Texas
Letters to the Editor — Reactions to the Texas House passing school choice
Time’s wasting
A large swath of our education system is failing too many students. If public schools are not achieving appropriate standards, rather than expending energy on disagreeing with and protesting “school choice” or homeschooling, channel it toward just fixing the problem! But wait — that requires admitting there’s a problem and instigating changes. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.
Our education system was once the envy of the world. Sadly, over the years, expectations and standards have been lowered, while proficiency outcomes have declined. Wow, who could’ve seen that coming? Evidently no one.
If public schools were great, no one would be seeking alternatives. Truth is, far too many schools are less than adequate, and parents rightly should be all over the educational community to improve.
Throwing more money at the problem is not the answer. The solution has two parts: committed parents wanting their kids to succeed, and a far-reaching change in the culture of the educational community.
My humble advice to lawmakers, teachers and administrators is to simply admit there’s a problem, take accountability and then get to work on solving it right now. Time’s a-wastin’.
B.R. Allen, Aubrey
Violating Texas Constitution
Re: “House OKs ‘school choice’ — $1B plan allows Texans to use state dollars to fund private education,” April 18 news story.
Only those accepted by a private school can receive a voucher, so whose choice is it? The bill that passed the Texas Legislature created taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, even religious schools. Both points violate the Texas Constitution.
Dinah Miller, Dallas/Prestonwood
Despite constituents’ wishes
Well, the voucher bill passed, not that it was the right thing to do. It seems our elected officials no longer represent their constituents because this bill would not have passed they did.
Powerful money has infiltrated our common sense and civic duty — a governor who paid to get certain loyalists elected who he knew would pass his agenda. This was not the people’s choice. It was Big Money’s (politicians’) choice.
It should be against the law to do such a thing. In fact, I wonder if it isn’t? The Texas Constitution maintains in Article 7, Sec.1 “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.” No mention of private schools!
Also, check out Article 7, Sec. 3a, “Taxes for Benefit of Schools.” In essence, it seems to me, our Legislature has violated the state Constitution.
Now our tax dollars will give people who can well afford their children’s private education a big break while diminishing funding for public schools where the majority of children will still be attending. Our public schools have been undermined and I believe students will suffer.
Pat Reinecker, Bedford
Our better natures
Texas is headed for “school choice,” all the positives and negatives having been laid bare. Some want the nation to follow suit.
Questions: Is this not an admission by local, state and federal government of abject failure to provide adequate public education despite throwing huge amounts of public funds toward it? Is it not where the larger part of my ever-increasing property taxes go?
Has not the vaunted lottery system making a miniscule number of instant millionaires rescued public education with its promised funding? Have our public servants failed to enact relevant, viable firearms legislation to avoid turning public schools into battlegrounds with armed guards, metal detectors and security rivalling the TSA at airports?
Change is inevitable — too many of us, too many choices every moment. Entertainment and recognition are our new gods to escape reality.
All knowledge is accessible at the tap of a finger making study obsolete. Thanks to social media, whether real or fictitious, we love a good scandal and have several to choose from each day.
I realize this is a dark view but believe it factual and accurate. Hopefully, our better natures will surface and regain the soul of America.
Ted M. Moore, Dallas/Preston Hollow
Not business-friendly
April 17 will be remembered as the day the Texas Legislature decided to pull the rug out from under its public education system. The billionaires who bankrolled the vouchers campaign probably fancy themselves as business-friendly, but corporations considering a move to Texas will have a different perspective.
They will see a robust economy, rich enough to fund an innovative public education system, that has chosen instead to subsidize the parents who want out of it. They’ll recognize this as a vote of no confidence for education and a preference for indoctrination. That’s not a business-friendly strategy.
Garry Potts, Dallas
Betraying students
This letter is for Shelly Luther, District 62 representative.
The Texas Legislature, of which you are a member, is voting into law the “school choice” legislation which essentially takes money away from public schools and gives it to private schools. Public schools are the backbone of Texas, and your Legislature has gutted them.
I wrote to you on your election victory night last November. You wrote back almost immediately. I brought up school vouchers. This is when you boasted you were a public school teacher, and I felt you knew what the consequences were of such a vote.
By voting for “school choice,” you and your fellow legislators have betrayed generations of Texas students, who will have less of an educational experience than your students had when you were teaching. In reality, over the long term, there will be teacher shortages, lack of facilities and virtually no resources for students.
And the families who can already afford private schools will just have a subsidy from the state to do what they were already doing: sending their children to private school.
You have betrayed millions of Texas students. How does that feel? How does the former teacher in you feel? Will future considerations make up for it? Is it worth it?
Dwayne Wilder, Denison
Texas A&M has been hard at work attempting to rebuild the trenches on both sides of the ball thus far through the transfer portal window.
That journey has gone smoothly as well, with the Aggies landing offensive tackles Tyree Adams (LSU) and Wilkin Formby (Alabama) as well as interior linemen Coen Echols (LSU) and Trovon Baugh (South Carolina) on one side of the ball, and edge rushers Ryan Henderson (San Diego State) and Anto Saka (Northwestern) and defensive tackle Brandon Davis-Swain (Colorado) on the other.
Now, they have added another name to that mix on the defensive side of the ball, and have done so from another power conference talent.
According to multiple reports, the Aggies have gained a commitment from Illinois defensive tackle Angelo McCullom. He made his decision final following a recent visit to Aggieland.
