Talarico vs. Paxton / Issues / Public schools
Where do Talarico and Paxton stand on public schools and vouchers?
Short answer
James Talarico, a former public school teacher, opposes federal private-school vouchers and wants to raise teacher pay, fund universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds and expand tutoring and career training. Ken Paxton issued a 2023 legal opinion that school vouchers are constitutional and has told schools to keep the Ten Commandments posted in classrooms.
Side by side
Talarico
Paxton
Vouchers
Opposes federal vouchers; keep public money in public schools. Proposed letting Texas voters decide on vouchers; the amendment failed.
2023 legal opinion that vouchers are constitutional; says parents should choose their kids' school.
Teachers
Raise teacher pay; expand federal teacher training and recruitment programs.
Not addressed in the coverage reviewed.
Early childhood
Universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds; childcare for children under 3; protect Head Start.
Not addressed in the coverage reviewed.
Classrooms
Grants for phonics and tutoring; more school counselors; expanded school meals; AI guidelines for schools.
Told schools to keep displaying the Ten Commandments despite a federal court halt.
Colleges
Wrote bills to lower college costs through tuition exemptions and grants.
Says DEI policies are unconstitutional; investigated the University of North Texas over DEI.
Side-by-side drawn from the sources listed below.
Key facts
- Talarico taught middle school in San Antonio before joining the Texas House. Fox News
Join the conversation
Public posts and news coverage where Texans are talking about this issue.
RedditHelp me make sense of teacher compensation in Texas · r/TexasTeachersFacebookGroup discussion: Houston teachersNewsSchool vouchers could cost North Texas districts $68.8 million · Dallas NewsNewsTexas vouchers may cost Houston schools $68M this year · Houston ChronicleNewsComptroller asks to double Texas voucher program to $2 billion · Texas Tribune via KWTXNewsInflation is eating teacher pay raises, report says · Texas Public RadioVideoTalarico on how a San Antonio classroom shaped his path · KSAT