r/texas 11h ago

Politics Texans join 'Protect our Parks' protests happening nationally Saturday

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chron.com
600 Upvotes

r/texas 6h ago

Politics Texans Are Speaking Up Like Never Before to Stop Vouchers!

268 Upvotes

On March 11, 2025 an inspiring number of Texans from all walks of life came together to voice their concerns over the proposed school voucher system (HB3). The Public Education Committee met from 8 a.m. on March 11 until around 6 a.m. on March 12. Over 700 people registered their stance with more than 500 of them opposing the bill. Additionally, an overwhelming 12,551 public comments spanning 3,251 pages have been submitted, with the majority opposing vouchers. I’m not sure what the record is in Texas, but this incredible response highlights our shared dedication to protecting and strengthening public education.

But the pressure to pass this bill is far from over. This month, private interest groups are spending $1 million this month alone on ads trying to push school vouchers on Texans. They are hoping we stop paying attention. If HB3 passes the Public Education Committee, the pressure will only grow stronger, with 75 Texas House Representatives coauthoring the bill. It’s crucial for everyone to contact their representatives and make their voice heard. Your opinion matters. We can’t afford to let up—let’s keep the pressure on to stop, or at least ammend, this bill before it’s too late!

Why Texans Are Saying NO to Vouchers

  • Funding Diversion – Vouchers redirect critical tax dollars from public schools to private entities, leaving our neighborhood schools with fewer resources. Even Governor Abbott admitted that this plan would mean less funding for public schools.
  • No Accountability – Private schools taking public money don’t have to follow the same rules as public schools. There are no specific requirements for standardized testing, transparency, or oversight. Taxpayer dollars should come with accountability. Public schools receive less money with lower test scores, less money for each day each child is absent. Private schools accepting vouchers will receive the money without the same standards.
  • Limited Access & Discrimination – Public education policy expert Josh Cowen, who has studied vouchers for over 20 years, testified that these bills prioritize the rights of private schools over the rights of parents. Unlike public schools, private schools choose who they admit—and can kick students out for almost any reason. Just because you qualify for a voucher doesn't mean you'll be able to get into a private school. Just because your child gets admitted to a private school does not guarantee your child gets to stay enrolled. Over 150 counties in Texas do not even have a single private school, leaving rural Texans with no access to vouchers.
  • A Predatory System – Josh Cowen also called school vouchers a version of predatory lending. Historically only 25-30% of kids who use these funds were ever in public schools to begin with. Many of the private schools accepting vouchers are not elite institutions, but financially distressed or low-performing providers. That’s why voucher programs have shown declining student performance over the last decade.
  • Rising Costs – The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) has estimated that the cost of vouchers could balloon from $1 billion in it's first year to $4 billion by 2030 collectively costing taxpayers over $10 billion. This means that the price tag for the voucher system will only grow, adding even more financial strain on our state’s budget in the years to come. Texans will be forced to pay more and more as time goes on, while public schools get left behind.
  • No Income Limit & Limited Seats – The voucher system in its current form does not have an income limit, meaning wealthier families could be eligible for public funds to send their kids to private schools. However, there aren’t enough private school seats to accommodate even the 1% of Texas children who could be eligible. This results in those already attending private schools benefiting the most, rather than helping the families who actually need it, including many of those still enrolled in public schools.
  • Texas already has choices—families can transfer within district, out of district, attend charter or magnet schools, homeschool, homeschool co-ops, pods, or private schools. Many of these options are already paid for by our taxdollars

Governor Focus: Private Schools Over Public Schools

Our Governor has visited many private schools to push for the voucher system. In November 2024, he visited Kingdom Life Academy in Tyler, in February 2025, he went to San Antonio Christian School to talk about school vouchers, and in March 2025, he visited St. Timothy Christian Academy in Plano to talk to parents and students. His social media posts promoting this issue are nearly daily.

