“While Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed what we have long suspected in his campaign rhetoric yesterday—that he supports private school vouchers—ATPE has been steadfastly opposed to vouchers by any name for decades. Our legislative program states: ‘ATPE opposes any program or initiative, tuition tax credit, or voucher system that would direct public funds to private, home, or for-profit virtual schools.’

“What’s more: The Republican-led Texas Legislature has rejected vouchers by any name for decades. Voters believe that sending taxpayer dollars to private entities without taxpayer oversight is the furthest thing from ‘conservative.’

“The governor is again attempting to capitalize on trendy political rhetoric by mislabeling vouchers as a ‘parental right’ and again ignoring the facts: Texas voters support Texas public schools. Texas voters elect lawmakers who support Texas public schools. And Texas voters know the truth about Texas public schools.”

About the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
Founded in 1980, ATPE is the leading educators’ association in Texas with approximately 100,000 members statewide. With its strong collaborative philosophy, ATPE speaks for classroom teachers, administrators, and future, retired, and para-educators and works to create better opportunities for Texas’ five million public school students. | atpe.org