Privatizing Texas

Regarding “Beach rights,” (March 8): In his letter,Mike Farrell raised an interesting question, asking if anyone has checked into Sen. Mayes Middleton’s own property ownership. I checked.

According to the Galveston County Tax Office website, Mr. Middleton owns a residence in the East Galveston Beach area valued at $916,000, plus three adjacent lots with a combined value of $170,010. The Middleton residence does not appear to be right on the beach, so he would probably have to depend on the generosity of his beach-front neighbors, or perhaps a homeowner’s association, to retain uninhibited access to the beach if his bill — Senate Bill 434 — is enacted.

Privatizing Texas’ beaches is in line with Middleton’s school voucher bill (Senate Bill 176), which would be a major step in the privatization of Texas K-12 education. The voucher bill would create an education savings account that would provide parents with an estimated $10,000 to use to send children to private schools, which are often religious. Middleton notes in his official biography that he and his wife support faith-based charities, so it would seem likely that the four Middleton children might attend such state-subsidized schools.

But just in case SB 176 does not pass, another bill that he introduced, Senate Bill 1396, would fill the gap. SB 1396 would permit a school district’s board of trustees to “adopt a policy requiring every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and Bible reading on each school day in accordance with this section.”

Is Middleton running for higher office?

Larry Toenjes, Clear Lake Shores