On Monday the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee in the Texas House will consider HB 33, which would create a vastly expensive private school voucher scheme at a cost of billions of dollars to neighborhood public schools. The voucher lobby originally wanted to add the so-called “taxpayer savings” grant scheme to a budget bill during the regular legislative session in May. But the scheme’s supporters decided not to offer that amendment in the face of strong opposition from public school advocates.
It’s interesting that the new bill will be heard by the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee instead of the Public Education Committee. Clearly, the voucher lobby is more interested in slashing funds for public education — and diverting that money to private and religious schools — rather than in making neighborhood public schools stronger in Texas.
The Texas Freedom Network and our partners in the Coalition for Public Schools will be at the hearing on Monday. TFN Insider will keep you updated on what happens.
If vooshays do come, I think they are going to be shocked at the number of people who will refuse to put their children in private fundamentalist religious schools.
Now squint and say, “No they won’t because our religious schools will be the only alternatives open to them. Gotcha!!!”
Nope. People will homeschool to avoid Christian fundamentalist schools, and secularists dead set on making a few bucks will set up private secular schools galore to grab money. You forget. This is America where the market blooms to fill the needs of those with—shall we say—some change to spare.
And here is the real downside for you fundies out there. Right now, in the public schools, you guys are still riding the civil disobedience high of sneaking in prayers on the school intercom system, sponsoring graduations in churches, and having local pastors make the rounds of the school cafeterias at lunch. When the kids are getting their secular education at home or in a secular private school, that will be ALL OVER AND DONE. You won’t even be able to sneak a mouse fart into those venues because they will stop you dead cold at the doorway or invite your children rather immediately to attend school elsewhere. There is power in not being beholden to anyone.
Then where are you gonna be?
Here is the significant point: after all these years TFN, AU, ACLU, ARL, etc., continues to distort what the Constitution commands and continues to lose the constitutional debate in state legislatures, in Court, and in the public square.
Hello?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb7SbUWw9dM .