Ending 30 Years of Resistance, Trump and Abbott Break the ‘People’s House’
The Legislature’s lower chamber has finally blessed school vouchers—and denied ordinary Texans the chance to weigh in.
Josephine Lee
Josephine Lee is a staff writer at the Texas Observer. She has previously worked as an educator and community organizer. Her reporting on labor, environment, politics, and education has been featured in Salon, The Daily Beast, Truthout, and other outlets. She was raised in and lives in Houston.
Articles by Josephine Lee
Opposition to Abbott’s Vouchers Plan Includes Conservatives
The governor crushed anti-voucher Republicans in the Texas House, but there are still plenty of party activists who are opposed.
The Winds of Willacy: Inside Texas’ Largest Wind Farm
The coastal gales of the Rio Grande Valley have helped rejuvenate this small farming community.
House Committee Passes ‘Texas Two Step’ of Vouchers and Public Ed Funding
Dems could do little but sound the alarm on vouchers—and warn the $7.7-billion school-finance package is still not enough.
‘We’re Not Just Some Bureaucrats’: DOE Employees on How Their Work Helps Texas Students
Department of Education workers and union leaders in Texas say kids will pay the price for Trump’s decision to “break this system.”
These Librarians Won’t Let America’s Fever Hit Fahrenheit 451
A new documentary shows us our local guardians of intellectual freedom in battle.
Marathon Hearing on School Vouchers Features Intense Bipartisan Opposition
“There is a disconnect between the rhetoric and what the bill actually says,” Democrat James Talarico summarized of House Bill 3.
How Voucher Vendors Could Make Millions from ‘School Choice’ in Texas
The Legislature’s current proposals put a handful of private contractors in the driver’s seat. Other states have already seen problems.
Did Mike Miles’ Former Charter School Network Fail to Provide Required Classes?
A Third Future Schools-Texas elementary school in Midland has been accused of neglecting social studies and physical education.
Public Education Bills: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Conservative state lawmakers have filed hundreds of bills targeting the school finance system, LGBTQ+ students, undocumented immigrant children, and more.