FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2023
CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/hers), [email protected]
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas House Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment today held a hearing for HB 1, which proposes a school voucher program alongside the only proposed increased funding for public education. After hours-long testimony last night, the Committee voted to move forward HB 1 to a full House Floor vote.
HB 1 would increase the basic allotment for public schools, but would not raise the portion of the basic allotment that has to be devoted to teacher pay, as in previous versions of the legislation. It also does not include funds for school safety like the public education funding bill proposed by the Texas Senate last month.
“Governor Abbott’s nonstop attacks on public education are utterly unconscionable, and we will never stop resisting his attempts to blatantly rob Texas children of their futures,” said Rocío Fierro-Pérez (she/her/ella), interim political director for Texas Freedom Network. “Any attempt to steal funding from our public schools is a direct attack on the dreams and futures of Texas children from every zip code, every racial background, and every family, including LGBTQIA+ families. It’s not just short-sighted; it’s a willful act of sabotage against our community’s well-being. Any lawmaker who supports siphoning funds from our public schools is complicit in perpetuating a cycle of harm that will ripple through generations. We are going to fight back with everything we have for the sake of our children and all the dreams they carry.”
The bill was voted out by a vote of 10-4.
