The promise of vouchers

Regarding “Gov. Greg Abbott’s fight for Texas school vouchers poised for victory after GOP primary,” (March 6): Congratulations to Gov. Greg Abbott and his rich donors.

Those ridiculous amounts of money and time could’ve actually helped schools and children. Instead they use it to try to turn Texas into a model of theocratic indoctrination.

More partisanship that is helping to spread extremism and causing the ideological rot in the GOP.

Bob Gayle, Houston

Regarding “Abbott’s voucher push,” (March 8): A previous letter writer stated “(Abbott’s) main concern seems to be his legacy and his political aspirations.” She actually overlooked his main concern: facing pushback from the three West Texas billionaires who are obsessed with the state funding white nationalist Christian schools.

It is absolutely wrong to divert taxpayer funds to private religious schools largely attended by wealthy white kids. Talk about buying a politician.

Full disclosure: My wife and I are a reasonably well-off white couple who fully paid for our daughter to attend St. Agnes High School.

We had a choice.

Tom Hix, Houston

I’m a fifth-generation Texan, and my husband is an Iranian American who had to leave Iran thanks to the theocracy in that once great country.

Look at Iran if you want an example of how awful faith-based government is.

I really feel for these rural kids. It just goes to show what a bunch of hypocrites the politicians in this state are.

They go on and on about how cowboy and country they are, then they destroy the rural schools. Margery Anderson, Houston

Regarding “Abbott’s Super Tuesday triumph in voucher battle is no win for Texas (Editorial),” (March 10): As a public education teacher in Texas, I’m confused by your inconsistency and failure to connect the dots.

You do not get to write an entire editorial on the governor’s obsession with turning Texas “into a Christiandominated, biblically based state” without mentioning the state takeover of the Houston Independent School District.

When you wrote, “Our obsessive Ahab remains at the helm,” I could have sworn you were writing about Abbott-approved, undemocratically appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles, who, in less than one academic year, continues to ruthlessly dismantle public schools through a scorch-andburn policy of regulations that seems meant to silence his detractors.

You don’t get to cry about Abbott’s anti-public school agenda only weeks after endorsing Texas Rep. Harold Dutton, the architect of the bill that led to this takeover, by using folksy language that Dutton is “contrarian yet charming.”

Your own board noted that Dutton received “in-kind contributions” from a pro-voucher group, but you cavalierly followed up that this seemed “to have no effect on his votes or position.”

Don’t tell me, “we can do better.” You can do better.

Anita Wadhwa, teacher, Mayde Creek High School

Instead of all your anti-Abbott and anti-voucher ranting, why don’t you tell your readers that 32 states have some sort of school choice program. And then tell us if they’re destroying public schools or just how they are working. Of course you won’t because that wouldn’t suit your agenda.

Glenn Jacks, New Caney

Parents claiming a right to more control over their children’s education, at public expense, should remember that there are no social rights without corresponding social obligations. Parents of children in private schools have acquired that right to more control by relieving the state of the cost of educating them. While one can argue the morality of this trade, at least the apples and oranges are there on the scales.

School vouchers have no such social payment offset and are instead an attempt to facilitate access to a private education using a state subsidy. Private schools have less oversight because they are not receiving public funds. With a voucher system, private schools would be substantially publicly funded.

Those seeking vouchers see this only as wanting the best for their children. However, the effect of generally available school vouchers would be to promote both economic and cultural division.

The use of public money should be for the general public good, not to promote social division.

Robert J. Fisher, Houston