Steve Lecholop, a TEA deputy commissioner, was reprimanded for a leaked phone conversation he had with a parent in which he said a voucher policy could impact school funding, according to a Texas Tribune reporter.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, when asked about a Tribune story on the leaked call between Lecholop, a former San Antonio Independent School District trustee, and a parent, told a House Appropriations committee Monday that he “regrets” that the conversation occurred, Brian Lopez, the Tribune’s education reporter, wrote in a tweet.
Morath, who said that the TEA’s role is to provide leadership and support to districts in unbiased ways, also confirmed that the employee was reprimanded, though he did not provide details on that action.
In a statement emailed to San Antonio Report columnist Robert Rivard last week, Lecholop apologized for the comments and said he is “staunchly supportive of high quality Texas public schools.”
“Due to the nature of the accusations and frustrations levied by the parent, I made comments about a particular school system that were emotionally charged and unbecoming of someone serving in my position,” Lecholop said in the statement. “For that, I am truly sorry. My comments neither convey my feelings toward this school system and its leadership nor do they reflect the fair and impartial governance support our office strives to provide on a daily basis.”
In the recording, first reported by the Tribune, Lecholop encouraged an unidentified mother disgruntled with the Joshua Independent School District to share her story with Gov. Greg Abbott’s speech writer, adding that it would be a good way to “stick it” to the public school district.
“Your tax money should be allowed to go to your child’s education,” Lecholop said on the recording. “Instead, you’re paying your property taxes, but you’re also paying tuition, and so it’s like double-dipping.”
Lecholop also said that districts would have to prioritize funding, admitting that a voucher program could cause a negative financial situation for the ISDs. If a district loses students, he said, officials would have to “be smart about how they allocate their resources, and maybe that’s one less fourth-grade teacher.”
That statement is at odds with voucher proponents, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who have staunchly denied that funding would be impacted by vouchers. Abbott repeated that stance in a TV interview Sunday.
“The way that funding for public schools is, it provides funding for the students that go to those schools,” he said. “Those schools will continue to attract new students every single year and their funding will remain in place.”
Abbott also said that schools accepting vouchers would be subject to accountability standards, breaking from other states that have adopted voucher policies.
“They can be held to accountability standards,” he said. “The way that it would be structured there would be a third party that would be in charge of ensuring that accountability will be upheld.”
