Dewhurst Declares Support for School Choice Legislation
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, throwing some red meat to conservatives after his bruising defeat at the hands of Tea Party darling Ted Cruz, has put private school vouchers and expanded “parental choice” back on the legislative agenda.
Speaking to delegates at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, Dewhurst said he would work with state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, to hammer out the details of the proposal.
Dewhurst made it clear that he supports the voucher concept, though he said that is just one of many options to pursue.
“I personally don’t have any problem with a ...
Comments (15)
Michelle Michon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Goes against our State Constution, Article 7: Education, that's what. This GOP Legislature has to go!
Gretchen Weicker via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Dewhurst's entire life is sustained by public funding including his public school and public college education, his military service, and his political positions. We have covered his expenses for decades.
Gretchen Weicker via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Will tax money to private schools allow the state of Texas to financially support all the impressive varieties of religious groups who wish to school their children?
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
No.
Shawn AndMichelle Wehmeyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Having worked in private and public school settings as an educator, I can say they each have their own unique problems. But, in my experience, public schools (especially pre-corporate reforms) and private non-profit schools held the students' needs in the highest regard while private for profit institutions failed at every turn, making empty promises and spending more time and money to sell the image of the schools than to actually educate the kids. It is alarming to see so many of the harmful things I saw in for profit schools 20 years ago, becoming commonplace in our public schools as a result of corporate driven reform. The for profit business model will only continue to destroy any form of child centered education system. In addition, I cannot help but wonder how receiving public vouchers will affect current private institutions? Will they be forced to accept the same accountability systems as public schools, thus adding to the profits of Pearson and the like? What other strings will come along with accepting vouchers? There is no end to the greed of those behind corporate reform. I fear that such a system will leave no schools or students untouched, private or public. I cringe when I think of how truly devastating this next step of corporate reform could be. Are we are about to step off into the abyss of for- profit education reform, from which there is truly no return?
Ronnie Odom via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I spent two years on a State committe that observed private schools.The administrators made good salaries and the kids watched a lot of T.V. There were exceptions, but vouchers is not the answer. I truly trust the Catholic Schools, some of the religious sponsored schools, but many of these private schools are not getting the job done. Now I will say this, I have been retired for over ten years, so you hope the problems have been addressed and solved. My lst observation in Houston was behind ten foot barbed wire with kids atching t.v. and the parking lot full of expensive cars. But then maybe I was tired.
Deborah Moss Sisco via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The GOP dominated legislature cuts funding for our public schools and then claims they are failing and wants to provide vouchers that take more funds away! This is a shell game and only benefits corporate greed!
Charlie Duncan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Are we just going to abandon all the unwanted school buildings in the state or what? This is such an inefficient solution, among other issues, to a problem that Dewhurst and the rest of the GOP seem to be saying 'Here parents, y'all figure it out. We're done with this.' Education needs to be handled and standardized by the state. This voucher system will just turn schools into businesses complete with marketing departments that are stumbling over one another for your money. There is also real concern with religious biases taking over the curriculum, as well. This thing stinks from all angles. I see no good coming from this.
audrey fisher
The education system is being gamed, it has become a political tool rather than a societal issue. When someone / anyone comes in, draws a line in the sand, writes rules that defy logic and then says the education system no longer works, should be ashamed. Sadly, they aren't. We can look at all the charts they present, but few have actually looked at anything more said charts and asked real questions. Why, because some have pre-loaded their ideology and then moved forward to make it fail.
Sadly, TX is not alone in gaming the educational system. Politicians here are demanding that everyone speak English. OK, but how long does it take an individual to learn English if it is not their first language?
Estimates are that it takes 4 years. Then pile on the stress and ask yourself if you could learn a foreign language and take/ pass a test in that new language.
The standard test is written in English-only, I get that. But at the same time, if a student isn't fluent in the language, what are the odds that they can pass that test. This is a problem that no legislator will address, because if that was addressed, it would show that they are writing rules. One has to wonder if they could take and pass a test written in any foreign language, say Japanese or German.
