Texas Educators Engage in Conversations about Student Safety, School Vouchers, and the Legislature
The Texas legislative session has reached its midpoint, and lawmakers are hotly debating dozens of proposals related to education. Among these proposals are efforts to arm educators, teacher raises, and school voucher-like programs. These decisions have the potential to significantly impact schools, teachers, and students, and as a result, The Dallas Morning News’ Education Lab is hosting a live conversation with educators and advocates to discuss the implications of these proposals for the education system.
The virtual chat is scheduled to be broadcast on The Dallas Morning News Facebook page at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. During the conversation, panelists, including Dallas schools Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, Monty Exter, the Association of Texas Professional Educators’ director of government relations, and HD Chambers, the Texas School Alliance’s executive director and a former schools superintendent, will shed light on critical education issues that require urgent attention.
Some of the bills proposed aim to address the various challenges that schools are presently facing, including teacher quality, book bans, and what students learn about history in class. Other proposals, on the other hand, seek to permit families to use taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition, revamp how community colleges are funded, and prevent diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within state agencies.
The DMN Education Lab, a community-funded journalism initiative that is supported by a variety of stakeholders, including Sydney Smith Hicks, Bobby, and Lottye Lyle, The Dallas Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, and The Meadows Foundation, aims to deepen the conversation and coverage of important education-related issues that are integral to the future of North Texas. However, The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control over the Education Lab’s journalism.
If you have any inquiries you would like to direct to the panelists, you are welcome to submit them to [email protected].
This event is an opportunity to engage with experts and advocates who can help to unpack the implications of the legislative provisions under debate on the future of Texas’s education system. With complex and divisive issues under discussion, this conversation could be instrumental in providing clarity and ensuring that informed decisions are made.
