“I will have nought to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath.”

- Aesop

“What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say.”

- Abraham Lincoln

Since we haven’t yet been able to nail down the definition of a voucher, I am going with the National Education Association’s definition this time:

“Teachers, parents, and the general public have long  opposed private school tuition vouchers — especially when funds for vouchers compete with funds for overall improvements in America’s public schools.”

Senator Judith Zaffirini filed Senate Bill 21 on November 10 that was co-authored by Senator Hinojosa, Senator Lucio, Senator Uresti, Senator Van de Putte and the inexplicable Senator Carona. The companion bill, House Bill 130, was also filed on November 10 by Texas Parent PAC darlin’, Representative Diane Patrick. SB21 and HB130 would provide Foundation funding for preschool and pre-Kindergarten programs from community providers.

That sounds nice.

But what is Foundation funding? It is the Foundation School Program, and it is the state funding mechanism after the Robin Hood lawsuit. Foundation School Program money is public education money.

What are community providers? I called several Senate offices to find out, but no one was around to answer the phones today. I’m no genius, but I can’t come up with anything other than education providers from the community – or private schools.

Public money?

Private schools?

OMG!

One would think that this proposal would drain “already underfunded public schools”.

What’s to keep “start up” preschools from popping up that are just in it for the money, not for the kids?

TASA is not going to like this one bit.

The anti-voucher Texas Parent PAC and Raise Your Hand Texas must be furious!

So why is the Texas Parent PAC’s Representative Diane Patrick the author of the companion bill?

Is this that tricky word voucher being manipulated to fit a specific agenda – again?

Heads up, thinkers.

Watch for an amendment to Foundation rules next:

§ 42.003. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY. (a) A student is entitled

to the benefits of the Foundation School Program if the student is 5 years of age or older and under 21 years of age on September 1 of the school year and has not graduated from high school.