Make it Matter Monday 3/31

Learn

Texas officials' claim school funding is at an all-time high. But that ignores inflation, temporary federal money, and money districts can't spend, like insurance. A Tribune analysis also found the state’s share of the funds that schools receive per student significantly decreased in the last decade until recently. 

Read why $15k in school funding is wrong  

Do

Call your House Representatives and tell them YES to HB 2 (funding) and NO to SB 2 (vouchers). We don't know the details of HB 2 right now but it looks like the increased allocations to allotments like special ed and security, as well as the new Arts allotment, are going to get us very close to what we need to catch up to inflation. This is great. SB 2 is a stinker and we need to adamantly encourage members to vote no. 

Call EVERY House Pub Ed Member  

Share

Invite your friends and family to the Save Texas Schools Rally on Saturday, April 5th, at 11am on the South steps of the Capitol. Download the linked image and share on your socials.  And take a moment to watch the Save Texas Schools video from the rally in February in the link below. 

Watch the Save Texas Schools video  

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SPILLING THE CAPITOL TEA

House 

Tuesday at 8am in room 140 of the Reagan Building, the House Public Education Committee will meet to discuss the changes to HB 2 (school funding) and SB 2 (Senate version of voucher bill). There will be no opportunity for public comment on either bill or any new changes, although you can still call the representatives personally and share your opinion. At the end of the discussion, they will vote on both bills and they will probably pass. 

This does not mean vouchers are a done deal. It means no one on the committee wants to get on state leaders' bad side with so much time left in the session. Seriously. It's not a done deal. So emotionally prepare yourself and do not let it derail your hopes. He still doesn't have the votes. It's not over. 

I hear HB 2, the school funding bill, gives a bit of an increase in the basic allotment and, with increases in other allotments, like special ed and security, as well as a new allotment for fine arts, the overall amount that will get to our schools is better than anyone expected. They don't have the details yet, which is required to run the actual numbers, but folks are happy. We are definitely in support of HB 2.

SB 2 is the Senate version of the voucher bill and it's a stinker. We are against it. This will pass out of committee anyway but it's not over. Rural reps are getting hammered by their constituents. The pressure is working. And there are still lots of ways for this bill to die. But if state leaders' deeeep pockets and dark pressure manage to convince a couple of those reps to go against their own people, we can work to get amendments that acts guardrails that might keep this voucher scam from being as harmful. I don't know. Get out your popcorn, folks. This is where things are going to get juicy. 

Please call your reps and all the reps on the pub ed committee. And then PLEASE show up Tuesday, if you have the flexibility. Please wear your PTA or campus t-shirt. We want to sit in the hearing room and show our happy faces and frowny faces in as large a group and as close as possible, as we can. Please join us as close to 7am as you can (we know that's not possible for everyone) to help us get and save seats. If you get there later, fill in where you can, including overflow rooms. We want them to count us! And please sign on to the Band app (https://band.us/@acptaadvocacy) to follow where we are and where we'll meet during the break. 

There won't be any public testimony. I don't think there will be invited testimony. There will be discussion among the committee members and that's all. I don't expect this to be an all day thing but plan on it going through to probably mid-afternoon. If you can't come early or stay late - even if you only have an hour - please come join us and be part of history. I promise you, you'll come away feeling empowered, not defeated. Please join us and wear your PTA or campus t-shirt. 

JOIN US

We need as many people as possible throughout the day on Tuesday. Please join us for any amount of time you have available. And don't forget to sign on to the Band app (https://band.us/@acptaadvocacy). 

See you there!

Daphne