1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Listen Up Texas, Time is Running Out to Stop the Voucher Scam (SB2)! We’ve been here before – school vouchers/ESAs have previously been rejected by the House and now we need to do it again! SB2 threatens to give up to $11,500 back to approved vendors for about 100,000 students (that’s just 1% of Texas students) – and it’s all coming from our recaptured surplus funds which are largely funded by tax dollars meant for public education and public initiatives. Instead of using **$1 billion** to support our *starving* public schools, improve teacher salaries, and fix the power grid and water systems, our leaders think helping 100,000 kids go to private school is an “emergency.” Here’s why this matters: * **We already have school choice.** Parents can transfer within districts, apply to other districts, attend charter schools, and even send their kids to private schools that offer scholarships/financial aid. * **Private schools are not accountable.** No oversight on what’s being taught or how effective it is.  Testing like the STAAR is not required. Public schools receive less funding if their accountability/testing scores are undesirable but a private school will not have any standard requirements.  A brand-new private school with no experience or trained teachers could open and still receive tax money under this bill. These schools would not need to follow the same rules as public schools nor will they protect our children they way public schools are required to. * **Private schools choose, not parents.**  The bill says parents can choose private schools for their kids, but private schools get to decide who they let in. If a child has behavior problems or needs special help with learning, the school might not accept them or kick them out during the school year. Also, many families can’t afford the costs added to tuition like technology or misc. fees, uniforms, or paying for transportation. * **The lottery system?** If more people apply than there’s funding for, 80% of applicants will go into a lottery if they are "low income"  (even families making up to $160k) or have a disability. This means a single mom with 2 kids making $30k will have the same chance as a family of four making $160k. The median household income in Texas in 2023 was $75,780. The other 20% of applicants have no family income cap. * **Problems in Rural Areas**: Many small towns don't have private schools nearby, so kids can’t go even if their parents want them to. Families who don’t have enough money or a car for transportation are left out. Public schools in rural areas don’t have as many kids, so if some students leave for private schools, it can be harder for the school to keep running.**.  **oppose SB2** **Texas deserves better than this.** Demand them to focus on fully funding public schools first!  Let’s fight for our kids, our teachers, and our future!