Tag Archives: vouchers

Zack Kopplin

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the name Zack Kopplin. Rice University sophomore Zack Kopplin says he has been called the Antichrist, a godless liberal and, bizarrely, the cause of Hurricane Katrina. Kopplin, 19, has gained notoriety for championing the fight against his home state … Continue reading →

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From the “Anyone can call themselves an expert” department

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now see, this is what happens when you go soliciting expert witnesses on Craigslist Joseph Bast, president and CEO of the Chicago-based Heartland Institute, is a witness for Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education, or TREE, a group … Continue reading →

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What they’re saying about education

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a couple of stories focusing on area legislators and their priorities for 2013. There will be many new faces in the Lege and the Senate in this session, so the more we know about what these folks … Continue reading →

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Not just vouchers, corporate-sponsored vouchers

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t make this stuff up. Speaking in a Catholic school classroom in Austin, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick gave the first details of what they promised would be a wide-ranging set of proposals for public … Continue reading →

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Are vouchers unconstitutional?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Attorney Kelly Frels makes the case that private school vouchers will not pass constitutional muster in Texas. State Sen. Dan Patrick has proposed that the state of Texas provide vouchers to help parents pay for private school tuition. Vouchers are … Continue reading →

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Overview of SBOE6

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Memorial Examiner takes a look at the race in SBOE6 between Republican Donna Bahorich and Democrat Traci Jensen. Bahorich is former district director for state Sen. Dan Patrick (R-District 7) and says her experience with the state legislative process … Continue reading →

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Patrick teases his school choice proposals

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

He doesn’t want to call it “vouchers”, but if it walks like a duck… “If there’s one message that I want to send, it’s that I want to champion public education,” said Patrick, the new chairman of the Senate Public … Continue reading →

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The opening argument against vouchers

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been hearing about vouchers since Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst named Sen. Dan Patrick to be Chair of the Senate Education Committee, but we haven’t heard – or at least, I haven’t seen – a lot of information about what … Continue reading →

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A question of how many

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, Democrats will pick up seats in the Lege this election. The question is how many seats. Texas political experts expect Democrats will gain at least seven House seats. “If the Democrats don’t get to 55 seats or more, the … Continue reading →

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Dewhurst prepares to ditch public education

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This tells you all you need to know about his priorities. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is poised to announce Senate leadership changes today that could have a profound effect on Texas education policy — including giving fuel to a push … Continue reading →

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Perry gives another middle finger to public education

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a twofer, actually. Here’s one. Gov. Rick Perry named Michael Williams the new commissioner of the Texas Education Agency Monday. A fixture of Texas Republican politics — and a former general counsel to the Republican Party of Texas — … Continue reading →

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A matter of priorities

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Compare and contrast. State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, the outspoken voice of the far right in the Senate, said he will be pushing vouchers that parents of school-age children could use for charter schools, online offerings or additional alternatives to … Continue reading →

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Two more ways to divert money from public schools

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Number One: Taxpayer-funded scholarships to private schools. When the Georgia legislature passed a private school scholarship program in 2008, lawmakers promoted it as a way to give poor children the same education choices as the wealthy. The program would be … Continue reading →

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