Dear Crowley ISD families and staff,
It has never been more critical for you to reach out to your state lawmaker and make your voice heard. I implore you to contact your representative using the link below and tell them to share your opinions, concerns and thoughts.
The Texas Legislature has a rare opportunity to invest in our public schools in a way that enables us to keep up with rising costs, attract and retain high-quality educators, provide safe learning environments and strengthen the economic engine of our state.
This week, the Texas House will consider House Bill 1, which includes a voucher system that sends public tax dollars to private schools. According to the Legislative Budget Board, the voucher program will cost $2 billion in the second year of the program and continue to grow each year. This creates a significant new financial commitment for the state while public schools remain underfunded by more than $14 billion.
Like many of you are feeling at home, Crowley ISD is grappling with substantial increases in the cost of utilities, fuel, insurance, food and other essentials necessary for the operation of our school district, and we’re struggling to give meaningful raises to staff who are also feeling the effects of rising costs.
Without appropriate and sustainable funding, school districts will have to absorb the cost of inflation through budget deficits, depletion of rainy-day funds and reducing services to students. This could possibly include:
- increased class sizes
- a reduction in course offerings
- elimination of programs
- reducing employee benefits and, worst-case scenario, laying off staff
Our students and teachers deserve better.
Despite having a record surplus of revenue and the ability to fully fund school districts, some lawmakers are using teacher pay and school funding as a carrot to pass unpopular and controversial voucher legislation. The stakes are simply too high to play political games. We must demand that our lawmakers work together for the benefit of our students, staff and public schools.
Legislators must hear from Crowley ISD stakeholders. You can click this link to send a message to your representative urging them to vote NO on HB 1 and asking them to focus on funding public schools instead of diverting taxpayer dollars to private entities.
Enough is enough! It’s time to make your voice heard.
