhood?

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How are they choosing a different public school? That's the choice the legislature SHOULD have focused on.

FIDO_Ags said:

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What makes you think they can afford transportation to a school outside their neighborhood, private or other?

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I asked this same question when vouchers came up, and was criticized heavily, but here we are……. Not many private schools around here provide it.

I wrote my state Rep before the election asking him to oppose the bill and listed my reasons why. He voted for it. I wrote him another letter saying I was disappointed in his vote for the bill and again listed my reasons why I thought it was a bad bill.
Never heard anything and I probably won't. Guess I can vote to primary him out next time around if that is an option.

FTR I live in Spring Branch ISD and send my kids to private school. But my parents, brother and his wife are all public school teachers. I also worry about the state sticking their head in private school business if they accept voucher payments.

The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

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That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

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How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

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They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

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Abbott gave $19k for texts, but I never heard anything about $700k. Patrick was his biggest backer. Do you have any documentation on that one? I was heavily involved in the campaign and school choice was never an issue we campaigned on. I do not support this version of school choice. Phelan had plenty of other issues to concern myself with.

Cibalo said:

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I wrote my state Rep before the election asking him to oppose the bill and listed my reasons why. He voted for it. I wrote him another letter saying I was disappointed in his vote for the bill and again listed my reasons why I thought it was a bad bill.
Never heard anything and I probably won't. Guess I can vote to primary him out next time around if that is an option.

FTR I live in Spring Branch ISD and send my kids to private school. But my parents, brother and his wife are all public school teachers. I also worry about the state sticking their head in private school business if they accept voucher payments.

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The minute privates take tax money, they will be subject to government regulation.

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I also worry about the state sticking their head in private school business if they accept voucher payments.

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They'd better meet some sort of standards if my tax money is going there.

Cibalo said:

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I wrote my state Rep before the election asking him to oppose the bill and listed my reasons why. He voted for it. I wrote him another letter saying I was disappointed in his vote for the bill and again listed my reasons why I thought it was a bad bill.
Never heard anything and I probably won't. Guess I can vote to primary him out next time around if that is an option.

FTR I live in Spring Branch ISD and send my kids to private school. But my parents, brother and his wife are all public school teachers. I also worry about the state sticking their head in private school business if they accept voucher payments.

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They damn well should if they're going to be accepting tax dollars.

The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

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That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

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How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

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They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

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Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

Texans are fiercely independent in their ongoing fight to get government more in control of their lives.

SociallyConditionedAg said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

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That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

---

How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

---

They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

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Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

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Yes, you are correct. It was Holt (neighboring district) that got $700,000 from Abbott.

Covey got $895,000 from the Dunn/Wilkes Super PAC that paid off Abbott. He also got $700,000 from the Fairley's, and $125,000 from Danny Boy Patrick.

And despite being backed by the school choice money, he tried to hide that. He never campaigned on it. He knew it was a losing issue with republicans in D21.

The System said:

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SociallyConditionedAg said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

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That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

---

How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

---

They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

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Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

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Yes, you are correct. It was Holt (neighboring district) that got $700,000 from Abbott.

Covey got $895,000 from the Dunn/Wilkes Super PAC that paid off Abbott. He also got $700,000 from the Fairley's, and $125,000 from Danny Boy Patrick.

And despite being backed by the school choice money, he tried to hide that. He never campaigned on it. He knew it was a losing issue with republicans in D21.

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I was definitely against this form of school choice. It should have been a simple tax exemption if anything, for those who chose to private school or home school. Anything else just leads to more government control. It was never a big issue for me because homeschoolers in Texas are so free. We wanted Dade gone because of all of his shenanigans.
I asked Janis yesterday if she had any support for her vote since most of us hate the bill and she said she has lots of supporters contact her office, for it's worth. I never completely trusted her since Abbott campaigned with her. I wouldn't be surprised to see her lose re-election, but she chose her side.
BTW, this may wind up being a rule 44 violation but the conservatives may not want to use it as such since do many conservative lawmakers voted for it. We'll see.

The System said:

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SociallyConditionedAg said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

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That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

---

How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

---

They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

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Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

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Yes, you are correct. It was Holt (neighboring district) that got $700,000 from Abbott.

Covey got $895,000 from the Dunn/Wilkes Super PAC that paid off Abbott. He also got $700,000 from the Fairley's, and $125,000 from Danny Boy Patrick.

And despite being backed by the school choice money, he tried to hide that. He never campaigned on it. He knew it was a losing issue with republicans in D21.

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Abbott never campaigned with Covey against Phelan. Paxton and Patrick did. Covey was just a bad candidate. He pretty much stayed hidden from public appearances and let the Super Pacs run ads.

Aggie97 said:

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The System said:

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SociallyConditionedAg said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

---

I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

---

That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

---

How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

---

They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

---

Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

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Yes, you are correct. It was Holt (neighboring district) that got $700,000 from Abbott.

Covey got $895,000 from the Dunn/Wilkes Super PAC that paid off Abbott. He also got $700,000 from the Fairley's, and $125,000 from Danny Boy Patrick.

And despite being backed by the school choice money, he tried to hide that. He never campaigned on it. He knew it was a losing issue with republicans in D21.

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Abbott never campaigned with Covey against Phelan. Paxton and Patrick did. Covey was just a bad candidate. He pretty much stayed hidden from public appearances and let the Super Pacs run ads.

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Yup. The point I was making is that folks are acting like all of the primary victories on Abbott's war path came on the issue of "school choice". That's just simply not true. It wasn't even mentioned as an issue for either candidate in many of those races. Certainly it was in some, as I know Janis Holt was open about it.

But to act like the legislature has some mandate for school choice is quite a leap. On an issue that divisive, contentious, and with such long lasting ramifications, the way in got through was Chicago style slimy. I think it should have been on the ballot for voters to decide directly.

