Call to Action: Submit public comments for the Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment

The House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment will meet Tuesday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 13. Committee members will discuss the three charges assigned to them by Speaker Dade Phelan (R–Beaumont) when he announced the committee in mid-June. Those charges include:

1. Ensuring all Texas youths enjoy equal educational opportunity and the freedom to obtain quality education, regardless of circumstance. Under this charge, the committee will be discussing options to allow students to attend the school of their choice, including vouchers, which are often referred to as Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).
2. Improving outcomes for Texas public school students and meaningfully supporting educators and educational institutions. This charge will likely include examining the recommendations made by the 2022 Teacher Vacancy Task Force, including the need to increase teacher pay, and discussing ways to improve teacher retention and quality and support schools with poor accountability ratings.
3. Modernizing assessment and accountability measures for Texas schools educating K-12 students. This charge will include suggestions to improve the state’s standardized testing and A-F accountability systems.

The hearings will be open to the public and streamed publicly through the House’s webpage.

The committee will hear only invited testimony, but a link is available for the public to submit comments. All comments submitted will be given to committee members and displayed publicly on the committee’s webpage. We strongly encourage all educators and supporters of public education to submit a comment. This is your opportunity to tell the Legislature you want higher pay, less testing, and NO vouchers! To submit a comment:

• Visit the committee hearing comment page.
• Check the affirmation box at the top of the page, stating that you are a Texas resident, that the information you are providing is true, and that you understand that your comments will be available to the public.
• Enter your contact information.
• Next, click the date/topic you wish to comment on. It is important to note that you may only select one topic to comment on at a time, but you are allowed to leave comments on each of the items if you wish.
• Once you select your topic, leave your comment in the text input box. Each comment is limited to 3,000 words.

You can submit one per topic, per session—so a total of six! 

The findings of this committee will likely be used to shape legislation during an upcoming special session on vouchers, which is expected to occur in late August or September. This means it is important that you let your voice be heard! Please submit your comments to the committee. It’s time to let these committee members know you want proper funding for our schools, a teacher pay raise, a lower testing and accountability burden, and NO VOUCHERS! Let's flood the comments with input from educators and show the strength and power of our numbers!

As a reminder, we welcome your comments here on Teach the Vote, but to reach the committee, you will need to use the House public comment system.