Hochberg, West, Van De Pute Tell TEA That Vouchers Aren’t Part Of HB 2237

With TEA set to hear testimony today on Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott’s proposed rule concerning dropout recovery pilot programs under House Bill 2237 passed by the 80th Legislature, three legislators involved in HB 2237 are letting him know–in no uncertain terms–that vouchers were never imagined as part of what the bill authorizes.

Senator Royce West (D-Dallas), Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), and Representative Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) issued the following joint statement today, urging Commissioner Scott to drop dropout vouchers from the proposed rule:

As legislators, we are deeply concerned with the new dropout recovery pilot program. As Commissioner Scott is certainly aware, we each served on the conference committee for HB2237, which authorized these pilot programs, which passed both the House and Senate with only one nay vote. Rarely do we see such consensus surrounding legislation. Clearly, the will of the legislature to help address dropout rates in Texas is strong.

Equally strong however, is our decade-long stance against the use of taxpayer funds to pay private school tuition. Commissioner Scott’s proposed rule directly contradicts the will of the 80th Texas Legislature, which refused to pass any measure that would allow tax dollars to be used to pay tuition at private and religious schools. Whether Commissioner Scott chooses to call the proposal to divert public funds to private schools vouchers or not, the Legislature has repeatedly made it clear that public tax dollars should be used to fund public schools.

We hope that Commissioner Scott, who chose not to attend today’s hearing on this proposed rule, and to our knowledge, did not ask members of the Texas House and Senate about their intent with respect to this program, will drop vouchers from the proposed dropout recovery program. And we hope that our state’s Education Agency will work along with its Texas Legislature to help our public schools implement effective and innovative programs to reduce dropout rates across our state.

How Scott decided that vouchers should be part of the equation is a bit mind-numbing in and of itself. If you take a careful examination of the intent of the bill itself, from the House Research Organization, you see nothing about vouchers:

The board would have the authority to develop and award grants, administer programs, and establish eligibility and application criteria for grants. The board would be required to adopt a strategic plan to address high school reform, dropout prevention, and the preparation of students for postsecondary coursework or employment. The board would have rulemaking authority and be able to use funds appropriated for the implementation of the bill.

The board could provide grants in support of innovative research-based high school improvement programs to enhance education practices. It could develop professional development activities for teachers and administrators for training related to implementing curriculum and instruction and standards and expectations for college readiness. The board would coordinate with private foundations that have made investments for the improvement of high schools in Texas.

The bill would establish a number of new pilot programs, including a pilot program to provide grants to school districts to fund student club activities for students at risk of dropping out of school; a pilot program to implement a local collaborative dropout reduction grant program; an intensive technology-based academic intervention pilot program; and a pilot program to award grants to participating campuses to provide intensive academic summer programs to promote college and workforce readiness to at-risk students.

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