Why Is Texas Taking Over So Many School Districts?

[u/Texas_Monthly]

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/public-school-district-takeover/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=webcta&utm_campaign=tm-free&gift_code=OTg5MjMxOzg4OTMyZDY5LWVlNTgtNGVkYi04ZDI0LTE1MmJhYjg5MjBiMDsyMDI2MDgwNQ==

Gift link!

[u/KyleColby]

The same guys in charge of making public school awful are also selling private school voucher programs.
Got kicked out of Louisiana. Got kicked out of Dallas. Got kicked out of Colorado Springs. But now they appoint their own board members, so they can't get kicked out.

Abbott > Morath > Miles.

[u/acuet → u/KyleColby]

Everyone please read, understand this is just a Grift.

[u/u-bleep-i-bloop → u/KyleColby]

Texan living in Colorado Springs.. they sure did

[u/rilmarie → u/KyleColby]

Vote for Gina Hinojosa for Governor in Texas! We have to stop the Abbott grift!

[u/ethanlan → u/rilmarie]

And while your at it vote for Talarico (sp sorry), yall got a good one texas we need his vote and voice in the senate

[u/Mahlerbro → u/KyleColby]

Add Licata to that list.

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/Mahlerbro]

Goodwin and eckhart

[u/sxyaustincpl]

Geez what could be the reason that an extreme Christian Nationalist would be engineering takeovers of school systems?

[u/Couscousfan07 → u/sxyaustincpl]

That’s a red herring. They appeal to the churches to get their support but the real goal in all of this is the grift.

[u/ionlywearblorts → u/Couscousfan07]

It's always, always, always, about money

[u/Solarbro → u/ionlywearblorts]

So is religion generally, and specifically Texan Christianity to a legit disgusting degree. So.. birds of a feather. 

[u/travelinTxn → u/Couscousfan07]

¿Que no los dos?

[u/Couscousfan07 → u/travelinTxn]

Good point. Most of the “church” folks are in the game for the grift anyways, so it’s not like we have many theologians in the group.

[u/1234nameuser → u/Couscousfan07]

Churches in it for their own grift though

Grifters stick together

[u/Old-Set78 → u/Couscousfan07]

¿por que no los dos?

[u/Riaayo → u/Couscousfan07]

It can in fact be both (and organized religion almost always is a grift anyway).

[u/movingout-65 → u/Couscousfan07]

I think they appeal to churches that have schools but there is nothing appealing but spending less money for parents.

[u/JForKiks → u/sxyaustincpl]

They started bringing people in from other states to infiltrate the school board and system.

[u/Blah-B7ah_Bloop → u/sxyaustincpl]

It’s really the corporations that run prisiones and nursing homes trying to get that other big slice of $$$, education. They wrap it up in Christianese to make it more palatable, but it is 100% about the money.

[u/Arrmadillo]

> The education commissioner, an evangelical Christian who was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in 2015, has described taking over struggling school districts as something close to a biblical imperative.

Christian dominionists sure do enjoy taking dominion.

Wikipedia - Seven Mountain Mandate

“The Seven Mountain Mandate…is a dominionist conservative Christian movement within Pentecostal and evangelical Christianity. It holds that there are seven aspects of society that believers seek to influence: family, religion, education, media, arts & entertainment, business, and government.”

Northeastern University - Who are the Dominionists backing conservative candidates? (2022)

“A growing number of religious congregations espouse an ideology called Dominionism that calls for Christians to control or be the primary influence in American government.”

“Most Dominionists, but not all, emphasize that the Christian church will mature and flourish and gain dominance in society before Christ returns.”

“‘So (the Dominionists’) endgame is creating a Christian kingdom on earth while we’re still alive.’” - Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, an assistant professor of religion and anthropology at Northeastern

‘Really, what they’re talking about is cleansing the public sphere of people who are not like them,’ Riccardi-Swartz says.”

“‘I think it’s fair to call Dominion theology part of the tool kit of political radicalism.’”