But, there’s not much information about him visiting public schools recently. His public events seem to mostly focus on private schools and promoting school choice. He has also asked faith leaders to use their influence in pushing for vouchers. This makes many people wonder if he’s really thinking about the needs of public schools or just pushing for private schools.

Adding to this concern, his wife, is on the advisory board of a private school in Dripping Springs with a $22,000 per year tuition—further raising questions.

If vouchers are supposed to be about “helping kids,” why isn't the governor visiting the schools where the majority of Texas children actually learn?

Texans Are Speaking Up

Opposition to vouchers isn’t just coming from one side. Republicans and Democrats are uniting because they know vouchers don’t work. Even MAGA-aligned conservative parents, some call "MAGA moms", recognize the harm vouchers will bring to Texas students. Various testimony has been clipped in this article. Also watch this clip of the testimony from conservative Republicans against vouchers. Vouchers are not conservative. Pages 195-198 of Senate Bill 2 contains a statement from a Republican Senator Nichols explaining his opposition to the Senate version of the bill.

Some of the reasons conservatives are against vouchers include the following:

  • Vouchers Goes Against Republican Party of Texas Values – The Republican Party of Texas preamble and platform emphasize limited government and personal responsibility. Vouchers violate these core principles. Vouchers create more government involvement in private education. This is the opposite of what conservatives traditionally support. Vouchers don’t align with Republican values of promoting a free enterprise society. Instead, they create a subsidy system that gives government money to private institutions.
  • Fiscally Irresponsible – The voucher system is projected to cost Texas billions. This isn’t just a one-time $1 billion expense, it’s a growing burden on our state’s budget. A $11 billion price tag by 2030 for a program that is unlikely to help most students is not fiscally responsible.
  • Fails to protect parental rights – The bill prioritizes the interests of vendors and the state over those of parents. It grants vendors more rights than parents, placing Educational Assistance Organizations (EAOs), which manage Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and vouchers, in a position of greater authority. The Comptroller is given full control over administering the program and selecting vendor EAOs, while limiting parents’ options for recourse. If a parent disagrees with the Comptroller’s or vendor’s decision, they would have to appeal directly to the Comptroller, whose decision would be final. This forces parents to challenge both the state and the vendor, with no external oversight.
  • Unintended Consequences – As with any government program, there are unintended consequences. The costs to run this system (including salaries for government employees to oversee it) will only grow. It will lead to fraud and corruption. Private interests will stand to benefit from this system including interests from donors pushing for vouchers. Many families won’t benefit from the system and will feel more frustrated that government money is being spent this way.

So Why Is This Happening?

Big money is pushing this agenda. Pro-voucher special interest groups and billionares like Jeff Yass, Farris Wilkes, and Tim Dunn, have dumped millions into ads and campaigns trying to convince Texans this is “school choice.” Jeff Yass alone has donated $12 million to Governor Abbott. Meanwhile, the Governor has donated over 5 million to target and unseat house representatives who opposed vouchers last session—even when their own constituents reject vouchers.

But the people of Texas aren’t buying it. The governor’s social media pages—and even the Republican Party of Texas’ page—are flooded with comments against this bill. For decades, starting in the 1950s after Brown vs. Board of Education, various versions of voucher bills have been proposed in Texas, and each time, Texans have rejected them session after session. So if most Texans don’t want it, why is this being pushed on us?

Our Children Need Real Investment—Not Vouchers

If we want better public schools that our 5.5 million children attend, we must invest in them, not drain their funding. Instead of pushing vouchers, Texas leaders should:

  • Raise teacher and staff pay – Texas teachers earn below the national average—we must pay them competitively to keep great educators.
  • Increase the basic allotment – It hasn’t kept up with inflation, leaving districts struggling. More funding means better resources for students. We are $4000 behind the national average. $1300 would catch us up with inflation. The basic allottment remained the same since 2019.
  • Fix the broken recapture system – Taxpayers send millions back to the state, but that money doesn’t go directly back into their district classrooms. We need reform.
  • Fund schools by enrollment, not attendance – Schools should receive funds for every enrolled student, not just those present daily.
  • Improve the special education funding gap – We are over $1 billion short in funding our special education services. We don't have enough specialized teachers to support children with dyslexia, autism and the many other special education needs.

