Hey y’all, 

Welcome back to another edition of The TexEd Report. This week, you’ll find a conversation I had with a local mother on the role education played in a Democrat’s win in Tarrant County.

Now that families can apply for private school vouchers, I also break down how far that $10,000 will actually go in most major cities across Texas. 

Finally, I urge you all to take some time and watch “The Librarians.” It’s a documentary about the ongoing attacks against librarians and school and local libraries. Find out how to watch it for free below.

If you missed last week’s edition, read it here.

Let’s get into it!

Photo courtesy of Taylor Rehmet and Leigh Wambsganss

When Laney Hawes, a mother to four students in Keller Independent School District, saw that Leigh Wambsganss could be representing the Republican party in Texas’ Senate District 9 election, she said she had to laugh. 

“ Tarrant County Republicans put up Leigh Wambsganss, the woman who bragged about taking over our school districts,” Hawes told COURIER Texas. “They’re a disaster because of what she’s done. Of course we’re not gonna vote for her.”

In 2022, Patriot Mobile, a conservative Christian cell phone company, launched its own political action committee that aims to “keep Texas red” and turned its focus to Tarrant County school boards. Wambsganss is the chief communications officer at the company.

“They came—unbeknownst to us—into our communities and interviewed people who would be loyal to their cause, who would run and be loyal to their agenda,” Hawes explained.

Patriot Mobile helped fund campaigns for 11 candidates in four school districts across North Texas, and won every seat. 

Private school voucher applications opened to Texas families last week, and there are at least 20,000 applicants so far. 

The new $1 billion, taxpayer-funded program allows families to use $10,000 for private school expenses. Homeschooled students are eligible to receive $2,000, and students with special education needs are eligible for up to $30,000.

But how much does that $10,000 actually cover? In DFW, the answer is: not a lot. 

As of 2026, average private school tuition in Texas is approximately $14,000 per year. But in major cities across the state, tuition runs much higher and costs vary greatly between elementary, middle, and high school. In some rural areas, certain counties don’t have private schools for parents to send their children to in the first place—but their tax dollars will still go toward the program.

See how other cities fare.

I want to hear from you. Did you or someone you know apply for a voucher?

🪧More Dallas students protest ICE: Hundreds of Dallas ISD students, including at  Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, walked out of school to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday. (Dallas Morning News)

🖊️UH professors asked to sign “anti-indoctrination” memo: University of Houston instructors were asked to sign a memo pledging that they teach—not “indoctrinate”—students as part of an ongoing conservative push in Texas higher education. (Houston Chronicle)

🖥️Public virtual education could be coming to San Antonio:  A new state law allows school districts to offer virtual individual courses, programs, or open full-time virtual and hybrid campuses starting next school year upon approval from the Texas Education Agency. (San Antonio Report)

Before you take a look at this week’s discussion questions, I want to flag a documentary about book bans in Texas that’s now available for you to watch for free. 

Last October, I attended a screening of “The Librarians” in Dallas. It’s a documentary that chronicles the dangers of book banning and the attacks librarians have faced in Texas and across the country over the past several years. 

The film features former Keller ISD librarian Audrey Wilson-Youngblood and former Llano County librarian Suzette Baker, along with several other education advocates fighting for the freedom to read in Texas. 

It breaks down laws like Senate Bill 13, explores how Tarrant County became ground zero for book bans, and documents the Little v. Llano County court battle.

“The Librarians” premiered at Sundance, screened at SXSW, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Dallas International Film Festival. Now, it’s available for free on PBS.

This month, the Texas Banned Book Club is reading “Out of Darkness.”

Here are some discussion questions to keep in mind as you make your way through the novel:

1. What role does silence play in this section—what goes unsaid, and who benefits from that silence?

2. How are institutions (schools, churches, the justice system) portrayed when it comes to protecting—or failing—children?

3. How does Pérez portray love as an act of resistance?

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katie Serrano. The TexEd Report is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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