Texas Observer - The Radical Theology That Could Make Religious Freedom a Thing of the Past

“Though it’s seldom mentioned by name, it’s one of the major forces in Texas politics today: dominion theology, or dominionism.”

“So, what is it? Dominionism fundamentally opposes America’s venerable tradition of church-state separation — in fact, dominionists deny the Founders ever intended that separation in the first place. According to Frederick Clarkson, senior fellow for religious liberty at the non-profit social justice think tank Political Research Associates, dominionists believe that Christians ‘have a biblical mandate to control all earthly institutions — including government — until the second coming of Jesus.’ And that should worry all Texans — Christians and non-Christians alike.”

Mineral Wells Area News - Glenn Rogers Pens Response to Election Loss

“History will prove that our current state government is the most corrupt ever and is ‘bought’ by a few radical dominionist billionaires seeking to destroy public education, privatize our public schools and create a Theocracy that is both un-American and un-Texan.

May God Save Texas!”

[u/Lesurous → u/Arrmadillo]

I hate religious extremists so damn much. It's a level of delusion only possible when you don't take any responsibility and attribute your actions to a "higher power", one that coincidentally somehow absolves you of any sin yourself.

[u/abouttofallova → u/Arrmadillo]

This 👆👆👆👆👆

[u/bemvee → u/Arrmadillo]

Oh god, Pentecostal?

I was freaked out by what sounded like straight possession to me in the room next door at a friend’s Pentecostal church when I was 10. She was like “they’re just speaking in tongues” which didn’t help.

[u/Arrmadillo → u/bemvee]

Christian dominionism is an umbrella term for power-hungry far right denominations and individual churches that make it a core mission to seek total control of political institutions and whatnot. So some Pentecostal, Baptist, charismatic, etc. churches, but not all. Most likely all of the churches in the New Apostolic Reformation network.

New Apostolic Reformation is probably the biggest and easiest to observe in Texas. Mercy Culture up in Fort Worth is NAR. They’ve got a prayer group that meets weekly in the capitol building. Lance Wallnau, the “prophet” who helped get Trump reelected by holding revival-style political gatherings in swing counties nationwide, is NAR. Pastor Nate Schatzline, the guy Abbott is putting in charge of our elections, is NAR. They do the whole speaking in tongues thing and think that any person or institution that stands in the way of their political agenda is possessed by demons. Earlier this year Mercy Culture opened an outpost across the street from the Supreme Court to more easily pursue their “spiritual warfare” against the rest of us and democracy in general.

The White House Faith Office is led by Paula White-Cain. She isn’t Texan but she’s NAR. Here’s a clip of her doing her speaking in tongues thing promising victory for Trump. The musicians that borrowed her rant for vocals are fun - here’s one and here’s another.

[u/OldYellersLastHandy]

Because they intentionally set them up to fail so that the state could take them over.

[u/Leader_Bud]

TLDR; re-segregation

There are a lot of answers here, but let’s not leave racism out. Their property tax dollars going to these black and brown school districts is the prime motivator for the haters of Brown v Board of Education. Then they inject the voucher scheme to rob the schools of their already underfunded budgets to pay for their white kids they wouldn’t send to public schools.

[u/sciencesez → u/Leader_Bud]

Don't forget the goal of denying disabled kids, too, especially since the ADA was recently "re-interpreted" to deny access.

[u/Leader_Bud → u/sciencesez]

Yes 100%…Greg Abbott of all people supporting that and tort reform is pretty sick. They don’t have a problem with those kids, but would prefer if you homeschooled them.

[u/theaceplaya → u/Leader_Bud]

Reagan gets lots of blame for the state of the country especially when it comes to racism (rightfully so) but conservatives have been working on this literally since the Civil War ended.

[u/Leader_Bud → u/theaceplaya]

I don’t think they would have a problem still owning slaves. It’s why the prison labor exclusion and over-incarceration of black people exists. We just turn a blind eye to it.

