Raise Your Hand Texas Statement on CSSB 8

CSSB 8 Abandons, Defunds, and Contains No Accountability Provisions

Raise Your Hand Texas has received notice that on May 10, the House Public Education Committee will consider, without a public hearing, the most expansive and costly voucher program in the United States. The latest iteration of Senate Bill 8 abandons protections for our most vulnerable students, defunds our rural schools, and contains no accountability provisions for the use of voucher dollars within private schools.

With tens of billions of dollars on the table this session, the Texas legislature has an unprecedented opportunity to focus on meaningful endeavors such as school safety and teacher pay raises. Instead, some leaders have chosen to spend their time on voucher schemes that would line the pockets of unaccountable vendors.  

There is still time within this legislative session to uphold the transparency that is so valued by the House and by constituents across the state. Raise Your Hand Texas requests that members of the House be given time to study the major changes within CSSB 8 and that Texans be allowed to have their voices heard in a public forum.