FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 2, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org
Governor who oversaw a year of school closures and layoffs directs the Legislature to prioritize teacher pay while also demanding lawmakers defund neighborhood schools with a private school voucher program.
Austin, Texas – Today, Gov. Greg Abbott gave his State of the State address and, as expected, named private school vouchers one of his seven emergency items for the Legislature to consider in the early days of this legislative session. Texas AFT remains opposed to vouchers and will continue to fight this dangerous policy proposal, particularly as it threatens two other emergency items with far greater importance: raising Texas educator pay and expanding career and technical education opportunities for Texas students.
Texas AFT was honored to have one of our members featured in the Democratic response, which can be viewed here. Dior Edison is an elementary school teacher from San Antonio who runs a K-5 STEM lab in Northside ISD. Edison has been an educator for 15 years and shared her fears that a voucher program would ruin public schools, shortchange her students, and force even more cuts and layoffs.
“We applaud treating educator pay, and the need to raise it, as the emergency it is. Furthermore, we celebrate an increased emphasis on career and technical education that will prepare our kids to chart their own paths, affordably and successfully,” said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT. “But I don’t know how the governor can reflect on the last year and conclude that private school vouchers are one of the seven most pressing issues facing our state, much less an emergency. Texas AFT remains committed to our vision for healthy, safe, and vibrant Texas public schools – a vision that does not include and is, in fact, endangered by private school vouchers.”
###
The Texas American Federation of Teachers represents 66,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, support personnel, and higher-education employees across the state. Texas AFT is affiliated with the 1.8-million-member American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO.