Pastors for Texas Children issued this statement in response to the defeat on Wednesday of a voucher bill by the House of Representatives. PTC has been a strong ally of parents and educators who oppose the diversion of public funds to private and religious schools.
“The Texas House of Representatives resoundingly repudiated private school vouchers today in two additional votes, both by 2/3 margins, adding to the overwhelming defeat of vouchers in general from earlier in the legislative session.
“In a surprising procedural move, the Texas Senate last week attached a voucher amendment to HB 21, the much-needed school funding bill providing structural relief for our community and neighborhood schools.
“But, thanks to your strong witness and that of countless thousands of others, House Speaker Joe Straus, House Public Ed Committee Chair Dan Huberty, and other House leaders stood their ground against the Senate leadership’s cynical ploy, and returned HB 21 to a House/Senate conference committee with the instruction that no money whatsoever be diverted to private schools. At that point, the Senate conceded the defeat of the bill.
“It is crystal clear to us, from conducting 400 meetings around the great state of Texas over the past four years of our existence, that Texans love their public schools and do not wish to see them privatized through vouchers. We have witnessed tremendous community support for public education, led in no small measure by the faithful service of pastors and congregational leaders. We thank God for this consistent, steady servant leadership.
“The work that lies before us will be substantial. We have much solidarity yet to show to our teachers and schoolchildren. And we have a profound moral charge to work in such a way that our elected officials in the legislature of the state of Texas understand that universal education for all children– regardless of race, economics, condition, and background– is a basic human right before God, and provided by civil society everywhere.”
—
Charles Foster Johnson, Pastor, Bread Fellowship of Fort Worth
Executive Director, Pastors for Texas Children
P.O. Box 471155
Fort Worth, TX 76147
(c)210-379-1066
http://www.pastorsfortexaschildren.com
http://www.charlesfosterjohnson.com
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Why can’t we have that same sentiment in other states?
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We can, Mary! Diane and many others are helping us plant community support and witness for our public schools in ALL 50 states!
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Glad to see vouchers defeated.
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Vouchers=Ruination of the Public School System. It’s that simple.
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How refreshing to read an intelligent comment. Wish Indiana’s politicians were as smart.
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Every community needs vigilant citizens like the Texas pastors. Our current corrupt administration will attempt to privatize anything for the common good to replace it with some form of corporate welfare. This includes all of our social safety nets.
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Diaper Baby Dan should be removed from office. His selfish, narrow-minded approach to government is harmful to the citizens and children of Texas.
If vouchers and charter schools were the magic bullets to improve schools and the data supported that theory, then educators would be leading the charge for them.
If there is a special session then Lt. Dan should be charged for the entire cost of holding the session.
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David,
Dan Patrick is obsessed with vouchers. He needs to be returned to the private sector to be the Rush Limbaugh of Texas.
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He definitely needs to go away. May Antarctica?
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I find it ironic that Texas, a GOP bastion, might end up being the standard bearer that saves community-based, democratic, transparent, non-profit public education while so-called liberal and/or progressive states like California controlled by the Democratic Party end up losing battles repeatedly like the recent one in Los Angeles over LAUSD that handed the 2nd largest school district in the U.S. over to the autocratic, fascist pirates and frauds that are behind the corporate K-12 education industry’s attempt to destroy teachers’ unions and real public education.
Maybe the Texas GOP should spin itself away from the national Republican Party and create a third party that is a return to what the GOP was before Reagan and the Koch brothers ALEC funded deplorable Tea Party movement existed.
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Thank you Guru Lloyd Lofthouse for your accurate expression.
Charles Foster Johnson, Pastor, Bread Fellowship of Fort Worth, has shown indirectly to Betsy Devos “the true Christian love in Public Education FOR ALL”
I hope that Democrats will learn from Pastor Charles Foster Johnson. May
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Yes, maybe we should pray that enough Democrats and Republicans across the country will listen to this pastor and wake up to take a stand against the autocrats buying America.
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