I sat through 6 hours of testimony yesterday on Texas vouchers and testified myself. Notes below, but this article is important. 🧵. #texas #vouchers #education www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/t... - ThreadSky

marabim.bsky.social • 33 days ago

I sat through 6 hours of testimony yesterday on Texas vouchers and testified myself. Notes below, but this article is important. 🧵. #texas #vouchers #education

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-senate-education-hearing-school-vouchers/

Comments

sthomas451.bsky.social•33 days ago

So obviously this is segregation come back. I'm not a Texan but I assume you and your state party see that? Why not call it what it is?

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

Some of us are. The bulk of the folks who testified yesterday said that. But Texas is a fascist state and a lot of regular folks don’t realize how swiftly this is moving.

sthomas451.bsky.social•33 days ago

I should've known, I'm sorry. Crossing fingers for y'all. ❤️💔❤️

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

They stacked the supporters in the first 2.5 hours. Right now, the upper limit to qualify is 500% of the poverty level, so a single mom with one kid qualifies for $10,000 to use in a school of “choice” even if she makes up to almost 106,000. 🧵

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

Meanwhile the median middle-class income in TX is roughly $77,000 and a single mom who qualifies for SNAP can’t make more than $33,500. But that mom who qualifies for SNAP and the mom making 106k both qualify for the same 10k savings account and the lottery decides who gets it. 🧵

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

Now’s the time to pressure Senators. Vouchers are racist, they take money away from public schools, in #texas tax dollars go to fundamentalist Christian schools, violating the separation of Church and State.

laimab.bsky.social•33 days ago

Is there a line of money on this? Do they own private schools that'll receive the funding?

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

I write for @baptistnews.com and am working on a deep dive on the “experts” they called in support. Some have a lot to gain from it. For others it’s all about ideology and #christiannationalism #christofascism

laimab.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thanks. It just seem strange to me the lengths they're going to get this done. If they do pass it this session, it's because they've already had years with special sessions and one year threatening arrests, then tanking their own candidates, and I can't imagine there's no real $$ gain to be had.

laimab.bsky.social•33 days ago

And the mom qualifying for SNAP isn't going to be able to take off and drive their kid to school every day or hire Uber. They know they're not doing this for "choice".

oceanblueva.bsky.social•33 days ago

And I’m gonna guess that private school costs well above the $10k a year so how would that single mom making $33,500 even afford the rest of the tuition. Spend money making the current school system better don’t just divert it.

djjrjr.bsky.social•33 days ago

"Democrats on Tuesday criticized the bill saying it fails to prioritize the state’s neediest children." Good grief, Democrats, it has nothing to do with that and all the prioritization in the world would not make it a good idea. This is about private equity buying up the education sector.

paulalisa.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you Mara

rockinfossil.bsky.social•32 days ago

Arizona adopted the voucher system and now our public school system is collapsing. Schools are closing in every district, it is a complete mess. My tax dollars are now going to private ‘ Christian’ schools where religion is taught and not much else.

cubtrader.bsky.social•33 days ago

We pay over $20,000 a year in Texas property taxes, most of it school taxes. We gladly help public schools, but will NOT give a dime to religious schools. Going to look into a lawsuit if this bill passes. I have the time to do it, so why not.

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

You and me both. I said in my testimony that I’m a property owner, in the ordination process to be a pastor, work for an interfaith organization and my kid is in public school and I would be first in line to sue if this passes.

cubtrader.bsky.social•33 days ago

Agree. People have the right to whatever faith they choose, or to not choose one at all. They don’t have the right to force theirs upon others.
I like “old school” school, where we learned facts and left religion to Sunday School.
(I was raised in the Methodist church, and mine was quite liberal.)

cubtrader.bsky.social•33 days ago

Separation of church and state is a core American value.
Using taxpayer funds to indoctrinate children with mythology is extraordinarily dangerous.

marabim.bsky.social•33 days ago

💯

winglander.bsky.social•33 days ago

meanwhile in Tennessee....https://www.newschannel5.com/news/we-have-read-the-tennessee-voucher-bill-here-is-what-we-know

crossbaumann55.bsky.social•33 days ago

Missouri is next.

mysticlee123.bsky.social•33 days ago

Rich people need their taxpayer funded coupons because their kids' private school tuitions are coming due.

emilytheobald.bsky.social•33 days ago

They will gut their public education just like Arizona did. Good luck with that.

red-goodfellow.bsky.social•33 days ago

So, we are going full speed towards "separate and equal" I guess. Except we all know how that ends. With those needing the most help the most undeserved and most likely to be silenced. My heart is shattered and I have no faith left in this country.

red-goodfellow.bsky.social•33 days ago

Under served, not undeserved. *

markabuchanan.bsky.social•33 days ago

We refuted this as a matter of fact in one of our high-school debate topics in the 1970's. One of those plans that was dropped early in the debate season because you could find 500 cards against it without even trying. Just using the word "vouchers" became an inside joke.

fotokayelless.bsky.social•33 days ago

Same thing in Tennessee

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