Shelley Luther, the Republican nominee for Texas House District 62, believes that Texas teachers are underpaid and empathizes with those whose passion is to serve children but who aren’t making enough to live comfortably.

“I’m for every child in Texas,” Luther said at “The Texan Presents: If We Were in Charge” panel at The Texas Tribune Festival.

Luther reflected on her experience as a former school teacher and said she is “a regular person fighting for us all,” when asked by a student about improvements for public schools.

“We are not producing the teachers that we need to,” Luther said. “We can’t make below poverty level and love kids.”

Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison and Republican nominee Mitch Little accompanied Luther at the panel. The three talked with The Texan reporter Brad Johnson regarding the Texas legislature, including a bill that supports school vouchers.

This bill, authored by Texas Senator Brandon Creighton and approved by the Senate in Oct. 2023, allows families access to $8,000 of taxpayer money to fund transfers from public to private schools. It also covers other educational expenses such as textbooks, tutoring or transportation.

However, the Texas American Federation of Teachers says “82% of Texas voters are concerned that voucher programs will take money away from public schools, leading to higher property taxes.” Additionally, special education funding and the state have a $2 billion gap.
The fate of voucher legislation largely hinges on whether Texas Governor Greg Abbott can secure enough backing in the Texas House, where similar bills have previously failed to gain traction.