Over the past two weekends, I attended five backpack giveaway events. I watched hundreds of families line up at these events and wait in the terrible Texas heat for the doors to open, starting these giveaways. These families and children line up for free backpacks and school supplies because they can not afford these basic supplies for their children. The lines wrapped around each sponsoring building, filled with families struggling to afford the basics for their kids. These heartbreaking scenes, occurring right here in our community, underscore a critical truth: our schools are underfunded, our teachers are overburdened and underpaid and our children are paying the price.
As a Democratic candidate for the Texas state house, I am committed to fighting for fully funded schools and increased pay for teachers. No teacher should have to dip into their own pockets to provide classroom materials, and no family should be forced to choose between paying the electric bill and buying school supplies. But my opponent—and the far-right movement backing him—are pushing policies that do nothing to help these families.
In fact, they’ve refused to accept federal funding that would have provided $450 million in federal dollars to give free summer lunches to our children in need who do not eat three meals a day when their public school is not open. My opponent continues to undermine our public schools by ignoring this situation and arguing that we could give $8 to $10 billion dollars annually to pay for private school tuition for kids already attending private schools.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. If we don’t take action now, more families will be left behind, and our public education system will continue to erode. I believe that every child deserves a quality education, and that starts with supporting our schools and our teachers.
We have the power to make a difference, but I need your support and your vote to do it.
Together, we can ensure that no child goes without the supplies they need to succeed, and no teacher is forced to struggle to make ends meet. This is a fight we can’t afford to lose.
Thank you for standing with me in this crucial battle. Our children's future depends on it.
Erin Shank
Candidate for the Texas House District 56
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