Sara Stevenson is a librarian at the O. Henry Middle School in Austin, Texas. She sent the following letter to members of the Legislature:

Dear senators and congressmen/women,

Please don’t add private school vouchers (ESAs) onto HB 21. House Bill 21 gives school districts much needed fiscal relief. Here in Austin ISD, we had to give away $406 million of our tax dollars this year. Next year it will be over $500 million. Austin ISD, being property rich, gives away more money due to recapture than any other district in the state. Meanwhile, 60% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

If the legislature wants to pass private school vouchers, they need to do so in its own bill and not sneak it onto this bill. It needs the support of the Texas people, which it does not have. Polls show that Texans do NOT support spending public money on private school tuition. Furthermore, the Texas House recently voted almost unanimously against it. Please respect the will of the people and their representatives.

Private schools vary in quality as do public schools, but at least public schools are accountable to the state. Private schools are under no accountability measures, not even to follow IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) protections, a federal law since 1973. How does it serve special needs students to have their rights stripped?

Please take the voucher poison pill out of the legislation. Pass it on its own or wait until next session when you have a chance to garner more support.

Please help our Texas public schools. We need your support.

Best,

Sara Stevenson
Austin, Texas