Hey y'all,
Yesterday was the big hearing at the Texas Capitol about HB 3, the voucher bill. The good news is that after nearly 22 hours of testimony, going until almost 6:30 this morning, that was overwhelmingly against this bill and undeniably angry about the lack of funding for public schools, the House Public Education Committee did not take a vote to move HB 3 out of committee. It's not dead, but it took a beating today/yesterday. I'll keep you posted.
There is still time until 5pm today to submit your comments so support us by taking 5 minutes to say no to vouchers. https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c400. If you're not sure where to start, you can find more about this call to action here.
I am so incredibly proud of the dozens of y'all who came down to register, testify, or simply support our efforts throughout the day. Our Testimony Team of 20 PTA folks from across our district wrote, honed, and delivered one powerful story after another, moving hearts and, hopefully changing minds, until the bitter end (literally, Jen Kost was the last speaker at 6:20-ish am). I'm guessing we'll start seeing some clips from the hearing because there were so many incredibly powerful and honest testimonies.
We were showered with support, food, and all kinds of love from so many of you, our local Representatives and their staff. Reps from outside our area came to our Public Education Lounge just to meet us and soak up our energy. This room was the center of public education advocacy know-how and imagination, with groups from all over the advocacy map joining us to plot and plan.
There are too many people to thank and I don't want to inadvertently leave anyone out but you know who you are and I love you for it. Truly.
It wasn't easy. I'm an old lady and feeling every second of that insanely long day. This is an image of the room at 2:15 am with almost 200 people still left to testify. As proud as I am of our efforts and the hundreds of people who were also down there committed to speaking truth to power, I'm frustrated by this system, frustrated by the corruption, frustrated by committee members who don't know the first thing about school funding even though that's they're responsibility, and incredibly frustrated by the behavior and thin-skinned-bullying some of the committee members displayed. I am still processing but it's not okay.
Today, I am grateful that Texans seem to understand what's at stake for our public schools if we allow vouchers, giving public money to private and religious schools in a state that is near the bottom of the barrel in investment in public education and our children (in myriad ways). We were fierce, determined, and so so intelligent in dismantling the myths and corruption around this damaging policy idea. If you ever need a Fierce Smart Texas fix, watch the testimony: https://house.texas.gov/videos/21323
For those of you who are getting comfortable with joining us down there, please share all the amazing hallway/elevator conversations, relationships we're building (like this one), and opportunities to talk to people who Know Things, like Paul Colbert, the former Pub Ed Budget Chair and Gib Lewis, former long-term Speaker of the House.
We had parents and teachers lined up talking to reporters and influencers, unexpected private conversations with decision makers and Texas icons, and, once again, I was blown away by the access and opportunities just simply being down there open up.
Come be part of that, y'all! Everyone is welcome, no experience necessary.
Y'all rock! Rest up, enjoy your spring break, and get ready to rumble on the flipside. There will be pub ed hearings every Tuesday but we won't know what bills they'll be hearing until the meeting notice but we'll keep you posted. This is the beginning of a frenzy of lawmaking that's going to quickly ramp up through early June. There will be lots of bills that'll need to be addressed beyond funding and vouchers, so stick with us and help us help Texas lawmakers make the best decisions possible for our kids.
Thank you, thank you! I'm incredibly proud and I hope y'all are, too.
Daphne
Коментарі