The System said:

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SociallyConditionedAg said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

---

That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

---

How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

---

They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

---

Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

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Yes, you are correct. It was Holt (neighboring district) that got $700,000 from Abbott.

Covey got $895,000 from the Dunn/Wilkes Super PAC that paid off Abbott. He also got $700,000 from the Fairley's, and $125,000 from Danny Boy Patrick.

And despite being backed by the school choice money, he tried to hide that. He never campaigned on it. He knew it was a losing issue with republicans in D21.

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Yes, he got the Wilkes & Dunn money, but Dade had a war chest of about $13 million from what I recall. David never advocated for the specifics in this bill and I would have opposed it if he did. We lost the election, but 15 to 16 others won because Dade didn't have the funds to dole out. If this bill is all we get, we've just traded one tyrant for another.

Aggie97 said:

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The System said:

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SociallyConditionedAg said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Logos Stick said:

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The System said:

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Is that what they did last night? Because what I saw is a bunch of scared republicans blocking a referendum to put vouchers on the ballot to let the people decide, and then ignoring their constituents and ramming a crappy bill through that's just one giant entitlement for the rich, because their governor threatened them with a primary opponent.

I guess I missed the part of ceding control of the House to democrats lol.

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I thought the people voted for their reps who ran on choice?!

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That's rich. Most of those you're saying "ran on choice" didn't even list that on their platform. If they did, it was at the bottom. It wasn't even discussed in my district, hotly contested D21.

On an issue that large, that fundamentally changes the public school system for decades to come, it should be on the ballot. If you think the way this all went down was appropriate, then there's no point in even discussing it. Like I've said here many times, if it goes on the ballot and the people of Texas vote for it, I have zero problem with it and would not say another word about it.

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How were those Rs able to oust the incumbents then?! What did they promise if it wasn't vouchers?!

Everyone was aware of it! That was the entire reason for the push to primary the reps.

This went before the people and the people spoke!

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They used millions of outside money, tried to paint their opponent as soft on the border and pro-trans. David Covey (who lost in D21) was given $700.000 by Abbott alone. He never even uttered the words "school choice".

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Are you sure you don't mean Janis Holt? She got about that much from Abbott and he openly campaigned for her.

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Yes, you are correct. It was Holt (neighboring district) that got $700,000 from Abbott.

Covey got $895,000 from the Dunn/Wilkes Super PAC that paid off Abbott. He also got $700,000 from the Fairley's, and $125,000 from Danny Boy Patrick.

And despite being backed by the school choice money, he tried to hide that. He never campaigned on it. He knew it was a losing issue with republicans in D21.

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Abbott never campaigned with Covey against Phelan. Paxton and Patrick did. Covey was just a bad candidate. He pretty much stayed hidden from public appearances and let the Super Pacs run ads.

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There were so many things that contributed to the loss. The voter rolls showed close to 2000 Dems that voted in the runoff. There were a lot of people that voted who didn't even have addresses in the district. Also, a storm hit Jasper and the rural parts of Jefferson that were his strongest areas. He still only lost by 366 votes.

As far as the campaign went, it changed once Patrick got involved. Money rolled in and I think the big donors gave him bad advice. He probably should have debated Dade. After Alicia and Dade pulled out of the first debate, along with the Trump endorsement, his chances looked great. Phelan is just a good campaigner and has the establishment machine behind him.

Our school is a two time National Blue Ribbon award winner and ranked as one of the best pk-8 schools in Houston. I would argue the School's standards are much higher than any public elementary/junior high.

The school also serves a large group of economically disadvantaged families through scholarships, endowments, and bank partnerships.

The public school takes thousands of my money and does a poor job educating students. Mostly due to government interference. As in most cases less government is more.

HTownAg98 said:

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Cibalo said:

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I wrote my state Rep before the election asking him to oppose the bill and listed my reasons why. He voted for it. I wrote him another letter saying I was disappointed in his vote for the bill and again listed my reasons why I thought it was a bad bill.
Never heard anything and I probably won't. Guess I can vote to primary him out next time around if that is an option.

FTR I live in Spring Branch ISD and send my kids to private school. But my parents, brother and his wife are all public school teachers. I also worry about the state sticking their head in private school business if they accept voucher payments.

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They damn well should if they're going to be accepting tax dollars.

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Are they tax dollars? Are the government money? Or do they belong to THE PARENTS WHO PAID THEM?

Cibalo said:

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Our school is a two time National Blue Ribbon award winner and ranked as one of the best pk-8 schools in Houston. I would argue the School's standards are much higher than any public elementary/junior high.

The school also serves a large group of economically disadvantaged families through scholarships, endowments, and bank partnerships.

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That's nice, and I'm glad it does. If the "Crystal City Academy" wanted to teach that the Nueces river is the true Texas border or that 2+2=5, would you be happy with tax dollars going there?

B-1 83 said:

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Cibalo said:

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Our school is a two time National Blue Ribbon award winner and ranked as one of the best pk-8 schools in Houston. I would argue the School's standards are much higher than any public elementary/junior high.

The school also serves a large group of economically disadvantaged families through scholarships, endowments, and bank partnerships.

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That's nice, and I'm glad it does. If the "Crystal City Academy" wanted to teach that the Nueces river is the true Texas border or that 2+2=5, would you be happy with tax dollars going there?

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That is far off from what some of the public schools do now. Unqualified teachers, administrators that throw good teachers under the bus, teaching CRT and DEI propaganda to brainwash children and our tax payer dollars go there now.

This bill does not do anything to improve education in Texas. I don't like it and I hope my school doesn't take any money and I don't want our government with both hands up in any schools business. Let the teachers teach and give them the ability to control the classroom on a case by case basis.