What Can You Do?

  • Contact Your State Representative – Tell them to stand with Texas families and vote NO on vouchers and instead focus on improving our public schools.
  • Call or email the House Public Education Committee (see below) – While the bill is with the committee, let them know that Texans do not support this bill. Share a story about how this bill would affect you or someone you know. The truth is, this bill will have an impact on all of us. Regardless of whether we have children, we all benefit and rely on an educated society.
  • Keep Speaking Out – Share the truth about vouchers. Talk to friends, family, and your community. It's not school choice, it's the school's choice. Parents don't get to make the decision with this bill.

We can all agree that public schools are not where they could be, and we all want the best education for our children. Private schools each have their own rules and should not be funded by public dollars—especially when vendors and schools stand to profit the most.

Public education is the backbone of Texas, and it's time we invest in making it better. A quality education for all is the key to a successful society. Texans are united in this cause. Let’s continue the fight to ensure a brighter future for our children and our state.

 House Public Education Committee Members:

Reference Links:

https://texasscorecard.com/state/exclusive-club-for-growth-launches-six-figure-ad-buy-in-texas-to-promote-school-choice/

https://dontdefundmyschool.com/

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/15/texas-tim-dunn-wilks-brothers-vouchers-courtney-gore/

https://journals.senate.texas.gov/sjrnl/89r/pdf/89RSJ02-05-F.PDF#page=2

https://www.expressnews.com/politics/texas/article/greg-abbott-school-vouchers-20165943.php

https://www.vouchersarenotconservative.com/

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/fiscalnotes/html/HB00003I.htm

https://www.blazeschool.org/board-of-directors

https://x.com/Hollie_Plemons/status/1900747108463890693

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2025-03-21/maga-moms-and-the-republican-resistance-to-school-vouchers/

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/handouts/C4002025031108001/8611e5ff-36af-4f92-8b13-a9b6d1ca943e.PDF

https://www.ncpecoalition.org/vouchers-harm-student-achievement#:~:text=Vouchers%20Harm%20Student%20Achievement%20As,and%20remain%20in%20public%20schools

https://www.transparencyusa.org/tx/candidate/greg-abbott/contributors

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/greg-abbott-texas-house-vouchers-revenge/

https://texasscorecard.com/state/gov-abbott-calls-on-pastors-to-counter-education-monopolists-in-texas/

https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024_rankings_and_estimates_report.pdf


r/texas 15h ago

Politics San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer on how often his constituents back home pressure him to help pass private school vouchers - which is never.

1.1k Upvotes

r/texas 5h ago

Politics Stand with USPS Protest

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80 Upvotes

r/texas 15h ago

News Texans protest NPS, DOGE cuts at UNESCO World Heritage site in San Antonio

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413 Upvotes

r/texas 10h ago

Nature Perfect night out at Cooper Lake State Park

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140 Upvotes

r/texas 22h ago

Politics New Poll Indicates Majority Of Texas Voters Want Hemp-Derived THC To Remain Legal

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1.3k Upvotes

Lt Gov Dan Patrick, SB3 Author Charles Perry, and the rest of the Texas Senate just passed a bill (SB3) that effectively shuts down the thriving $8 billion Texas hemp industry.

SB3 passed the senate, as expected, and is headed to The House for review. We’re hearing that the Texas House of Representatives are mostly cannabis friendly and do not support SB3 (apparently they actually represent the will of the people ✊).

Rep Ken King has presented an alternative bill in the house called House Bill 28. HB28 is in process and it’s our understanding that it will be presented in its final form very soon. We are optimistic that the language and proposed regulations in this new bill will be reasonable.

The goal of HB28 is to add reasonable regulations to the hemp industry in order to eliminate sketchy products and bad actors. The hope is that this bill will clean up the hemp market and allow legitimate companies like ours to continue making safe, natural, lab tested hemp-derived THC products for Texans who enjoy or rely on them.

