Letter to the Editor: The District 87 race, conservatives and school vouchers

Amarillo Globe-News

I have been watching the race for Four Price’s House District 87 representative spot closely. Almost every day, I receive a flyer, email, social media post or see a sign declaring all the candidates are conservative. I have especially been paying attention to candidates that are backed by the Governor, LT Governor, Senator Sparks, Ted Cruz and Ronnie Jackson. Not to mention many in and out of state political action groups pouring money into our race. The issue that I want to address in this correspondence is the voucher program that the Governor and apparently most or all of the current candidates have come out in favor of conservative.

What is a Conservative? Every one of the candidates say they are, but are they truly? I have looked at the definition of a conservative, and this is what I can find a person believes who is a conservative:

  • Individual Freedom

  • Limited Government

  • The Rule of Law

  • Peace through strength

  • Fiscal Responsibility

  • Free Markets

The voucher plan (school choice) that is currently being crammed down the throats of the resident’s in House District 87 and in other parts of the state does not meet any of the above criterion for being conservative, in fact, it is fiscally irresponsible. Recently, Arizona passed a modest voucher plan of $22 million to give taxpayer money to any parent, and it has ballooned into $276 million. The voucher plan that the Governor supports starts at a cost of $461.8 million this biennium, $ 4 billion the next biennium and estimates for the future go to over $21 billion. I can assure you if a voucher plan ever passes - our legislature will have no choice but to raise taxes.

Creating a new $21 billion entitlement program is not conservative and is why rural House members voted against the proposal.

Whom do vouchers help? In almost all the research, vouchers only help the people who are already enrolled in private schools even though they are touted to help low socioeconomics students. Do they raise test scores? In almost all the research, test scores do not improve. Do they desegregate schools? They do not and in fact widen the divide of rich and poor with poor students getting the bad end of the stick. Haven’t we already tried separate but equal?

District 87 includes the following school districts: Amarillo, Booker, Borger, Bushland, Canadian, Darrouzett, Dumas, Follett, Groom, Gruver, Highland Park, Panhandle, Perryton, Stinnett, PringleMorris, River Road, Sanford-Fritch, Spearman, Spring Creek, Stratford, Sunray, Texhoma, and White Deer. I list these districts because almost all of them are rural, conservative and their public schools are the center of the communities. That and in many of these communities, the teachers and administrators teach Sunday school, serve on city commissions, volunteer at the fire department, serve as members of the booster club, 4H volunteers and help wherever they can.

School finance is not difficult. We have one pie of money. Currently, money comes out of this pie for public schools, open enrollment charter schools and in many cases supplies for home school students. Taking money out of this pie for an education entitlement program such as vouchers is a poor policy decision and really has no merit but to our current leadership is a huge political issue and one that could close many of our rural schools and communities. Currently, Texas ranks 41st out of 50th states in school funding. Many times talking with politicians I have been asked how much money does it take, my answer is always “how about trying funding schools in Texas to the national average?” I don’t know if that is the answer, but we have never tried it.

Blair Brown, superintendent of Panhandle ISD

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Letter to the Editor: District 87 race and school vouchers argument

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