Governor Gregg Abbott went all in and all out to pass vouchers, so that public money would fund religious schools, private schools, and homeschools. His proposal passed in the State Senate.
But it in trouble in the House of Representatives, where rural Republicans are standing with urban Democrats against vouchers for nonpublic schools. The House today passed the Herrero Amendment, prohibiting public funding for vouchers.
The Pastors for Texas Children have worked tirelessly to protect public funding for public schools. Five million children attend public schools. Three hundred thousand students are enrolled in private schools. they issued the following statement about today’s events:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rev. Charles Foster Johnson
210-379-1066
Johnson.cfj@gmail.com
Herrero Amendment Blocking Voucher Funding Passes Overwhelmingly
The Herrero Amendment prohibiting tax money for private school vouchers passed the Texas House of Representatives this afternoon on an 86-52 vote.
The Texas House has once again repudiated a private school voucher program, as they have many times over the past 25 years.
This rejection of vouchers is particularly powerful because Gov. Greg Abbott made the passage of a voucher policy an “emergency item” this legislative session, and personally lobbied House members on the chamber floor to advance it.
“Texans abhor private school vouchers,” said the Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of Pastors for Texans Children. “For public dollars to be diverted to subsidize the private education of affluent children and to pay for religious education, particularly that contrary to one’s own, is fundamentally unjust.”
“Unfortunately, Gov. Abbott has tied up the entire legislature this session, at the cost of millions of tax dollars, for in his own petty personal political agenda.”
The Texas State Constitution, in Article 7, Section 1, calls for the suitable provision for “public free schools.” There is no consideration whatsoever for public funding diverted to private schools.
Using public tax dollars, taken from our 5.4 million Texas schoolchildren, to underwrite the private education of a few, is an egregious moral violation.
We find it particularly troubling for public funding to advance and establish religious programs in private schools. This is a clear violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and God’s Moral Law.
Pastors for Texas Children is grateful that the Texas House of Representatives once again stood firm for the true Texas conservative value of universal education for all Texas schoolchildren, provided and protected by the public.
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Pastors for Texas Children mobilizes the faith community for public education ministry and advocacy. http://www.pastorsfortexaschildren.com
PO Box 471155 – Fort Worth, Texas 76147
http://www.pastorsfortexaschildren.com
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes!
(Glad to sound like a broken record the last couple days!)
Yes!
The MAGA-RINO fascists have taken some heavy hits this week in more than one state. Still, will these fascists wake up to what the majority of the American people want?
I don’t think so. Fascists do not and have never cared what the majority of people want in every state and country where they exist and hold autocratic power.
The only way to stop them is for the majority of people to vote them out of power at every level.
Apparently pigs do fly!
And that would be how the church and the State, “mingled”, and forget about the Separation of Church & State from…a long, long time ago, was it??? And this is really bad, beacuse now, religions have a say, in how the public schools are operating.
Fantastic news from Texas! The taxpayers keep their local democracy and they don’t have to fund the Catholic religion and others that discriminate against women and people who are gay. Unlike the religious schools that SCOTUS exempted from civil rights employment law, public schools are a bastion for the principles of equal opportunity.
Taurus wants Americans forced to pay for legacy admission schools, segregation academies and for schools that discriminate based on religion.
It’s a great day for all of America. Taurus should move to Hungary, Catholic Vote praises its strongman leader.
In every age, in every country, the priest aligns with the despot- Jefferson. The doctrine of, “error has no rights” (Wikipedia) spreads like Kudzu with each conservative win orchestrated by the religious right.
And we can expect that quality of education in the public school systems to drop down to an all-time low now too…
No, vouchers would have drained vast sums out of the public schools. Defeating vouchers was vital.
This is a sliver of sunlight breaking through the heavy clouds of American Politics.
A grass-roots republican movement which harks back to an even more and arguably genuine fundamentalist movement which gave rise to the original Party when Lincoln was around.
It is folk such as these who will bring the downfall of the ghastly MAGA movement, working from within.
How encouraging to see Democrats reaching out to work with them and not label all republicans with the stain of recent years.
There is Hope yet.
yes!
Once again Texas has managed to fend off a harmful proposal. Unfortunately, the legislature just continues to recycle these voucher bills. Vouchers would devastate rural schools and make the poor and working class subsidize the affluent. Considering that the universal voucher law in FL will cost taxpayers at least $4 billion dollars, Texas has dodged an expensive, wasteful bullet.
The Texas House of Reps. has a republican majority of 86-64, but 24 repubs crossed party lines to vote with dems on this amendment. Abbott’s main priority seems to be a big loser in Texas.
I’ll bet all 24 represent rural districts where the public school is the hub of the community.