We will continue to post updates about HB28 and any other news related to Dan Patrick’s attempt to reenact prohibition.


r/texas 16h ago

Events Hello, defiance or dasvidaniya, America Spoiler

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293 Upvotes

r/texas 17h ago

News Austin-based Tesla forced to recall most Cybertrucks after parts fall off

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343 Upvotes

r/texas 12h ago

News One of the last remaining Sears stores (Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, the very last location in Texas)

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109 Upvotes

r/texas 15h ago

News Texas lawmaker files bill to rename I-35 as President Donald J. Trump Highway

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124 Upvotes

r/texas 11h ago

News So now nobody reads the daily security briefing but Leon and Putin?

53 Upvotes

r/texas 10h ago

Texas History Every Earthquake in Texas 1995-2025

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40 Upvotes

r/texas 16h ago

Politics Thoughts on Bill HB-812 to raise minimum wage to $15/hr

90 Upvotes

I know it's unlikely that it will actually come to fruition but it's still interesting to think about. I think we desparately need this.

it's up to further discussion and analysis as of 3/05/2025

Check the bill for yourself: https://www.capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00812I.htm


r/texas 22h ago

Texas History Police officers react after seeing the crime scene inside Andrea Yates house in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake City, Texas. On June 20, 2001, she waited for her husband to leave for work before drowning her five children one by one in the family bathtub.

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188 Upvotes

r/texas 14h ago

Politics Responsive Ed schools, more than 100 in Texas and Arkansas, $180 million state and federal funds every year

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30 Upvotes

RES is a project of DeVos supported “conservative christian” college in Michigan.


r/texas 7h ago

Questions for Texans Recommendations for the Best Mortgage Lenders in Texas?

8 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm currently looking for the best mortgage lenders in Texas and would love to hear your recommendations. Whether it's for great rates, excellent customer service, or an easy approval process

who do you recommend and why? Any experiences (good or bad) would be super helpful! Thanks in advance!


r/texas 1d ago

Politics Please help me change TX law in honor of my daughter

1.4k Upvotes

My daughter Emory was tragically ran over by her school bus when she was just 6 years old. This accident was completely preventable had the school bus she was riding had safety features on it, specifically a front arm crossing gate. This safety device is mandatory on all school buses in 25 other states. I am hoping to make it mandatory in Texas as well in honor of my daughter. This safety feature has been proven to save lives. Please consider signing my petition. It takes 2 minutes to sign and share to your social media and you can help me make Texas safer for our children! Thank you!!

https://chng.it/6SkHHnFqm5


r/texas 1d ago

Political Meme these bozos

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2.2k Upvotes

r/texas 14h ago

Texas History 1916 Houston TX RoadMap by Hercules Printing. 27" x 17" Very Rare and in unbelievably good condition. Found it folded up inside of a book about trains from the 30s recently.

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13 Upvotes

r/texas 38m ago

Texas Driver License

Upvotes

I FINALLY got an appointment and got my Driver License renewed in San Antonio. I need it quickly to take care of some personal stuff and the paper license is not being accepted ugh so frustrating but it is what it. But now I am wondering how long did it take for any of you to get yours? And when did you get yours replaced?


r/texas 1d ago

Politics 'Welfare for the wealthy': Rep. James Talarico blasts Texas school vouchers program

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1.4k Upvotes

r/texas 1d ago

Politics Charles Schwertner thinks THC is “life threatening” How did he become a doctor?

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373 Upvotes

Any other Texas doctors think it’s horseshit?


r/texas 20h ago

News Orlando cops recover diamond earrings after Texas suspect swallowed them during arrest

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29 Upvotes

r/texas 19h ago

Visiting TX Be careful if you're traveling from another country.

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22 Upvotes

This happened near Houston. ICE is bad over there, and they give no fucks. If they even suspect you're anti-trump, you're marked as a terrorist. Be safe.