A long article detailing rural conservative efforts to push back on the voucher movement in Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, and Texas. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/a...ic-school-vouchers-republican-efforts/678819/ The highest-profile rural Republican resistance to vouchers has come in Texas, the land of Friday Night Lights and far-flung oil-country settlements where the public schools anchor communities. Late last year, the Texas House voted 84–63 to strip vouchers out of a broad education bill. In response, Governor Greg Abbott launched a purge of anti-voucher Republicans in this year’s primaries, backed by millions of dollars from the Pennsylvania mega-donor Jeff Yass, a finance billionaire. Among those targeted was Drew Darby, who represents a sprawling 10-county district in West Texas, and who frames the issue in starkly regional terms: The state’s metro areas depend on his constituents to provide “food, fiber, and hide,” to “tend the oil wells and wind turbines to provide electricity to people who want to be just a little cooler in the cities.” But without good public schools, these rural areas will wither. “Robert Lee, Winters, Sterling, Blackwell,” he said, listing some hamlets—“these communities exist because they have strong public schools. They would literally not exist without a good public-school system.” Darby, a fiscal conservative, is also opposed to a new entitlement for private-school families that is projected to soon cost $2 billion a year. “In rural Texas, there’s not a whole lot of private-school options, and we want our schools to get every dollar they can. This doesn’t add $1, and it’s not good for rural Texas.” Darby managed to stave off his primary challenge, but 11 of the 15 voucher resisters targeted by Abbott lost, several in races so close that they went to a runoff. Abbott is unapologetic: “Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners,” he said after the runoff. “Together, we will ensure the best future for our children.”
I hope DeSantis step up voucher stays in place indefinitely. We are using it and saving a fortune AND avoiding the government schools. There’s always going to be someone unhappy…can’t please everyone.
Next thing, poor rural Trumppublicans will try to preserve the Affordable Care Act. Then they'll vote for Trump. Again. The important thing, though, is that well-off people like Bluke get school vouchers which are paid for by everyone else. Lol, what a world. Who really cares as long as Clarence gets a new RV and Donny and Eric get a lot of no-show bookings at their low low-rate-financed Mideast luxury hotel.
A Republican having a sudden epiphany how badly Republican policy ideas suck. Something about leopards eating faces. It is kind of an odd dichotomy, in cities there’s obviously more room for competition or to have multiple options for schools. That doesn’t necessarily make charter schools a GOOD idea, but it makes them a practical possibility at least where there is high population density. Farm county, with such low pop density is often a “one school town” sort of deal. Sometimes with just 1 school for all of K-12 or even multiple grades in one large classroom. It simply may not be practical to have “school choice” in that rural scenario. The people simply don’t exist to support multiple schools. You just need to make that 1 public school as nice as it can be for everyone. Seems like at least in that one TX district a fair number of hardcore GOP voters understood the dilemma, but only insofar as they were worried about killing a specific public school they actually like at the local level.
If these schools could extinguish the sensationalism and indoctrination from the schools (rid the schools of those bad teachers) then there would be less need for vouchers. I think the kids deserve to get a real education without all the non-curriculum distractions these teachers are exposing their students to, like grooming.
So you're taking advantage of a social program that is endorsed by the government and partially funded by tax dollars? Cool
On some local issues, yes, on federal issues not really. The uni-Party is bleeding out RINOs left and right. There needs to be a purge of all RINOs from the MAGA Party.
Money I’m paying into already. Yes sir. Very cool. Glad my tax money isn’t all wasted on someone else’s school.
So a redistribution of state education appropriations is effecting rural folks and students of need disproportionately? Who would have guessed?
This. Rural schools just need to eliminate the grooming and the teachers who groom. Then there wouldn't be a need for charter schools. Also.... ....there's a pizza parlor in DC where Hillary Clinton runs a pedophilia ring, I've been told.
I believe it was JFK who once said; Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what amount of vouchers your country will give you. Truly inspirational words.
