IDRA Statement on the Passage of Senate Bill 2
Today, the Texas House passed Senate Bill 2, a $10 billion voucher bill that would threaten resources for the public schools that serve 5.5 million Texas children.
SB 2 vouchers would support private school costs for a small number of families, with very few requirements for public accountability and transparency.
Public schools serve children of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, immigrant students, emergent bilingual learners, and students from rural, urban and suburban communities.
But SB 2 would send public money to private schools that could refuse to admit students because of their disability, religion, sexual orientation or simply because they or their family are “not a good fit.”
Some Texas lawmakers continue to do the dastardly dance of the Texas three step: defunding, demonizing and privatizing our public schools.
But Texas needs to strengthen our public schools, not weaken them, to ensure every child has a fair shot at a quality education. State proposals like House Bill 2, which also passed the House today will be immediately undercut by this costly voucher program. We will never stop demanding investments that strengthen public schools for all students.
Call to Action: Senate Bill 2 is not law unless it passes a few more hurdles. The measure will now head to a conference committee where legislators from both chambers will decide on the specifics of the bill. Stay tuned! Once the conference committee members are announced, we will let you know how to contact them.
