Gov. Abbott is wielding money for our public schools as a weapon. He should beware | Opinion

Separate vouchers

As a teacher and rancher, I have supported Gov. Greg Abbott on many stances. He has done a good job, with a couple of notable exceptions: private school vouchers and threatening to withhold school funding as a weapon to get his way. Public education needs to be funded, and all students need its benefits — not just a select few.

Abbott is opening the door for political opponents. Split the bills, fund education and hash out a private school voucher program on a separate bill. If it is a proper program, the voters will let you know.

- Gary Danford, Buffalo

Southlake reality

I appreciate your May 26 editorial “Carroll ISD can protect students without going woke” (4C). There is another key audience you did not mention: taxpayers.

Southlake both is a defendant in several civil rights complaints and is suing the federal government over recent changes to Title IX. Southlake Carroll ISD has barely 8,000 students, which is small compared with surrounding districts. Are your readers aware that students in Southlake pay to ride the school bus because of a lack of funding? Or that teacher salaries are generally less than surrounding districts?

At what point does a local school district fighting a complex issue at the federal level abdicate fiduciary duty of taxpayer resources?

- Cynthia Bishop, Southlake

Not so smart

I will soon mark my first year as a middle school teacher. It feels like a much longer journey, but I am thankful for the opportunity to influence the next generation and build relationships with parents and the wider community.

People ask: “What challenges have you faced?” I have encountered several hurdles, but the most prominent is students’ attachment to their phones, likely provided by their parents.

I can’t recall being as fixated on anything during my youth as students are with their phones these days. If we fail to confront this issue, the future may look drastically different from what we envision for our children.

- Tecle Gebremicheal, Fort Worth

Cruising about?

I have heard that Sen. Ted Cruz is trying to form clubs called “Democrats for Cruz.” I guess there are not enough Republicans for Cruz left in Texas for him to be confident of reelection. Would this be like the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, setting up a foundation for world peace? No, it would be more like Antoine Louis, the designer of the guillotine, funding longevity research.

I have a really spacious phone booth I can recommend for the first meeting of such a club.

- C.A. Lindsey, Austin

GOP devolved

By its own actions, the Republican Party is excluding many Texans who want reproductive choice, well-funded public schools and honest state government. These stances benefit everyone, but Republicans fight them.

What was on the agenda at the Texas Republican convention? Having a purification rite to cleanse the party of past GOP leaders not as exclusionary as Donald Trump.

Texas voters and GOP leadership are not on the same planet. We have politicians presenting themselves as “courageous conservatives” while lacking the moral character needed for real leadership.

- Loveta Eastes, Fort Worth

Not democratic

It’s disgusting that Republican leaders of Texas are denigrating the rightful conviction of Donald Trump. They embody the position that is now the standard for most Republicans: Do not accept any results that one does not agree with.

This position is completely antithetical to the basic principle of democracy. They attack the judge and district attorney as being biased but say nothing about the jury, the people who are actually responsible for the convictions. They are typical keyboard cowards and hypocrites.

- S.R. DeWees, Stephenville