FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2023
CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/hers), [email protected]
AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Abbott today announced a deal was being made with Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan regarding school vouchers. The contentiously debated program would divert tax dollars from neighborhood public schools to partially subsidize education at unregulated private and religious schools.
Texas Freedom Network President Val Benavidez (she/her/ella) issued the following response:
“There’s something truly cynical about a governor who praises our public schools as top-notch while in the same statement announcing an alleged deal — made behind closed doors — to steal vital resources from kids in our neighborhood schools. Legislators should vote no on all voucher schemes and focus solely on helping our chronically underfunded public schools that educate Texas kids from all families and backgrounds.
“Our neighborhood schools are the heart of every Texas community. If our legislators choose to abandon our public schools, they are betraying Texas kids and surrendering to the demands of wealthy special interests who have blatantly conspired to destroy public education. Voucher schemes divert our tax dollars to exclusive private schools that can deny admission or educational services to any student — including students with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ students, students from LGBTQIA+ families, as well as students from all religious faiths and diverse backgrounds. Speaker Phelan and our legislators must serve Texans by rejecting this voucher deal.”
