This week, the Waco Tribune Herald reported that the Texas’ legislature’s failure to fund our public schools is causing school districts across Texas and McLennan County to dip into their emergency reserve funds in order to keep their doors open. School district’s in McLennan County - including Waco ISD, Midway ISD, La Vega ISD, and China Spring ISD - are all suffering financially because of the Texas Legislature’s refusal to adequately fund our public schools.
Article 9 of the Texas Constitution states that “(i)t shall be the duty of the Legislature of this State, to make suitable provisions for the support and maintenan
ce of a system of Public Free Schools, for the gratuitous instruction of all the inhabitants of this State, between the ages of six and eighteen years”.
The Republicans in Austin are literally ignoring this Constitutional mandate and starving our public schools. Simultaneously, they are promoting a voucher scam which will take $2 billion each year of our tax dollars and give that money to students already attending private schools.
Texas’ public schools educate 95% of our children and virtually all of our special needs children. We are 45th in the nation in public school funding and teacher pay. This is shameful.
The Texas legislature only allocates $6,160 per year to each public school student. However, the voucher scam proposes to pay $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 to each student attending a private school. It is unconscionable that the Texas Legislature would even consider giving more to private school students than public schools students.
The current speaker of the Texas House has directed lawmakers in the 2025 legislative session to “study the use of education savings accounts in other states, and to make recommendations for a Texas program.” Arizona’s voucher program sent billions of dollars to students already attending private schools and put a massive deficient in that state’s budget. Other states have reported similar outcomes.
The survival of our Texas public schools is on the ballot in the November 5th election. I will vote against vouchers. My opponent, Pat Curry, will vote for vouchers. As a seasoned litigator, I will produce the readily available studies and argue forcefully that vouchers in other states have resulted in huge budget deficits, have not given students in public school a “choice” to attend a private school, and our children’ education has been harmed by these scams. I will fight for our public schools.
Governor Abbott thinks he has the votes in the Texas House to pass vouchers. However, if we flip three Texas House seats blue, we can stop this voucher scam. Let's pull of a Waco victory and be one of the three seats flipped so that we can stop this nonsense!
If you attended a public school, know of a child that attends a public school or work in a public school, I need your support so that I can stand up for our public school children. I am the product of a Texas public school, my children are the product of Texas public, private and special education in McLennan County and I ready to fight for our kids.
Would you please consider financially supporting our campaign for the Texas House?
Your support can make the difference in this very important upcoming election.
We can do this. We must do this. We will do this. Let’s go win this historic election!
Thank you,
Erin Shank
Candidate for the Texas House of Representatives - HD 56
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