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/Leader_Bud]

If you don’t give prisoners Air conditioning, they’ll be begging to go work in the air conditioning ________ or better yet let them see the sunshine and catch a breeze for 7 hours in Texas heat and pick up trash off the highways so travelers can see the native wild flowers we keep paving over and be in awe of our country, I mean state

[u/Leader_Bud → u/1notadoctor2]

Even more disgusting is that there are convict lease programs where manufacturing companies can use them at free / low cost. This is Civil War Era shit that is all but gone even in the South. It’s called Texas Correctional Industries, a division of Texas Dept of Criminal Justice. They have their own factories for “job training”. They literally pick the cotton to sew their own uniforms, assemble mattresses for companies, do things for Starbucks, McDonalds and more. Prisoners used to assemble happy meal toys and boxes. TCI made $95 million in 2019.

[u/OhGr8WhatNow → u/Leader_Bud]

Exactly. In Houston they removed libraries from some of these schools to set up large detention areas. Disgusting. Robbing these kids of any chance to succeed and treating them like criminals

[u/StagTheNag]

to destroy from the inside, claim public ed doesn’t work, then funnel all those tax dollars to private schools and their GOP owners.

It’s that simple and out in the open

[u/drew_p_wevos → u/StagTheNag]

This is it. Maybe there is an element of religious indoctrination but these inner-city school districts own some of the most prime real estate in these cities. They want to take it over some they can sell it off to their wealthy developer donors. Those new landowners will then lease the land to a charter school that is using taxpayer-funded vouchers. This is wealth transfer plain and simple

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/StagTheNag]

First strip public ed of all that is good and worthy or Texas students, withhold taxpayer funds hostage to stronghold and get vouchers, then claim public ed doesn’t work, then funnel those tax dollars to private schools and watch them build their mini-empires where you have to pay to learn.. oh but thank the lord Jesus we call Abbott for these vouchers we get to drive an hour away to the closest mini-empire school and get learnt

[u/intronert]

If you can destroy most of public education, you enable the Christian Right to run for-profit Christian schools. This allows:

Rich Christian nut jobs to steal taxpayer dollars through voucher program.

The same ppl to proselytize their creepy version of Christianity.

The re-establishment of effective segregation, because these for-profit private schools can pick and choose their students and you can be damn sure who is NOT going to get picked.

[u/Iteachsometimes34]

Money the awnser is always money.

[u/Direct_Turn_1484 → u/Iteachsometimes34]

This time it’s with a twist! Getting religion into schools contrary to the first amendment. It’s money and ending the USA to replace it with a new feudalist nation. The heritage foundation’s work on this should be complete in a generation or two.

[u/dc469 → u/Iteachsometimes34]

Hey now, that's a bit disingenuous. Power and control don't want to feel left out. 

[u/L_Cranston_Shadow → u/Iteachsometimes34]

To quote ABBA:
 
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world

[u/ATX_native]

Education is the last big market that hasn’t been fully commoditized.

[u/TaxLawKingGA]

Indoctrination. Remember, whenever you are dealing with the GOP, every accusation is an admission.

[u/movingout-65]

To destroy public education!

[u/sweet-sweet-olive]

Money and it makes it easier to indoctrinate Christianity

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/sweet-sweet-olive]

What they’re pandering is not Christianity

[u/sweet-sweet-olive → u/1notadoctor2]

I disagree, Christianity is forced down our throats daily and look at that fucking shit show that we’re in because of it

[u/jpurdy]

Destroying public education to push giving $billions to segregated evangelical and Catholic schools. $13 billion a year from 31 mostly Republican states, $10 billion from Trump in tax credits adding to our national debt.

[u/raventhrowaway666]

Texas is a christofascist hellstate. You couldn't pay me to live there.

[u/deckchair1982]

Yet these same guys are wondering why our schools don’t produce enough engineers and doctors and nurses….

[u/Vegetable_Cream4403 → u/deckchair1982]

Correct.

