Redirecting taxpayer dollars to fund private education is unfair, un-American, and most likely unconstitutional. The proposed school voucher bill threatens to dismantle an already struggling public education system in Texas.
The voucher bill will divert funds from public schools to private education institutions which lack accountability and transparency. Money being diverted will subsidize families making up to $160,000 a year annually, which is 5 times the federal poverty level of 25,000 for a family of three. Families earning $160,000 can afford private school tuition without taxpayer subsidies. If they can’t then they should get another job like every other American that wants expensive things they can’t afford.
In Rockwall County, our taxes help to pay about $6160 per student. Why do the families earning $160,000 get to divert ten thousand dollars from the average kid's school? Why do high median household income earners need to be subsidized? It is completely unfair. The bill cannot be constitutional. The voucher bill represents a complete disparity in funding. Why would any Texan support a bill that takes money from an average family's school, and divert it to a private Muslim, Islamic, Jewish, or Christian religious institution? The bill proposes that the diversion of funds can be up to $10,000 per year.
The bill clearly indicates that expenses will be increased. To divert public education money, staff will be hired, but not teachers, not school administrators, not bus drivers, auditors! And the burden of application administration is piled on top of the public education system. This bill is so backwards it's hard to believe that any republican would support such ridiculousness. If the republican goal is to destroy public education, this is clearly one step closer to that destruction.
The bill will exacerbate the challenges faced by public schools, including underfunding and declining resources. Taking money from the public school system will hurt the system, not help it. This backwards bill will be a contributor to a declining public school system. It's hard to imagine that anything in our society is made better by defunding it.
Practical solutions to be considered: utilize money to improve our current infrastructure; hire teachers and supporting staff; provide tutoring to needy children; mitigate building costs and expenses; provide handicapped families with necessary tax incentives, increase taxes on the extremely wealthy; create a parent volunteer program to help teachers. Ask religious organizations to donate resources, including money and labor to the public school system.
Texans deserve an education system that uplifts every child, not one that caters to the privileged few. Let’s stand together to protect public education and ensure a brighter future for all. Reach out to your representative and tell them you oppose the bill. How to reach out?
Comments