THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN YOU THINK - SPONSORED BY THE KENDALL COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Hosts: Laura Bray and Susan Dollar Contact: https://kendalltxdemocrats.org/ Address: 216 E Blanco Rd Suite 201, Boerne, TX 78006 (830) 331-1243 Original Air Date: October 26, 2024 Hi, I’m Laura Bray and I’m Chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party. And I’m Susan Dollar, President of the Boerne Area Democrats. We’re here to chat about the ongoing election, the importance of voting, and issues important to Kendall County Voters. You’re probably aware that there’s an election going on. Early voting is open now through Friday, November 1. You can vote at the Kendall County Courthouse Annex at 221 Fawn Valley Drive in Boerne. It’s open today until 7pm, tomorrow from 9am to 3pm, and Monday through Friday next week from 7am to 7pm. There’s also an early voting location in Comfort at the First Baptist Church that’s open today and tomorrow from 9am to 6pm. It’s at 100 Amber Drive. We’ve had a record number of early voters. As of Wednesday, nearly 9,000 Kendall residents had cast their ballot, either at early voting or by returning their ballot by mail. That’s a turnout of 23%...in just three days. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5 at any of eleven locations in Kendall County. All voting locations are open from 7am to 7pm. You can find a list of those locations on the Kendall County Elections website. We urge every registered voter in Kendall to get out their and cast their ballot! In presidential elections since 2012, Democrats statewide have steadily gotten closer to winning the state for the Democratic presidential candidate—we were only five and a half points away in 2020. And in 2016, Beto O’Rourke came within two and a half points of beating Ted Cruz. The margins in Kendall County, of course, are wider, but we’re also steadily shrinking those margins. So we’re happy with the trends we’re seeing. ISSUES Next we want to chat about two of the issues that resonate with Kendall County voters. The first is VOUCHERS: Public, taxpayer money should go to PUBLIC schools, not private, unaccountable, largely religious ones. Public schools/Friday Night Lights are the heart of most rural communities and often the largest employer (as in Kendall). Taking away more funds to fund vouchers will financially decimate rural districts. This is a HUGE issue in Texas, as the Texas Legislature starts its new session in January. In the preamble to Article 7 of the Texas Constitution, it states: “A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” Article 7 (emphasis added) In Texas, the public school per pupil funding is $6,160 but the voucher proposal is to give each student in private schools $8,000. ???? The tuition for a private school here in Boerne ranges from$11,335 for Pre-K to $$16,085 per year for grades 9-12. And that tuition doesn’t include the $1,000 new student fee, the $150 application fee, school lunches, athletic participation fees, fine arts fees, and required uniforms from Lands’ End or Tommy Hilfiger. There are currently over 700 (719) students enrolled at this private school, which would mean a total of $5,752,000 going for private school enrollment instead of our public schools. Republicans and Gov. Abbott are LYING about vouchers: It’s not “school choice” (as Republicans say) but “the SCHOOL’S choice.” Public schools educate all students. Private schools choose whom to admit, what to teach, and have no accountability.The majority of Texas voters do NOT want vouchers despite Republican statements that we do. The Fredericksburg Standard reported in earlier this month that 65% of voters in Gillespie County (a heavily Republican county) oppose school vouchers (Fredericksburg Standard, 10/9/2024). Here are some other facts: Cost for voucher programs are astronomical. Arizona’s voucher program (enacted in 2022) “will likely bankrupt the state,” according to AZ Governor Katie Hobbs. Voucher costs in 2023 were over five times the $65M estimate. (Source: NEA)Boerne ISD employs over 1,500 people, three times the number of the #2 employer (HEB). School vouchers will divert even more funding away from public schools, necessitating draconian cuts in school budgets (and likely employment). We urge you to vote for Democratic candidates who will vote against vouchers. Here are the names/races to look for: Dwain Handley, Texas House District 19 Merrie Fox, Texas Senate District 25, who was endorsed by the San Antonio Express News. Raquel Saenz Ortiz, State Board of Education, District 10 How about we talk about the economy? According to the Joint Economic Committee, the U.S. economy has performed much better under Democratic ...