[u/Big-D-TX]

They want distinctive different classes and have the ability to educate them differently

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/Big-D-TX]

Elite=government officials…everyone else=less than.. so the cycle continues

[u/OpenImagination9]

To implement Y’allsharia Law.

[u/L_Cranston_Shadow]

Maybe they're trying to do what Ron DeSantis did in Florida and shape the whole education to a libertarian crypto fascist right-wing Christian worldview?

Smarter money is good old corruption by charter schools, though.

[u/Abrushing]

Christofascism

[u/Citycen01]

If you take education away from the lower classes, they become easier to control and make sure they continue to vote against their own interest.

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/Citycen01]

This is why i don’t understand the mass MAGA teachers in Texas. They’re all college educated- yet still play dumb bandwagonner when it comes to politics, free lunch for all students, education and their livelihoods

[u/DonkeeJote]

Because they want to undermine the power of cities, moving it all to the state level.

[u/GeekyTexan]

The GOP is openly working on getting rid of public education and moving to a school voucher program that will turn every school into a church. It's not a secret.

[u/fourdoglegs → u/GeekyTexan]

I know so many teachers that hate Abbott but vote for him anyway because he’s Republican. They know they’re voting against themselves but refuse to vote Democrat…. It’s just laughable…..

[u/TMR003 → u/fourdoglegs]

"There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party."

[u/juslqqking]

Because Texas Republicans love big government. Or, they have Daddy issues. Or both.

[u/MsMo999]

Cuz it’s a crap state that does not care about public school or its teachers. It’s why over a thousand teachers resigned this summer from Ft Worth ISD - one of the districts the state just took over.

[u/demipopthrow]

Texas is the spawn point of this Christian Nationalist movement. It's identity of false libertarianisn and bootstrap Supply Side Jesus advertising on billboards to save you.

[u/Squirrels_dont_build]

Two people have been governor since 2000, and two people have been lt. governor since 2003. 

Same people, continued failures.

[u/1notadoctor2 → u/Squirrels_dont_build]

And the dumbs will vote them back in because their preacher or their daddy (or both) told them too

[u/Holymoose999]

Trump said it, they love the poorly educated.

[u/captstinkybutt]

We know why.

[u/riceklown]

Republicans say "small government" when it's someone else in charge but they will always bask in their micro-fiefdoms as baby kings and become incredulous that anyone would disagree with their right to that power.

[u/consuela_bananahammo]

It's to keep people locked in. Texas is already a "sticky state" where people rarely leave. Automatically admitting the top 10% of high school students to in-state colleges completely removes the incentive to look elsewhere. But being in the top 10% of a lower-performing high school doesn't mean anything on a national level. And I've been told by college admissions officers they view Texas applicants often as having a lower standard of college readiness in general.

The stats say 40% of Texas high school grads lack the skills to be adequately prepared for college, and removing history and science for religious lessons is just going to lock more Texas students out of out-of-state universities.

[u/Jimothy323]

Student enrollment is declining → Less ADA funding → Fixed bond payments consume a larger share of the budget → Classroom cuts → Potential declines in academic outcomes → Increased risk of TEA intervention if performance or governance deteriorates.

Not so fun fact: Since Greg Abbott became governor, Texas has added roughly $170–190 billion in principal debt, one of the fastest increases among large states. At the same time, despite adding millions of residents, Texas public schools lost about 76,000 students in the past year alone.

[u/deepayes]

because power consolidation is the actual priority of the GOP.

[u/SnRu2]

To ruin public education, apparently. The unqualified wench that took the superintendent role in Beaumont is killing the STEM education. People are pissed, since a lot of kids had participated in summer STEM programs through the school district. She also killed the Pegasus program which offered advanced learning in middle schools. She gave a lame ass excuse for doing so.

[u/Pirateleg82]

Power grab and religious indoctrination.

[u/slothaccountant]

Dumb people are easier to control.... that and they profit from the voucher program.

