Democratic candidate for Texas Lt. Gov blasted for saying school vouchers 'are for vultures'

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Texas Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Mike Collier was recently blasted for saying school vouchers are for "vultures" in his campaign against Republican incumbent Dan Patrick. 

"As Lt. Governor, I will lead the legislature to amend our constitution to ban forever private school vouchers," Collier said in a speech. "Because vouchers are for vultures."    

"If Dan Patrick gets another term, he’s told us already—he’s coming after our schools and our teachers," he added. "He wants to privatize and profitize your public school. As your Lt. Governor, I will fund our schools and fight to make our public schools the best in the nation."   

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The Collier campaign posted his remarks on Twitter, leaving him open to scathing criticism. Many argued that low-income children benefit from school voucher programs. 

"Imagine calling low-income kids stuck in failing government schools 'vultures,'" Corey DeAngelis, national director of research for the American Federation for Children, reacted. Many others echoed his response.

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"What kind of monster would refer to low-income kids stuck in failing government schools as ‘vultures.’ This one did. #schoolchoice is the Civil Rights issue of our time. The kids aren't ‘vultures.’ Their parents aren't ‘vultures,’" Chicago columnist John Kass similarly said.

"YOWZA. Parents whose kids need an alternative education source than a government school are... VULTURES? Ummm, I don't think this will play well with Texas parents," former Texas state senator Konni Burton tweeted. 

"A parent seeking to save their child from a failing school is a ‘vulture’ to desperate failed candidate @CollierForTexas. What a huge gaffe," Matt Mackowiak, chairman of the Travis County GOP, said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently voiced support for a school voucher proposal at a San Antonio campaign event in which he pledged to enact a "Parental Bill of Rights" law in 2023. The plan would allow students to use government funding to attend private schools or charter schools rather than their assigned public schools.   

"Empowering parents means giving them the choice to take their children to any public school, charter school or private school with state funding following the student," Abbott said in San Antonio. "To be clear that does not mean that public schools will be not fully funded. They will."

Tristan Thorgersen puts pro-Youngkin signs up as people gather to protest different issues including the board’s handling of a sexual assault that happened in a school bathroom in May, vaccine mandates and critical race theory during a Loudoun County School Board meeting in Ashburn, Virginia. (REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo)

His opponents, like Democrat Beto O'Rourke, accused the governor of defunding public schools.

"Abbott is for defunding our public schools," O'Rourke tweeted after Abbott pitched his school voucher plan. "I'm for fully funding our kids’ classrooms and fully supporting parents, teachers, and students." 

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The fight over school vouchers isn't limited to Texas. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed the most expansive education savings account program in the U.S. earlier this month. Bill 2853 expands the program to all 1.1 million K-12 students in the state. 

"This is a monumental moment for all of Arizona’s students. Our kids will no longer be locked in under-performing schools. Today, we’re unlocking a whole new world of opportunity for them and their parents," Ducey said. "With this legislation, Arizona cements itself as the top state for school choice and as the first state in the nation to offer all families the option to choose the school setting that works best for them … This is truly a win for all K-12 students."

"Democrats and Republicans alike in Texas have consistently rejected Dan Patrick’s proposals to send state tax dollars to unaccountable private schools," Collier told Fox News Digital. "Dan Patrick’s push for vouchers would mean less state funding for your local public school and lead to even higher local property taxes."

Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.