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What's Next?
A special session on education, teacher pay raises, vouchers, and school choice
When?
Probably late September or October. Please act now! Your representative is home in your district.
- House Speaker Dade Phelan has said his position on vouchers will be decided by the will of voters in each representative’s district. Representatives have heard all of the arguments for and against pay raise plans and the school choice issues, so personalize your ask for your district and what it means for your children and/or school.
Points to Share with Your Representatives:
- Speech-language pathologists and audiologists should be included specifically in any pay raise bill language. We raise more money for school districts via Medicaid billing than any other professionals providing special education services.
- School Choice/vouchers should not become an option until/unless safeguards are installed to ensure that children can only change to schools meeting the same standards or higher required by federal regulations, e.g., IDEA. Our Texas public schools must abide by those standards.
- Previously filed bills have included $6,000 to $8,000 for educating children with special needs, while the average cost is $16,000 per year. Do not dilute funding for our children with special needs.
- There is a lack of public accountability when funds leave a school district for the private sector. Public dollars should remain in our public schools.
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