Who is Angelo McCullom?
The sophomore defensive lineman has spent his first two seasons with Illinois and will have two years of college eligibility remaining.
The six-foot-two, 300-pound defensive lineman saw the field in all 12 games for Illinois this season and earned two starts. In his appearances, McCullom recorded 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups this season.
The sophomore was also on the field plenty throughout 2025 as he played 295 snaps, the most among Illinois interior defensive linemen, where he earned a 66.9 grade by Pro Football Focus.
McCullom saw the field quickly as a true freshman in the 2024 season, where he played in seven games and tallied two tackles, .5 tackles for loss, and .5 sacks.
The product out of Pickerington North High School in Lewis Center, OH, was a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. McCullom ranked as the No. 139 defensive lineman in the class and the No. 46 prospect in Ohio, per 247Sports, and committed to Illinois over the likes of Indiana and Pittsburgh.
McCullom now joins Davis-Swain on the interior, who committed to Texas A&M earlier this week on Jan. 5. The six-foot-four, 290-pound defensive lineman recorded 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and one pass defended for the Buffaloes this season.
And his addition now brings in an experienced player in a physical conference like the Big Ten, with the size and frame that can hold up and be productive in the SEC.
The two additions doesn’t mean the Aggies are done on the interior defensively.
Rather, far from it. And far from being done in the portal overall.
Alabama basketball had every chance to beat Texas on Saturday. Time and time again, UA pulled it close, only to blow the opportunity to win.
Instead, the Crimson Tide fell 92-88, dropping to 1-2 to begin SEC play, and taking its second straight defeat. Afterward, Nate Oats went off on his team.
“We got guys that don’t care enough to lock in and follow a game plan,” Oats said during his postgame press conference. “Losing doesn’t bother them enough yet. I don’t know how many losses it’s going to take ‘till it bothers them, but it’s bothering me. It bothers the coaching staff, and as soon as it starts bothering the players enough, I’m sure they’ll change.”
On the defensive end, Alabama couldn’t get enough stops when it needed to. Texas’ Jordan Pope led all scorers with 28 points, tying his career high.
Dailyn Swain and Tramon Mark had 18 each for the Longhorns. UT averaged 1.314 points per possession.
Alabama’s defensive efficiency dropped to 79th in the nation following the loss according to KenPom.
“All of it starts with effort,” Oats said of the defensive issues. “Want to. Competitive edge. Guys who just don’t want to lose, they’re gonna give you everything they got. Guys are apparently too comfortable with losing right now because they’re not giving us everything they got on that end of the floor. SO I think it starts with having guys that just refuse to lose, to start with.
“From there it goes to guys in the moment having some personal pride on stopping their man. Too many blow-bys.Too many isolation plays were just beat one-on-one. Guys not locked in on the help side.”
Another issue for Alabama late in the game was poor free-throw shooting. UA hit 11-of-12 attempts in the first half, but went just 8-for-15 from the line in the second, which became crucial as the referees made their presence known late.
Oats was asked what went wrong from the charity stripe.
“When you’re worried about the wrong stuff,” Oats said. “When you’re locked in, you’re locked in. When you’re locked into defense, all you care about is winning the game. And when you’re locked in on the defensive end, then you go to the line and you’re locked in and you’re just focused on winning the game, you’re gonna step up and you’re gonna make your free throws.
“And when you’re worried about a lot of stuff that’s a distraction and you’re worried about stats and some other stuff and you’re not locked in, that’s when you get to the line and you miss. Especially when you’re a good shooter. Guys that should be making free throws at a high level.”
Alabama travels to Mississippi State on Tuesday to try and get back on track, before a Saturday trip to Oklahoma. Oats did offer some hope that his team would improve, drawn from the team that just beaten the Crimson Tide.
Texas coach Sean Miller had called out his team after its previous loss to Tennessee.
“It bothered Texas,” Oats said. “Texas lost two in a row and started 0-2 (in the SEC). That team looked a lot different than the team that played at Tennessee. So it obviously bothered them enough to change. So hopefully at some point it bothers our guys enough that they’ll invest on the defensive end of the floor.”
Tristan Jernigan, a Texas A&M sophomore linebacker who was a four-star prospect in high school, has signed with Cal out of the transfer portal.
Jernigan comes to Berkeley with three years of eligibility after seeing action in just two games this season. He played against Notre Dame without any stats and had three tackles, including one tackle for loss, against Samford.
He is the second members of the Aggies’ squad to join the Bears, following defensive end Solomon Williams, who signed last Sunday.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder from Tupelo, Miss., also drew interest from Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville, Ole Miss, Arizona State, Baylor and San Diego State.
Jernigan played eight games as a true freshman in 2024, primarily on special teams. He had 11 tackles, including five against McNeese State, and was named the team’s defensive scout team player of the year.
At Tupelo High School, Jernigan had 177 tackles with 11.5 sacks his final two seasons. Those teams compiled a two-year record of 22-4 with a Class 6A state semifinal appearance as a junior in 2022.
He was rated by 247 Sports as the No. 28 linebacker prospect in the class and the No. 9 recruit in the state of Mississippi.
He is not related to former Cal linebacker Myles Jernigan, who was from Grand Prairie, Texas, and spent five years in Berkeley through the 2023 season.
Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky
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