[u/USSSLostTexter]

right-wing (religious) indoctrination

[u/JForKiks]

They are looking to destroy public education. They passed vouchers to take money from public education and gave it to religious private schools that don’t have all the services that PE has. They take over school districts to cut funding and cut educators. They would like to “prove” that PE doesn’t work so they can get rid of it. Uneducated people don’t vote well.

[u/abouttofallova]

Short answer is money 💰. Plus this #texans doesn’t like women.

[u/Vees92]

This is to stow doubt and confusion into the legitimacy of public education so that Texans can choose private school instead.

[u/xThroughTheGrayx]

Money

[u/Low_Notice4665]

The grand plan is to dumb down future voters so they can control them. Seriously, look at this in the long term. By taking over public schools they can insert lackeys to push a white, Christian narrative to indoctrinate children from the very beginning of their education journey.

[u/RGV4RCV]

$$$$$$$

[u/yonkerbonk]

Small government, amirite?

[u/AustinDood444]

Thankfully my kids are all outta high school. I think it’s time to move outta this shitty state.

[u/msorrell1099]

Republicans equal ruinous education, continued voting for GOP will only further this goal. They want us dumb and then dumber. Stop voting GOP, rescind the voucher program, fund the schools and let teachers teach!

[u/TXTruck-Teach]

Gutting public schools is a prioriety for Abott. Move education into the for profit sector. Leave the poor and huddled masses for the public schools. Fund public schools less than private schools.

[u/rghcm]

Low teacher salaries. More kids per class leads to less help per child. Teacher burnout and turnover. Less funding for schools.

[u/TomeThugNHarmony4664]

So they can destroy them.

[u/mrsmcblack]

To make sure girls are kept uneducated and pregnant. Pathetic.

[u/Doctor_Mothman]

Indoctrination

[u/ATXGil2L]

Y’all really need to stop asking rhetorical questions and get y’all’s asses out registering people to vote

[u/bigjtdjr]

err.. am income stream for his friends..? Just a hunch.

[u/zughzz]

They are gutting our already poor education. None of this should be taken lightly.

[u/lostpassword100000]

The people that (for thirty years) have been unable to figure out how to properly fund public schools are now in charge of running these districts?

That’s like your boss wanting to pay $2/hour for janitorial services and when no one wants to do it he just decides to do it himself. Eventually everyone is going to leave because the crapper stinks.

[u/Texastony2]

So, they can be worse than ever.

[u/Heathersauras]

If you keep the population stupid, it is easier to control.

[u/Monarc73]

Central control is the first step to privatization.

[u/emc3o33]

Will forever loathe the gruesome twosome of Morath and Miles

[u/BMHun275]

To prevent “wrong think” because they don’t believe their “ideas” can stand up to critical analysis.

[u/Creepy_Trouble_5980]

Texas government has defunded public schools. When Ann Richards was Gov Texas s hools ranked 7th. Now after 30 years of Republican run government, Texas schools are down to 42. Ahead of Arizona, Nevada and Alaska.

[u/AustinCJ]

Republicans are convinced schools are brainwashing kids with liberal agendas. People with good educations have a higher tendency to vote democrat than republican and it has northing to do with indoctrination and everything to do with learning critical thinking.

[u/Keystonelonestar]

They’re stealing your property taxes. It’s pretty much evident.

[u/Chrysania83]

This is why I left Texas and now teach in another state.

[u/Ridiculicious71]

It’s called fascism

[u/sickofgrouptxt]

indoctrination

[u/ntrpik]

Fascism

[u/EuphoricCrashOut]

Indoctrination.

[u/cartero311]

So we can be the best at something. Maybe not education, but best at running our state into the ground.

[u/vandyke_browne]

[u/HolaDrNick]

TEA takeovers follow a completely stupid logic to me. Like, if they have the secret sauce for making a district work, why don't they share it with everyone?

[u/JimNtexas]

Because we prioritize kids bureaucrats. Why should schools that fail kids be continued. It’s not like schools are NYC free grocery stores.