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Vouchers supported
We have some wonderful public schools in the Rio Grande Valley and dedicated teachers like the ones my children have now. But for some kids, the system doesn’t work. Unfortunately, many students’ opportunities are limited by the ZIP code they happen to live in.
As a mother of two children on the autism spectrum, a special education advocate and a school board trustee at Mission CISD who has served on two school boards, I have seen firsthand how the right environment can make all the difference.
After an incident in my child’s special education unit — and after hearing countless other stories from families in my community — I realized that not all schools can meet every child’s needs. But the way our state education system is structured, our choices and resources are limited.
No parent should feel trapped in a system that isn’t working for their child. Out of desperation, I ran for school board — not just for my children, but for every child being left behind. If we don’t fight for all children, we fail them.
Here in the Rio Grande Valley we take pride in our schools, but we also know that education is not one-size-fits-all. Some children thrive in traditional public schools, while others need specialized instruction, therapy support or alternative learning environments. As parents, we make choices for our children every day — about their health, their safety, their faith. Why should their education be any different?
Our area benefits from open enrollment policies that give families some flexibility in choosing a school that meets their child’s needs. But that’s not the case in many other parts of Texas, where a child’s assigned school is determined solely by their address, leaving parents with few options if their local school isn’t the right fit. Every child, no matter where they live, deserves access to an education that helps them reach their full potential.
That’s why I support House Bill 3. Education Savings Accounts give families the freedom to choose the best education for their child — whether that’s public school, charter school, private school or homeschooling with therapy support. This isn’t about politics; it’s about children. If we keep our focus on them, we won’t lose sight of what truly matters.
For families like mine, this bill means hope. It means a parent who knows their child best can make the decision that’s right for them. It means a student struggling in one school can find success in another.
Texas kids deserve better, and with ESAs, we can give them the opportunities they need to succeed.
Natividad Sosa
Mission
Bullying Zelenskyy
The meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took a turn that left me gasping.
Here we have two big figures, President Trump and JD Vance, who is at least 6 feet in height, cornering the Ukrainian president, whose height is around 5-feet-7, in a schoolyard bullying attack on live television for the world to witness. Or was it to impress Russian President Vladimir Putin? You be the judge of this scenario.
Twenty percent of our student population experiences bullying in our public and private schools, and this incident reminded me of that.
I experienced bullying in public school, and it leaves you with long-lasting anxiety, depression or worse. The hurt comes from not responding to the threat because I felt strongly compelled to obey and comply with school rules.
One day, a bully kept harassing me on my way home, and I threw him over a fence, tearing his pants. What happened next? The principal called me the next morning with charges of assault from the bully who wouldn’t leave me alone. After that, the bullying stopped — I refused to tolerate it.
That fear I felt when being bullied came back when Trump and Vance put Zelenskyy in a corner and hammered him. I felt what he felt: anxiety, depression, or worse. I wanted to tear at them.
President Zelenskyy was in shock, crying in pain on the inside yet not showing a tear on the outside.
Zelenskyy is more of a man than his attackers. He stood his ground and kept his lunch money in his pocket, and they were not happy with that. They failed to deliver what President Putin wanted: a silver platter with all the trimmings (a free pass to Ukraine).
Rafael Madrigal
Pharr
Damaging economy
The stock market dives while Donald Trump dithers day to day over what he and Elon Musk will do next and how bad.
Trump inherited the best economy on the planet from Joe Biden. Certainly, it was one of the best in U.S. history, a “soft landing” achieved despite the ravages of COVID. Within only a couple of months, and due solely to his own perverse ego, Trump is now warning of a looming recession.
Many of us fear worse, and have ever since he committed to mass deportations out of the working class and massive tariffs against many of our best friends, neighbors and partners in this hemisphere and around the globe. This is becoming a worldwide trade war no one can win, and for which the American consumer will pay dearly.
How did anyone in the electorate buy the lie that Trump is a good businessman — or ever was? A brief look at his background, some of it more recently brought to light, but much of it well known even back in 2016, shows:
Six bankruptcies, including three New Jersey casinos, an unheard-of debacle.
Twelve to 13 failed businesses, quite a few in areas he is prohibited by law from entering into again because of the fraud committed against his clients.
Convictions of fraud in both New York state and city.
No U.S. bank willing to work with him — Deutsche Bank of Germany is one of the few that will subsidize him.
Few if any contractors willing to return a second time.
Nevada denying him a gaming license since — forever.
Tax cuts that felt nice but came at the price of adding $8 trillion to the national debt.
Given the record above, why on earth (or add your favorite expletives) would anyone think Trump should be entrusted with our national economy — or international commerce? His seventh bankruptcy may well turn out to be the U.S., as in us.
His pseudo biography should have been titled, The Art of the Steal.
C.B. Bolyn
Brownsville
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