The Latest Information
From Eileen Rosenblum, Ph.D.
LWV Dallas Education Advocacy Chair
State Level Education Issues
1. Texas on School Vouchers February 4, 2023
The Education Issues Chair, Diane Andy, for the League of Women Voters of Texas, has written a Take Action document entitled: 2023 Action Paper: Financing Public Education.
You can find it here on the Texas League Website: 2023 Action Paper
The League of Women Voters of Texas does not support the Texas school voucher proposal and this paper discusses the reason why the League thinks this is a bad idea.
All local Leagues, including LWV Dallas support the Texas League position. The Texas Tribune , as well as other news outlets recently reported that Governor Abbott is planning to support legislation that will provide Texas parents with tax payer spending accounts to supplement their ability to choose nonpublic education.
In short, students in nonpublic settings on average do not achieve better academic gains than public school students and the vouchers are insufficient to help low-income students find a way out of poverty.
Finally vouchers will potentially put a strain on public school district finances.
We encourage you to write to your Texas representatives to express your opposition to tax payer spending accounts, AKA vouchers.
2. League of Women Voters of Texas School Funding Position:
The League of Women Voters of Texas, support adequate state funding for public school to ensure that all Texas school children receive a high-quality education.
Several bills have been submitted since the legislative session began that would increase state funding to school districts according to the Texas Tribune 2/2/2023. Currently the state funds 41% of K-12 educational cost.
One bill provides for counting school district enrollment rather than average daily attendance. This bill addresses the fact that since COVID, parents are more likely to keep children home from school, resulting in a decrease in the average daily attendance. This has caused significant decreases in state funding for school districts. Counting school enrollment could increase school funding by five billion dollars.
Another bill that has been filed increases the daily allotment for average daily attendance from $6,610 to $7,095.
In addition to increasing school district funding, there are several bills attempting to address the critical shortage of qualified teachers in the state.
Some bills would provide $10,000 yearly scholarships for students entering teacher training programs and other measures provide raises for teacher salaries.
Finally, bills have been filed to finance school safety measures. One bill would provide funds for mental health professionals on school campuses
The League of Women Voters does not support legislation that limits the ability to talk freely about sensitive topics in the classroom or to limit the opportunity to participate in civic life.