The Voucher Scam

Texas Governor Abbott is fast-tracking vouchers to destabilize public education as soon as this fall 2023. The Voucher Scam won't just explain the voucher threat, it will reveal the motivations behind this attack on a cornerstone of democracy and equality. We aim to give the public the truth before it's too late. We know that we can stop vouchers if we work together. We can use your help. Please leave us a review. Tell a friend. Donate to our campaign here.

What exactly is an education voucher? Why does it have so many names? How do parents feel about this program? Will public schools be impacted? How come Gov. Abbott dedicates so much political capital to promoting vouchers?Looking for our resource guide? Click here.Guest interviews: Jeanne, a mother of three who lived through the rise of vouchers in IndianaDax Gonzalez, a policy expert at the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Forrest Wilder, politics reporter at Texas MonthlyWe believe we can stop vouchers if we work together. Here's how you can help:Leave us a rating and reviewShare our podcast with a friendDonate to our campaign

We spoke to Beth Lewis and Nicky Indicavitch from Save Our Schools Arizona about the state of public education in Arizona. Arizona has a universal voucher program despite the public overwhelmingly voting against it when it came on the ballot. Beth fills us in on the struggles that teachers face as they experience a years-long defunding of public education. Nicky reveals what witnessing that process felt like as a parent watching her childrens’ schools face repeated budget cuts. They offer us new perspectives on what a voucher program would mean to families and what it looks like as a taxpayer to see those collective funds used for frivolous expenses. Finally, both Beth and Nicky generously share kind words and encouragement for Texans and caution us not to compromise. They, and their organization, are incredible resources for understanding the reality of the voucher scam. Follow Save our Schools Arizona here.Find our resource guide here. If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here.

Chris Tackett wanted to serve his Granbury, Texas community. After years of leading the local baseball/softball association to a good place, he focused those skills on his local school board. He was excited to have the support of the newly elected state representative,Mike Lang for his district’s education initiatives. Only, as it turns out, the school board didn’t have Representative Lang’s support.That experience made Chris wonder about the motives behind Mike Lang’s false promises. What he discovered is that Mike Lang was backed by big campaign money coming out of the pockets of West Texas billionaires and those big donors are the same ones pushing for school vouchers in Texas. On today’s episode we dig into the allusion of grassroots movements and the danger that poses to democracy. We connect the value of public education to a common set of values that underpin democracy. Finally, we remind you that we can do something to protect the things we hold dear. The beauty of democracy is that the power belongs to the people when we use it.Find our resource guide here. If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here.

The fight against vouchers has made unique allies of rural Republicans and urban Democrats. Why is that? We turn to Dr. Michelle Rinehart, superintendent of Alpine ISD, to help us understand the rural perspective. Alpine is a west Texas town of about 5,000 residents and Alpine ISD educates about 1,000 students–or Bucks as they proudly refer to themselves. Dr. Rinehart helps us understand how their local schools foster a sense of identity and belonging–loyalty to Buck Nation is a staple of their community. She also explains how the district is the largest employer in town and fills in other important gaps like childcare. Amazingly, with grant funding, they were able to open a childcare center this year. That childcare center serves district employees and also helps the town attract medical professionals to their local hospital because they are no longer a childcare desert. Dr. Rinehart beautifully explains the broader role of schools in small-town communities that make them unique and yet she also speaks to the universality of the importance of public education for all of us. Find Dr. Rinehart and Alpine ISD here.Find our resource guide here. If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here.

We keep finding connecting points to other public education issues in this education voucher fight. The significance of the state takeover of Houston ISD cannot be overstated. We turn to our friends at the Have You Heard podcast for what we need to know.Have You Heard heads to Houston, where the state now controls Texas’ largest school district. We’ll meet teachers and parents who say the takeover of the schools in this Democratic city is fundamentally about politics. And we’ll try to make sense of how the takeover fits into the efforts by Governor Greg Abbott to bring private school vouchers to the Lone Star state. Spoiler: it does.Want to get engaged in supporting local public schools? Find our resource guide here. If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here.Find the Have You Heard podcast here.

Did you know that a 10-year voucher program was implemented in Texas from 1998-2008? It had a $50 million price tag and ran in Edgewood ISD, on the west side of San Antonio. We were shocked to learn that something eerily similar to what’s being proposed today by Governor Abbott and his allies has already happened in Texas. If vouchers were truly all that they promise, why isn’t this Edgewood Experiment used as a shining example of the power of vouchers? We had so many questions. Today we answer those questions.However, in order to find the answers we have to go back to the beginning. When was the first time vouchers were proposed and why? Why do they keep coming back after repeated defeats? We answer all these questions and more in today’s episode.Also, for our special episode on November 16th, we are handing over the microphone to The Voucher Scam listeners. We want to know:1. What do you love about your public school(s)? What’s one amazing thing that your public school offers?​2. How are you feeling about the push for vouchers in Texas?​For folks not in Texas:How have vouchers affected your schools? What message of encouragement would you give us in Texas to fight vouchers?Click here to leave us a message: https://www.speakpipe.com/TheVoucherScamWant to get engaged in supporting local public schools? Find our resource guide here: https://mothersfordemocracyinstitute.org/podcasts/If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/saynotovouchers

The Texas voucher fight is full of twists and turns! And we’re still in it! The third special session ended with no voucher bill but Governor Abbott called a fourth special session immediately following its close. As of November 10, 2023, the House Special Select Committee referred a bill, HB1, that includes both education funding and a voucher program to the floor for consideration. It is expected to be heard this week. This is the first time a floor vote will be taken on vouchers since 2005. It is cause for concern and there’s also so much hope. On the one hand, vouchers have moved forward. On the other hand, we have reason to believe that rural Republicans will continue to hold the line. We also believe in the power of our voices as Texans.So, we turned the mic over to our listeners this week. They share their praise for public education and their concerns about vouchers. Thank you to the folks who we hear from and thank you for listening. Want to get engaged in supporting local public schools? Find our resource guide here. https://mothersfordemocracyinstitute.org/If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/saynotovouchers

We hope this Thanksgiving finds you with your loved ones enjoying your favorite foods and games! We wanted to send a quick thank you. We will see you next week for episode 4 where we’ll share our hopes for how we can preserve public education which means preserving democracy. Have a great day!Want to get engaged in supporting local public schools? Find our resource guide here. https://mothersfordemocracyinstitute.org/If you’d like to help us keep this critical content coming, donate here. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/saynotovouchers