Leander ISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing spoke at the Texas Capitol on October 12 to give a voice of support for public schools in the midst of a special session of the 88th Texas Legislature.
Dear #1LISD Community,
Governor Abbott announced a special session of the 88th Texas Legislature that began Monday, Oct. 9, in part to provide private schools with subsidies, also known as vouchers or Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). The governor did not include public education funding in the call, nor did he include teacher salaries that support the more than 5.5 million public education students across the state.
I don’t think I can overstate the importance of this 30-day special session. It is critical that you pay close attention to the actions our lawmakers take and how those actions will impact your public schools.
At the Oct. 5, 2023 Board meeting, our Trustees passed a resolution for adequate funding for public schools and took a strong stand in outlining a fresh set of legislative priorities for this special session. In summary, here are the three key points:
1. Leander ISD is opposed to any type of voucher, including Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). 2. Leander ISD supports an update to the school finance system.
3. Leander ISD supports local control.
It’s worth reading in full, but these are priorities based on a set of facts, including: ● Texas ranks in the bottom 10 nationally for per-pupil spending, $4,000 below the national average. ● Texas faces a historic teacher shortage with an attrition rate 25% higher than the national average.
Schools have been immensely impacted by record inflation over the past few years and need more than $14 billion just to return to the buying power we had in June 2019. Just as you have all felt the impact of inflation, we are seeing massive increases in the cost of utilities, fuel, insurance, food and other expenses necessary for operating our school district.
Perhaps most importantly, our staff are in the same boat as you and need cost of living adjustments just to keep up with the rising costs of groceries, health care and gas. Unfortunately, the school finance system does not increase funding when inflation rises, and contrary to common belief, when your property values rise, schools do not receive more money for raises or operating expenses. Instead, the state gets to fund less of the system.
Because of this, the legislature needs to prioritize available funding for public school students, classrooms and staff. Texas public schools receive a basic per-student allotment of $6,160. The legislature has left this stagnant for public schools since 2019. School districts would need about $1,000 more per student in the basic allotment just to keep up with inflation and ultimately match the changed economic environment in the four years prior. Our students and staff deserve better.
With significant increases in revenue expected over the next two years, the legislature has a prime opportunity to fully fund public education and stabilize our schools.
Over the October 14-15 weekend at the Texas Capitol, it was heartening to see the grassroots support of Texas public schools. The future of our state, our nation and our world is in our public schools right now. You’ll hear the phrase “school choice” used often during this special session, and it’s important to point out that here in Leander ISD and across the state, public schools already offer choice. Along with extensive choice within schools, we already have three internal schools of choice:
● A virtual learning academy
● An alternative high school designed to help students accelerate through credits needed for graduation, helping students to graduate on time or early
● An early college high school housed on a college campus, which allows students to graduate with an associate degree at the same time as their high school diploma
We’re focused on each individual student in our system, and that’s only possible by offering different pathways to success. And when it comes to parents’ ability to choose where their child is educated, I have no issue with choice. What I do mind is using public taxpayer dollars to fund that choice. Public schools proudly serve all students within our boundaries. We welcome you without regard to where you come from, what you look like, how smart you are, or what challenges you bring with you. We are public school. We serve ALL.
Private schools can, and frequently do, turn students away, while not being held to the level of accountability standards that come with public funds. In Leander ISD, special education students have a home and a guarantee of their federal rights under IDEA and Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Will they receive those rights in a private school setting?
Leander ISD is strongly opposed to any form of voucher, and no amount of money the legislature can offer will change our minds. I urge you to join me in opposing any system that takes public money away from public schools.
We will be watching closely as the legislature considers these important topics, and we want you to follow along as well. We will be posting on district social media about these topics over the next few weeks, and I’ll keep you updated as the session progresses. I encourage you to educate yourselves on these issues, stay engaged, and contact the Governor’s Office and your elected officials to talk about what Leander ISD and your schools mean to you and how important it is to support our teachers and staff.
Thank you for entrusting us with your most precious resource and giving us the opportunity to partner with you in educating the future of our great state. Let’s make sure our representatives in Austin know how important our #1LISD schools are to our community.
Sincerely,
Bruce Gearing, Ed.D.
Leander ISD Superintendent