The removal of the school voucher provision from the education bill by GOP-led votes in the Texas House on Nov. 17 has triggered a spectrum of reactions from HISD parents and community organizers.
House Bill 1, while earmarking funds for educator salary raises and school safety, faced scrutiny for a contentious provision proposing voucher-like education savings accounts (ESAs). These ESAs would allocate $10,500 annually to eligible students for private or parochial school tuition and other educational expenses.
This became an embarrassing result to Gov. Abbott, who has fiercely advocated for ESAs and pressured legislators to vote for them, and as a result, he said he will veto any spending bill that didn’t include voucher-like programs.
This decision has become a focal point in the ongoing struggle for HISD educators, parents, and community organizers who feel disenfranchised by Superintendent Mike Miles and the Board of Managers. Frustrated by perceived inaction at the local level, community members took their concerns directly to state representatives.
What is the community saying?
HISD teacher Tonya Sampson argued that school vouchers give more “choices” to those with children in private schools than to “low-income, impoverished families” who need educational support for their children in the public school system.
She was one of the more than two dozen community members who traveled to Austin on Nov. 15 to voice their concerns about the impacts of the state takeover of the State Board of Education (SBOE).
Although Sampson’s main focus was to testify about feasible action items like the impacts of the reinstatement of the Verizon internet connectivity program to combat the digital divide, she said community members later spoke to legislators at the Capitol after a rather disappointing non-response from Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath.
“Many testified about several problems with the drastic changes to the district since the takeover, but there was only so much the state board could do from what they explained,” she said. “If the goal is to close achievement gaps, don’t shut down access to resources that are equipped to do so, like the internet. Also, fix the crisis in public schools so there won’t be a need for voucher conversations in the first place. At the end of the day, there are people going through great lengths to make our voices heard.”
Lauren Williams, an HISD parent and a community organizer with the Houston Community Voices for Public Education, dismissed the voucher vote as expected, denouncing it as a “scam” that might benefit affluent families but leave inner-city students struggling to afford private school tuition even with vouchers.
“These private schools have waitlists about two to three years long, and some of the tuition is more than what I pay a year in rent,” Williams said. “Public pressure is our strongest weapon. Morath has the power to change things, and until then, we will frustrate him and hold him accountable every time he thinks about HISD.”
Opponents argue that the vouchers will divert funds from public schools. Funding is tied to class attendance, so the average budget is reduced by about $10,000 when a student leaves.
However, not all parents share Williams’ sentiment. Michael Thompson, a father of two, expressed disappointment at removing the voucher provision because he preferred to see options that better aligned with his family’s religious values and beliefs.
“We are months into this takeover. We have to try to be open to what plans they have to turn the district around, considering it wasn’t working before these appointed members got here,” he said. “Let’s try to be open, educate ourselves, and make the right decisions for our families.”
After his failed attempt at getting the vouchers approved, Abbott is changing gears to a more unifying topic among his fellow Republicans, the Texas border.
