As a special session starts with a focus on “school choice” but no mention of public school funding, some teachers said they are even considering leaving the profession.
Protesters hold signs and chant during a rally against school vouchers at the Texas Capitol on Oct. 7, 2023. Hundreds gathered to protest two days before a special lawmaking session on vouchers and other topics, slated to begin Monday.When she first began teaching 13 years ago, Katrina Rasmussen, a studio art teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in the, said her salary was enough to make a living.
But even if lawmakers find a way to insert raises into the conversation, some teachers say they would rather forgo a salary bump than see school vouchers implemented in Texas. Proponents say a voucher program would give Texans more freedom to choose how to educate their children, but critics worry it would take away funds from the state’s public education system.
The basic allotment — the amount of money the state gives school for each student — was last raised in 2020 to $6,160. Public school advocates say that amount has not kept up with inflation. Some educators in rural and poorer areas of the state also expressed concern that a voucher program would only benefit a small number of students in their district, if any.
But as a former special education teacher, Borrego said she particularly worries that, unlike public schools, private schools are not required by law to provide certain educational services to children with disabilities. When students switch into her district’s public schools mid-year, Borrego said, it is often because they have special needs or behavioral issues that are not being adequately addressed at private schools.
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