Education Funding, Vouchers Drive Discussion at Plano Public Education Forum

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

PLANO — As debates over school funding, vouchers and teacher shortages continue across Texas, residents gathered Thursday evening at Harrington Library in Plano to hear educators and candidates discuss how those issues are affecting public schools.

Hosted by Angie Carraway and Citizens for Carraway, the forum featured TX-03 Democratic congressional candidate Evan Hunt, House District 89 candidate Angie Carraway, House District 67 candidate Jordan Wheatley, Save Our Public Schools Texas CEO Herb Krasner and was moderated by Georgiana Bustos of the Vikki Goodwin campaign.

Krasner outlines challenges facing Texas schools

Krasner opened the discussion with a presentation arguing that years of underinvestment have left school districts across Texas struggling with growing budget deficits and financial pressure.

“Our leaders have forgotten” the original purpose of public education, Krasner said, arguing that schools exist not only to prepare students for careers but also to prepare them to participate in democracy.

He pointed to budget deficits in Plano, McKinney and Allen ISDs as examples of what he described as the long-term consequences of underfunding public education. Krasner also argued that Texas has gradually shifted more of the responsibility for funding schools onto local property taxpayers while investing less per student than many other states.

“The voucher program is a $13 billion program,” Krasner said. “That money could have been better going to public schools.”

He called for increased state investment in public education, less emphasis on standardized testing and fewer state mandates on local school districts.

Teachers share what funding looks like inside the classroom

The discussion then shifted from statewide policy to everyday classroom experiences as Carraway and Wheatley described the realities they see as educators.

Carraway, who is entering her 15th year in education, said budget pressures rarely stay confined to school board meetings.

“As teachers, we always try to make it be something that the kids don’t see,” she said.

She said many teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies while taking on additional responsibilities to support their students.

Using a baseball analogy, she described the growing expectations placed on educators.

“We’re told to hit a home run,” Carraway said. “We used to have a bat. Now we have a toothpick. And we still have to hit those home runs.”

She added that funding challenges often lead to larger class sizes and fewer resources available to students.

Wheatley, who is preparing to begin his third year as an elementary school teacher, described working with students who entered his classroom with significant learning gaps.

“I had students in my room that didn’t know how to write their own name,” he said.

He also criticized scripted curriculum requirements, saying teachers are sometimes expected to follow prepared lessons word-for-word instead of adapting instruction to meet students’ individual needs.

Hunt connects education to the community

Hunt approached the discussion as both a military veteran and a father whose children attended public schools in several states during his military career.

“I got the advantage of raising my kids in different public schools around the country because I was in the military,” Hunt said. “I got to see what well-funded schools looked like.”

He recalled his children attending schools in Connecticut, where students had access to a wide range of opportunities and schools served as a central part of the community.

“It was fantastic,” Hunt said. “The schools were fantastic parts of the community.”

Those experiences, he said, shaped how he views the role public education plays beyond the classroom.

Drawing on both his military and business experience, Hunt argued that investing in education is also an investment in the nation’s future workforce.

“You need an educated populace to function, to work as teams, to build the future,” he said.

Hunt described public schools as the foundation of many communities.

“I think public schools are the bedrock of our communities,” Hunt said. “Our teachers are leaders in our communities. We all depend on them.”

While acknowledging that private schools can be good options for some families, Hunt said he believes they should compete alongside strong public schools rather than replace them.

Audience focuses on local concerns

The second half of the evening featured questions from attendees about school funding, standardized testing, curriculum requirements, teacher retention and how residents can become more involved in education policy.

Several audience members also asked how advocates could better communicate education funding data to neighbors and respond to public perceptions about Texas schools.

For residents across Texas’ 3rd Congressional District, the discussion reflected challenges already affecting local communities. Plano, McKinney and Allen ISDs have each faced budget pressures in recent years, while debates over vouchers, teacher retention and public school funding are likely to remain central issues as candidates campaign ahead of November.