Anti-Voucher Movement Gains High-Profile Supporters

A high-profile group of Texans has formed a bi-partisan pro-public education group called “Raise Your Hand.” None other than former Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff (R-Mt. Pleasant) is among those participating. Executives from AT&T, Continental Airlines and H-E-B grocery stores are among the others.
In addition to being anti-voucher, the group also wants to reform standardized testing and facilitate all-day pre-kindergarten and kindergarten for every child ages four and five in the state.

Ratliff, in particular, was fairly outspoken when it came to vouchers:

“We don’t understand how it is that if you have a campus with 500 children and 100 somehow . . . take advantage of the voucher and go somewhere else, how does that affect the other 400?” Ratliff said. “If it’s a bad school and we take a hundred of them out with vouchers, it’s still a bad school. We believe a far better course . . . is fix the school. Don’t abandon 400 children for the sake of the hundred.”

This adds an interesting mix to a session that will likely be the last good chance for Republicans to push through a voucher program. I also wonder how this will affect an Autism voucher bill, which is a major hot-button issue this session. The Autism voucher movement, in particular, is different from other voucher movements in that it is very “grass roots,” and (though it may meet with his approval), doesn’t seem to have any visible ties I’ve seen to voucher advocates like James Leininger.
It will be interesting, to say the least. In spite of the fact that a vast majority of the GOP-ers in the Lege are now far, far to the right of Ratliff, his word still has some weight and he is still highly respected by many in both chambers.

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