Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Vouchers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter urges McAllen ISD board to oppose House Bill 3 voucher proposal
Summary
At the April 22, 2025 McAllen ISD board meeting, Sylvia Tanguma urged trustees to ask state lawmakers to reject House Bill 3, warning the voucher plan could divert millions from the district and affect staffing, library materials and the Teacher Retirement System.
Sylvia Tanguma, a public commenter, urged the McAllen Independent School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday to call on state representatives — particularly members of the Texas House Calendars Committee — to reject House Bill 3 and any voucher expansion.
Tanguma said the voucher proposal "will divert millions in public education funding to private schools that are not held to the same standards of transparency, accountability, or access." She gave district-specific figures, saying a large-scale voucher program "could drain $8,239,683 from our district," a loss she said would equal "153 fewer teachers supporting our students, 164,793 fewer library books, and a 7.22% increase in student-teacher ratios across our schools."
Tanguma also warned of longer-term effects on retirement funding, saying vouchers "endanger the teacher retirement system, TRS, by reducing the number of active educators paying into it," and that a smaller pool of contributors would weaken the system's long-term sustainability. "This is about more than funding. It's about the future of public education and the well-being of those who dedicate their lives to it," she added.
Her remarks were the lone public comment recorded on the board's agenda for the evening. The board did not take formal action on HB 3 during the meeting; Tanguma asked trustees to "stand with us, to speak out, to let our lawmakers know that McAllen ISD opposes vouchers in any form. Tell them to drop HB 3 now."
