Make it Matter Monday 4/7
- lesliehall9
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
LearnSenator Robert Nichols, a very conservative politician from Jacksonville, Texas, wrote a scathing rebuke to the Senate's voucher bill, SB 3. It's definitely worth reading. |
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DoWe have compiled a list of House members we have reason to believe is either anti-voucher or on the fence. Please make very friendly phone calls to these folks urging them to increase the per-pupil spending in HB 2 and then VOTE YES to HB 2 (funding) and to VOTE NO to SB 2 (vouchers). |
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ShareShare this video of Rep. James Talarico asking House Public Education Chair and HB 3 (voucher) bill Author Brad Buckley about Elon Musk being eligible for vouchers in Texas. |
SPILLING THE CAPITOL TEA House A large group of ACPTA advocates from across the district showed up to watch the House Public Education Committee meet to discuss, and then pass out of committee, HB 2 (the school funding bill) and SB 2 (the Senate voucher bill). The hearing was not broadcast, which was a point of contention, and meant that people couldn't listen and watch from overflow rooms, and it isn't archived in the permanent House record. It was, however, captured by a number of news outlets and video bloggers. Here's the Texas Tribune recap: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/31/texas-school-voucher-funding/. Definitely watch Rep. James Talarico's discussion with the Rep. Buckley about us paying to educate Elon Musk's children in the Share video above. Next Tuesday is another House Pub Ed hearing at 8am in Room 140 of the Reagan building. There isn't anything on there that stands out to me. This a great week to focus on making those phone calls (see the DO section above) and take advantage of the lull. There will be a flurry of bills that matter to us at some point and we want to be rested and ready. |
ACPTA Advocacy Adventures |
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House Hearing I was incredibly proud of our turn-out at the House hearing on Tuesday. There were 14 of us, total, although not everyone could get into the room. Most of us wore our red shirts and we made quite the impression! Rep. Gina Hinojosa referred to our group as some of the strongest public education supporters (or something equally awesome) during the hearing. Then we dominated the news coverage of the hearing, with interviews and photos of our group showing up everywhere. Look for familiar faces on CBS News Austin and Austin American Statesman. We're kicking ass. |
Raise Your Hand Texas Advocacy Many of us actually started the morning before the hearing at a Raise Your Hand Texas event. We ate breakfast tacos and learned about their activities and heard from a number of speakers. Some of us also participated in their press conference and visited representatives with their groups of educators and community members from across the state. It was a great experience and it kept us busy right until the hearing. If you see Raise Your Hand Texas in the Capitol halls, definitely thank them for taking us under their wing for all these years. It's a gift to have their expertise at our fingertips. Also make sure you subscribe to their weekly newsletter. It's incredibly helpful and informative. |
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Education Austin March/Save Texas Schools Rally On Saturday, the ACPTA joined Education Austin to March from Keeling middle school to the Save our Schools Rally at the Capitol. It was an brisk walk with amazing energy from all the Ed Austin folks. Marching up to the Capitol steps with so many rally-goers cheering us on was truly awesome. And it only got better when PTA got a shout-out from Congressman Doggett and the crowd went wild. We are making a difference across the state and the educators who came from all corners were definitely showing big love for their PTA's. You can view the clip here. |
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Local Advocacy Budget cuts are a painful reality for our district and there are a lot of moving parts. If you are not able to watch the AISD board meetings or join one of the discussions happening in various places and ways, please read our weekly Board Recap. You can find them on our homepage at https://www.austincouncilpta.org/. And consider getting involved in our district. There are a number of advisory committees you can join to get more insight into district-wide initiatives. And please join your Campus Advisory Committee. Fill out this membership application form or reach out to your Principal. Both of these are great ways to stay connected and informed about the issues facing our schools and district right now. Thanks for all your engagement! Don't stop! The session is about 2/3 over so we're almost there. Don't let up the pressure - it's as important as ever to keep making those phone calls. Last week was a great week, everyone! I'm very proud of us. I hope you are, too. Daphne Hoffacker ACPTA Advocacy Chair advocacy@austincouncilpta.orgaustincouncilpta.org/advocacy 512-698-2240 |
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