Houston--Voucher "Hearing" on Wed Sept 6--Leininger at Work--Action Item

[texastoast]

Texas Freedom Network--Take Action

Voucher Lobby Turns ‘Hearing’ into Public Relations Scam

The hearing begins at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday (Sept. 6) at the University of Houston Hilton (Shamrock Room, Suite 261B). Public testimony will probably begin around mid-afternoon. The UH Hilton is located at 4800 Calhoun Street in Houston (713-741-2447).

If you want to testify at the hearing, please contact TFN beforehand so that we can track our impact. Send your e-mail to [e-mail] or call 512-322-0545.

The voucher lobby is turning up the heat in its assault on public education in Texas. Several weeks ago James Leininger and his cronies began promoting private school vouchers on radio and billboards in inner-city communities around the state. Now their lackeys on the state Senate Education Committee will hold a sham “public hearing” in Houston next week. But this "hearing" is clearly nothing more than a public relations stunt to promote what voters and lawmakers have rejected in every legislative session for more than a decade: draining millions of dollars from our neighborhood public schools to pay for tuition vouchers at private and religious schools. Even worse, those private schools would not have to meet standards that apply to all of the state's public schools!

The hearing will include invited testimony from more than a half-dozen supporters of voucher schemes. Even Leininger’s Texas Public Policy Foundation has been invited to send a representative to speak! Only two voucher opponents – including TFN President Kathy Miller – will have the opportunity to explain why voucher schemes would snip