Before Dewhurst and his colleagues totallly dismantle public education, we need to ask / demand that they address the game that they put in place, to assure that student's fail.
Shawn Devereaux
I'm a private school parent. To be honest, vouchers would only help those already in private school. Let's say a voucher is worth $7,000. Our kindergarten tuition is $10,000. (It increases by grade up to $15,000 currently for high school). Plus, a $1,200 enrollment fee. Plus, a mandatory $100 PTA fee. Lunch is $4 instead of a subsidized $2 or less. After school care is $250/month. Starting in 7th grade, there's annual class trips that run $1,000 - $2,500 per kid. Sports cost $500 per semester. There's no school buses so you're on your own getting your kids to school. Last I looked, there's no quality private schools in poorer neighborhoods where the lower quality schools are. If you have to rely on school buses, there's no way to get your kid to private school.
If you can't afford to attend a better public school already, it'll be nearly impossible to attend a quality private school even with a voucher. But, heck, I'll get a discount.
There are also a lot of other issues:
1. quality private schools are at or near capacity so where are the schools going to come from? None of the good schools are going to expand for sake of enrollment since it would adversely affect education.
2. Private schools pick and choose the kids. Our kid had to pass an entrance exam for kindergarten. The parents have to pass a background check and in person interview. It's fine you have a voucher in your hand but if you haven't attended an academic preschool and you or your parents aren't up to snuff, that voucher is meaningless.
3. No private school that's in demand is going to have any desire to accept vouchers and red tape associated with it. Our school does no standardized testing at all, has had 100% 4-year college attendance for over 20 years running, and is recruited by top tier universities from across the nation. Do you think they'll have any desire to deal with the SBOE mouth breathers?
gypsy314 ne
I say when is the bill that allowing illegal aliens to receive Texas tax payers money for school and welfare coming up for repeal. You would think Perry would put it up since it cost him dearly and will haunt him until it is repealed. Texans do not want it and can not afford it. So were is our leadership on correcting this big mistake on Texas leadership.
Matt Robinson
Shawn Devereaux needs to testify before the Senate & House Education Committee's in the Legislature . . . . let the battle begin.
Zachary Wright
In my opinion, I think just a few of us are reading our comments. The people in charge are not hearing us and those who have voted and continue to vote for those in charge neither care nor have a clue of how many of us are fearful and concerned about the plight of our schoolchildren. The Texas Land office still has $300 million of the children's money. They continue to keep many from knowing what is really happening to public schoolchildren. Please push back to those state reps and senators and tell them that this needs to stop now, or our educational system in Texas will end sooner than you think.
Dinah Miller
Look at the crazy curriculum Lousiana is paying for with their state dollars in Gov. Jindal's new voucher program.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/loch-ness-monster-real-in-biology-textbook/2012/06/26/gJQAPhwr4V_blog.html
"A biology textbook used by a Christian school in Louisiana that will be accepting students with publicly funded vouchers in the fall says that the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland is real. And it isn’t just any monster but a dinosaur — an effort to debunk evolution and bolster creationist theory."
There is no accountability with vouchers. Lets don't sink to Louisana's level. Texas is better than that.
Alice Taylor
"Witnesses testified that the competition such programs fostered increased options for parents and created a better marketplace for teachers while improving traditional public schools by challenging them to attract and retain students."
Where do they get these witnesses? Name one single state where vouchers have "created a better marketplace for teachers". Just one. Can't think of any? Neither can I and I'm a teacher. I guess you can get any yahoo off the street to make unfounded assertions in front of a legislative committee without any proof or even common sense and that's good enough for this legislature.
Vouchers will allow rich people in big cities to get money from the state subsidize their kid's church schools. That's it.
Rural kids will still go to public schools because it's not cost effective to put private schools out in the boonies. Poor kids will still go to public schools because they won't have the money to make up the difference between the voucher and the cost of a private school. Disabled kids will still go to public schools because private church schools aren't in the business of being charitable.