Plesa Slams Governor Abbott's 'School Closure Crisis' in Op-Ed

State Rep. Mihaela Plesa (D) has penned an op-ed, taking direct aim at Governor Greg Abbott (R) over school closures in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and accusing him of deliberately underfunding public schools to push his school voucher agenda. In the op-ed, state Rep. Plesa calls Governor Abbott’s education policy a “manufactured, deliberate and devastating” crisis that is destroying schools in Texas.

“As Gov. Greg Abbott sits in his mansion penning nostalgic op-eds about helping his daughter with homework,” the state rep. wrote, “parents all over Texas are navigating where they’re going to send their kids to learn in the fall after their neighborhood schools close.”

Citing closures of two elementary and two middle schools in Plano ISD, including Davis Elementary, which serves deaf and hard-of-hearing students, state Rep. Plesa argues that these closures stem from Texas’ failure to adequately fund schools.

Plano ISD is facing a $26.5 million deficit, and under GovernorAbbott’s proposed voucher program, the district could lose up to $19 million more, according to nonpartisan policy group Every Texan.

Governor Abbott however maintains that education funding is at an all-time high, but the Texas Democrat disagrees.

“Both cannot be true,” she argues. “One is a lie; the other is the reality our children face every day.”

State Rep. Plesa contends that the governor’s school choice initiative primarily benefits wealthy families and private institutions.

“A $10,000 voucher wouldn’t come close to covering the $14,000-to-$25,000 private school tuition in Dallas-Fort Worth,” she writes in the op-ed. “For the vast majority of Texas families, this voucher is a check they can’t cash.”

She further questioned the governor’s motivations, pointing to the $12 million campaign donation he received from Jeffrey S. Yass, a prominent voucher advocate.

“Let’s follow the money and see where it goes,” she warned.