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Join us for Lobby Day in Austin on March 10th! RSVP for updates, bus ride, or box lunch.

[RSVP to ride the bus to the March 10th Lobby Day here.]

Bus Departure: From Houston Federation of Teachers, 2704 Sutherland St, Houston, TX at 6:00 AM. Return by 5:30 PM

If driving: Meet at 10:00 AM at First United Methodist Church, 1201 Lavaca St, Austin, TX (next to the Capitol)

Here are things you can do this week.

  • CALL 3 Republican state reps and rally your rural relatives and friends to do the same. Repeat next week.

Facts about HB 2

HB 2, the omnibus school funding bill, includes a meager $200 increase in the basic allotment per student—not even keeping up with inflation. The bill touts big increases to the teacher incentive allotment, promising six-figure salaries for boosting standardized test scores. The catch? Only a tiny fraction of teachers statewide would ever qualify. This isn't real support for our educators. 

HB 2 also includes an increase in the per student funding for charter school facilities that is more than the per student increase to the Basic Allotment, which charter schools also receive. The increase triples what charter schools currently receive for facilities. HB 2 also removes the current cap so that the total of state funds for charter facilities will go up every year as charter enrollment expands

HB 2 should be amended to align with Rep. Goodwin’s bill (HB 177)l, which raises the base allotment from $6,160 to $7,500, to keep up with inflation and giving school districts more flexibility in using the funds.

Texas has a large rainy day fund, “yet the state’s school finance system left nearly 460,000 students uncounted in 2023-24—8% of all students, almost the entire school population of Arkansas. This undercount happens because Texas still funds schools based on attendance, not enrollment. Only six states use attendance-based funding, and studies show no correlation between funding and attendance rates.”

HB 2 is one of the governor’s priority bills but we need to push for a better public school funding package. Right now, the governor is more smoke and mirrors. In a nutshell, the governor’s priority bills hurt kids.

Facts about HB 3, the Voucher Bill

HB 3 is the Texas House version of the Senate Voucher bill. Defunding public schools devastates student learning and discriminates against vulnerable kids and families. Nationally, 70% of voucher recipients were already in private schools, meaning vouchers often do little to help those who need it most. In fact, research has shown that vouchers have led to the largest academic declines ever recorded, harming the very students they claim to support.

None of the House's 62 Democrats, along with 11 Republicans, have signed HB 3. This includes Reps. Drew Darby, Jay Dean, Charlie Geren, Ken King, Stan Lambert, Gary VanDeaver (who opposed vouchers in 2023), as well as Reps. Jeffrey Barry, Ryan Guillen, Sam Harless, Brian Harrison, and Phelan. Thank them respectfully, and reach out to local Houston Republicans (Hull, DeAyala, Cunningham…) and rural Republicans, many of whom are still on the fence.

Can you call three Republicans and a Democrat or two this week? 

Urge them to oppose the voucher bill as it will harm kids and advocate for increased funding for public schools in HB 2. Be sure to mention the negative impact of state takeovers. Our public schools need support, but not in this way.