LONGVIEW, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video was published on March 9, 2023 when Gov. Greg Abbott visited Tyler to discuss school funding legislation.
Longview ISD board trustees passed a resolution against the use of school vouchers and other programs that the district says would reduce public education funding.
On Monday night during a regular board meeting, trustees unanimously approved a resolution opposing vouchers, education savings accounts, taxpayer savings grants and other mechanisms.
A school voucher is state government funding that goes toward parents choosing where they want to their child to attend, such as a private school or home schooling instead of public education.
Gov. Greg Abbott made a recent stop to Grace Community School in early March advocating for vouchers, which has also been labeled as school choice. Prior to his visit, several East Texas public school district leaders spoke out against the initiative, saying it would take away money and harm public schools.
According to Longview ISD, the resolution mentions Article 7 Section 1 of the Texas Constitution, which requires the legislature to provide support for free public school systems that accept every student and follow state-mandated academic and financial accountability standards.
Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said the Longview ISD resolution states vouchers "give private schools, rather than parents, the right to choose, and that private schools are not required to meet the same academic standards as public schools or report performance measures to the public."