House Committee Passes ‘Texas Two Step’ of Vouchers and Public Ed Funding

After hours of intense debate on Thursday the Texas House Constituents Coaching Committee passed altered versions of its marquee mentoring regulation this session a bill to add billion in new funds for the constituents school system and a billion bill for a private school voucher initiative Most of Democrats on the GOP-controlled committee voted in favor of House Bill the school funding bill while acknowledging it still came up short for residents schools that are in dire financial straits and shuttering campuses across the state Democrats focused much of their ire on the voucher bill which as expected was passed out of committee on a party-line vote We declared this was a historic funding bill but our schools are in a historic hole and this bill does not even catch us up to funding levels reported state Representative James Talarico an Austin Democrat adding that he did not want to overpromise what HB would do On top of that he stated now we re considering a bill that s going to send a billion dollars in the first year and perhaps billion in the second biennium to kids who are in private school Three weeks ago the committee heard nearly hours of citizens testimony on the voucher proposal from around people Talarico stated percent of those who exhibited up testified against the voucher bill Over others submitted written testimony of which he reported percent expressed opposition to the bill This time the meeting was a more quiet affair in part because notice was posted only the afternoon before and because the committee did not livestream the meeting The GOP committee chairman Representative Brad Buckley commented this was in accordance with House rules though it s highly remarkable if not an affront to administration transparency for debate on a major bill to not be broadcast online There have been vital changes made to these bills and they re going to be heard in a closed door meeting that s not accessible to the populace No livestream No general comment Talarico noted at a press conference before the meeting While there was no official recording the House Democratic Caucus and at least one local TV news station provided their own livestreams At the meeting the inhabitants ed committee took up Senate Bill the universal voucher bill that the Senate passed back in February though it was swapped out for a committee substitute that is a slightly modified version of the House s voucher bill House Bill The committee substitute for SB maintains the HB funding formula that tethers the amount allotted for a voucher to constituents school funding levels Instead of providing each operation participant to use on private school tuition as SB did the House substitute would set the voucher amount at percent of the estimated statewide average of state and local funding for students The Legislative Budget Board estimates that amount would be per candidate in the scheme s first year growing to by Under the House version students with disabilities could receive up to versus the amount in the Senate version Home-schooled students would be eligible for a voucher in both the House and Senate versions Critics of the voucher proposals have emphasized that unlike masses schools private schools are not mandated to enroll or provide services for students with disabilities Last week the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus issued a letter calling the House voucher bill a blank check for unlimited spending citing language in HB and the House budget bill They warned the bill could allow the governor and the Legislative Budget Board to unilaterally transfer more money into the initiative in the interim without the Legislature s approval The committee substitute for SB now includes a cap of billion in the first biennium which would expire in September In the next legislative session lawmakers could increase appropriations to cover every applicant on the waiting list that may require over billion according to a fiscal analysis In an attempt to allay concerns that taxpayers would be subsidizing vouchers for wealthy families with children already in private school the House version also now caps the number of participants who as of now do not attend society schools at percent of total scheme participants That provision also expires in Buckley dismissed Democrats urging to add an income cap for eligible families During the March hearing Josh Cowen a Michigan State University professor testified that information collected from states with a universal voucher plan exhibited only a quarter of participants were previously in general schools The rest had either never been in constituents school because they were kindergartners or more commonly were coming into the voucher system from a private school Cowen reported The House s committee substitute also added a provision that limits eligibility to students who are a citizen or national of the United State or were lawfully admitted into the United States a nod to conservative skeptics who explained the voucher venture would extend the establishment handouts to undocumented students The voucher bill passed along party lines with the six Democrats on the -member committee voting against the bill Only two Democrats Representative John Bryant and Representative Alma Allen voted against the committee substitute for HB the House s general school funding bill In masses testimony on HB last month school district leaders and community ed advocates urged the House to do more to increase funding Under the committee substitute HB ups the proposed basic allotment increase to instead of the increase originally proposed It would also provide automatic increases to the basic allotment every biennium tied to property values Representative Allen a veteran Houston lawmaker declared the amount was certainly not enough to help school districts catch up to pre-inflationary levels which she mentioned would require a increase The new version of HB also attempts to address concerns that proposed salary increases may not reach the the majority experienced teachers in the state as well as problems with districts having to depend on inexperienced and uncertified teachers to fill staffing shortages According to TEA s annual account percent of first-time teachers hired in the - school year were uncertified With uncertified teachers we have lost generations of children already declared Democratic Representative Gina Hinojosa at the committee meeting The amended HB also adds preschool students and bilingual students to the originally proposed funding increases for students with disabilities Meanwhile Representative Bryant called the bill a catastrophe for the largest school districts who would not see as much help under the bill because of what he noted was a proposed elimination of the hold harmless provision That was originally added as part of the state s previous property tax relief to cover funding losses for school districts who lose revenue from lower property tax rates Buckley commented the bill would step it the state aid down as districts grow to ensure there is more equity between districts but informed Bryant You have my commitment to find a fix Now out of committee the two bills which House leadership have marketed as a Texas Two Step package could soon be on the floor for a full debate House Speaker Dustin Burrows previously indicated that after the committee approved a voucher bill it would get a floor vote very soon thereafter and pass For the first time in Texas history there is a tentative majority of Republicans in the House who encouragement school vouchers If it passes it would be up to the Senate to accept any changes or the two chambers would negotiate the differences We may be past the halfway mark of the session but there s still a long way to go till Sine Die The post House Committee Passes Texas Two Step of Vouchers and Constituents Ed Funding appeared first on The Texas Observer