Ashley Bean Thornton: Pat Curry wrong on vouchers funding CTE courses

I was very interested to read the Pat Curry Q&A in the Oct. 12 edition of the Tribune-Herald [ "Businessman digs deep into voucher, border issues" ], especially his comments on workforce education and education savings accounts (also known as school vouchers).

Ninety percent of the students who attend Waco public schools are considered low-income, meaning they are from families that are making no more than 150% of the federal poverty guideline. That would be $46,800 for a family of four.

I want my tax dollars to go toward building an education system that helps the economically challenged students of today become the financially stable, and even well-off, parents of tomorrow. That's certainly better for them, and I believe growing the percentage of financially stable families in our community is better for all of us in the long run. When I am considering education policy and considering the candidates who will be voting on that education policy, I am looking for ideas that will help accomplish that goal.

I read the Curry interview with that goal in mind. His comments about workforce development and workforce training caught my eye.

I love workforce education. Career and technical education can help students step into good-paying jobs right out of high school. This income can give economically challenged students options for improving their financial situation. For example, they could continue down the path of developing their skills on the job if they want to, increasing their pay as they go. Or they might decide to save their money to pursue a four-year degree at some point. I was glad to see that Curry supports CTE, too.

Unfortunately, even though Curry earns a checkmark for having his heart in the right place, he gets an "X" for being off track with the facts.

In expounding on the benefits of ESAs, Curry says, "... ESAs are wide open in their potential use for workforce development and workforce training, so you can still stay in your school district and apply to go to Texas State Technical College for classes or McLennan Community College for teaching or nursing classes or even Baylor for engineering classes ... But the ESA will pay for that tuition and they'll pay for the transportation to and from. So [the students] still stay in their schools."

That's not true, or at least it hasn't been true so far.

Neither of the voucher bills that were considered seriously in the last Texas legislative sessions ( SB 1 and HB 1 ) allowed for students to use ESA money while also attending public school. Both specified that a child is no longer eligible for a voucher once he or she enrolls in a public school. In other words, students using ESAs can't "still stay in their schools."

We will have a new Legislature in 2025, and it's possible they will write new bills that might allow this. Based on last go-round, though, it doesn't look like the voucher advocates intend for folks to be able to both attend public school and get a voucher.

You know where you can go, though, if you want to take courses at TSTC and MCC while you are staying in your public school? Waco ISD. It's a program called "dual credit."

Waco ISD already has dual-credit agreements with TSTC and MCC that allow students to take classes like digital electronics and introduction to welding, or business computer applications and principles of management while still in high school. WISD already pays for these dual credit programs, including the cost to take the required college entrance exams, the cost for tuition, the cost for textbooks and the cost for transportation. There is zero additional cost to the student.

In other words, we already have the program that Curry claims would be such an awesome benefit of adopting private school vouchers.

Curry also commented that "it seems like the number one class in CTE is floral design right now." I searched for "floral design" on the Waco ISD website — zero hits on that one. I did, however, find an Academy of Engineering, an Academy of Advanced Health Care, an Academy of Advanced Manufacturing, an Academy of Construction Science and an Academy of Welding, among several others.

Waco ISD has fantastic CTE courses. I have never heard of a private school offering these kinds of classes.

If you believe, as I do, that dual-credit and CTE courses are a great benefit for all kinds of students, then we need to better fund public schools to support and strengthen these kinds of programs. We need to consider, for example, funding staff to help develop stronger connections between schools and our industry and business partners.

If you believe, as I do, that dual-credit and CTE courses could particularly benefit our low-income kids, we need to fund whatever wraparound services and counselors needed to help our low-income kids participate in and complete these programs.

Private school vouchers do not help with any of that. Several studies have shown that private school vouchers are mostly used by families that can already afford private school. I do not see how that makes my community stronger. I do not believe that is the best use of my tax dollars.

Let's quit wasting our time messing around with vouchers.

I would rather we spend our time and money figuring out how to support and strengthen CTE, dual-credit and other kinds of practical programs that are available in our public schools. These programs help all kinds of kids, including our low-income kids. Please vote for candidates who understand that.

Ashley Bean Thornton is the newest member of the Tribune-Herald Board of Contributors. A civic leader and founder of the Act Locally Waco website, she is retired from Baylor University and has worked to help organize after-school programs for Transformation Waco.