Classnotes Podcast (February 21, 2025) As activities to divert public money to private schools grow across the country and at the national level, the Texas leadership is pushing hard to establish its own voucher program. This is despite public outcry for strengthened and fully funded public education. And it is taking place in the midst of much misinformation about the proposed program.

IDRA has been at the forefront of school funding equity work since its founding over five decades ago. Three people from IDRA who testified during a Senate hearing in February 2025 came together for this podcast episode to discuss the truth about the voucher program, how it would divert tons of money from the state’s grossly underfunded public schools and how it would harm Texas students.

As a bonus, they share an excerpt from Liz’s daughter’s testimony as she tells how private schools refused to admit her because of her disability.

Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., is IDRA’s deputy director of policy. Kaci Wright is an IDRA Education Policy Fellow. Lizdelia Piñón, Ed.D., is an IDRA education associate.

Show length: 22:19 min.

Send comments to podcast@idra.org

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  The Truth About Private School Vouchers – IDRA Classnotes Podcast 248

  
  
  
  
  

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Resources

Video: Private Schools Didn’t Choose Me – Powerful Testimony from Felicita

IDRA’s Stop Vouchers webpage.

Data Map: The Big Cost of Proposed Voucher Legislation – IDRA Map and Dashboard by Texas state senate districts, state house districts, traditional public school districts, and charter school districts

Infographic: 5 Reasons Private School Vouchers Would Hurt Students

Subscribe to IDRA’s Texas Education Policy Alert

Get advocacy resources at IDRA’s SEEN website

Testimony

• Education Savings Accounts are Inefficient and Ineffective for General Diffusion of Knowledge, Student Achievement and School Investments– IDRA Testimony against SB 2, Submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, January 28, 2025


• Don’t Prioritize Politics and Profits Over the Families Policymakers Should Be Representing– Testimony Against Senate Bill 2, Presented by Lizdelia Piñón, IDRA Education Associate, to the Texas Senate Committee on Education (PK-16), January 28, 2025 (Plus testimony by Sixth Grader, Felicita Piñón)


• Education Saving Accounts Harm Texas Students’ Access to an Equitable Education– TLEEC Testimony Against Senate Bill 2, submitted by Kaci Wright to the Texas Senate Committee on K-16 Education, January 28, 2025

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The post The Truth About Private School Vouchers – Classnotes Podcast 248 appeared first on IDRA.