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Hundreds of private schools in Texas are being shut out of the state’s new school voucher program because of alleged ties to some organizations or foreign governments, and that includes dozens of schools in the Austin area. We’ll have more about the voucher program and its continuing rollout.
Plus, hobbies can lead to rewarding experiences, but carving out the time to invest in one can be tough. We’ll hear the story of a group of skaters in Austin that prioritizes community and fun – despite their busy schedules.
And the executive director for Texas Performing Arts stepped into the role just months before the pandemic forced shows to stop and theatres to close. We’ll hear what he learned about the job and the future of arts and performances going forward.
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] Hundreds of private schools in Texas are being shut out of the state’s new school voucher program because of alleged ties to some organizations or foreign governments. And that includes dozens of schools here in the Austin area. We’ll have more about the voucher program and its continuing rollout. That’s coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:25] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:30] Plus, hobbies can lead to rewarding experiences, but carving out the time to invest in one can be tough. We’re going to hear the story of a group of skaters here in Austin that prioritizes community and fun despite their busy schedules. And the executive director for Texas Performing Arts stepped into the role just months before the pandemic forced shows to stop and theaters to close. What he’s learned about the job and the future of arts and performances going forward, That’s coming up today on Austin Signal. Howdy out there, and thank you for tuning in. This is Austin Signal. It’s Tuesday, January 20th. Thank you for making listener-powered public radio part of your day. We are glad to have you here. 56 degrees out along the drag at one o’clock this afternoon, and a bit of good news to start off the show is that temperatures the next couple of nights in Austin won’t be nearly as cold as they have been. We are, however, keeping an eye on the weather that’s coming our way this weekend. What we know for now, is that we are getting the coldest air of the season on Saturday and Sunday. The National Weather Service is forecasting highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s. And with precipitation in the forecast at the same time, the Weather Service says there’s a chance for freezing rain Saturday into Saturday night. We will of course be watching the forecast as it develops in the days ahead and we’ll keep you updated right here on Austin Signal and all day long over on KUT News. Hundreds of private schools in Texas have so far been excluded from the state’s new school voucher program, including dozens of schools here in the Austin area. For more about why that is the case, we are joined by Isaac Yu. He’s a politics reporter at the Austin American Statesman. Isaac, it’s great to talk with you. Thanks for having me. So take us back a bit. What reason did legislators give for vouchers when they were initially passed into law last year.
Isaac Yu [00:02:31] That’s right. So this was the biggest political issue of the last session, the 89th session. And the idea of the Republican proponents who wanted to pass this legislation was to provide more tax dollars to families who want to afford things like private school tuition, homeschooling costs, just educational expenses that fall outside of the traditional public school system.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:55] Okay, and you’re reporting at the statesman, you found out that not all private schools here in Texas have been able to join the voucher program. Why is that the case?
Isaac Yu [00:03:04] That’s right. So schools were able to apply beginning in mid-December. So we now have a list of schools that have been approved. Um, if that school is on the list and you receive a voucher, you can use that money to pay, um, for that tuition at that school, there’s a category of schools and it makes up about a third, a little more of all the eligible private schools that had not yet been invited into the program. And what we know is that it’s linked to a request that the state comptroller whose office is running that program has made also last month and that’s holding up all the schools so far.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:42] Us a little bit more about that.
Isaac Yu [00:03:44] Definitely. So it appears to be linked to an attempt by the Comptroller to bar certain schools. He asked for a ruling from the Attorney General’s office, essentially asking if his office has the authority required to bar a certain school under Texas law. And he’s Referring to two specific kinds of schools, one is schools that are linked to the Chinese Communist Party, either because they’re owned or operated in part by some sort of entity that’s linked to it. And then the other category is schools, you know, Islamic schools, not as an entire category. The way that his request is framed is schools that have hosted events by the council on American Islamic relations, which is a major Muslim advocacy group. And, you know asking whether schools that have ties to that group are also able to be barred from the program.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:41] You mentioned the state comptroller a couple of times, can you tell us who he is and how he got into the position that he’s in right now?
Isaac Yu [00:04:47] Definitely the state comptroller currently is Kelly Hancock. He’s formerly a state Senator from the North Texas area. He became comptroller, um, last June, um stepping down from his legislative seat. Um, and he’s been, you know, acting in that position. Um, he wasn’t formally appointed due to some kind of quirkiness in the state law, but he’s running that office since then, um and overseeing the rollout of the voucher and ESA program. And yeah, he’s been there since June.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:17] And what have you heard from people who work for or work with Texas private schools about this claim that they’re trying to prohibit these schools from participating in the program?
Isaac Yu [00:05:28] You know, not, not too many people have spoken out specifically about that. Of course, the schools themselves are, you know, facing a lot of uncertainty. It’s not super clear how many of these Islamic schools or, um, allegedly, um Chinese linked schools want to participate in the program, but the comptroller’s request said that some of them had applied outside of that. Remember that this, that request has now blocked, you know, between five and 700 schools of all kinds. So that includes. Special education schools, Christian schools, and those groups and led by the Texas Private School Association are pushing the Comptroller to allow those schools to be approved for the program as quickly as possible. They aren’t super happy that this, you know, request linked to the small handful of schools appears to be affecting a large category.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:22] Okay, did was there any kind of anticipation that there might be some some some pitfalls when it comes to this this voucher program here in Texas.
Isaac Yu [00:06:31] There were some clues early on that this could be a problem, you know, there were some conservative advocates who I’ve spoken to who were against the voucher program, who there you know from their perspective, they were worried that tax dollars might be going towards certain kinds of schools, including Islamic schools, but you know other schools that might promote certain, you know, LGBTQ. Or DEI, things like that. And that’s one major argument that conservative opponents of school choice have had. It’s not one that was super thoroughly considered. It didn’t come as a big part of the debate in the legislature. But I think we knew early on that that would be something that state leaders would have to navigate as they rolled out this program.
Jerry Quijano [00:07:18] Specifically here in the Austin area, what do we know about the schools that have been impacted?
Isaac Yu [00:07:21] So the schools affected are all accredited by Cognia, which is a nonprofit. It’s the largest private school creditor nationwide and here in Texas, that accredits some of these Islamic schools that are mentioned in the Comptroller’s Request, but also a broad swath of other schools as well, Christian schools, all kinds of schools. Some examples here in Austin include the Ross& Sounder School, Hyde Park Montessori, and. You know, there’s also an AI school called the Alpha School that’s been getting attention here. You know, it’s a broad category and they’re all accredited by Cognia. It’s not clear whether all of them want to apply for the program, we don’t know that, but we do know that they have not been invited to do so.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:03] OK, well, we’ve been speaking with Isaac Yu. He is a reporter at the Austin American Statesman. You can find his reporting in our show notes and at kut.org slash signal. One last question before I let you get out of here today, Isaac. Where do we go next? What happens next?
Isaac Yu [00:08:18] So families will be able to apply for this program starting on February 4th. That’s two weeks from now. And this list of schools is not complete. We know that there are schools that want to apply that have not been approved for this list and they’re just waiting on, you know, are we going to be accepted into this program? And they don’t really know what to tell their families at this point. And so that’s what we’ll be watching over the next couple of weeks.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:40] All right, that’s Isaac Yu, a politics reporter at the Austin American Statesman. Thank you for coming on the show today. Thank you. Most of us lead busy lives, and that can make it difficult to find the time for our hobbies, you know, the things we actually like doing. But a group of women in Austin with a shared interest are taking that challenge head on, one kick push at a time. Texas Standard’s Keyla Holmes has more.
Keyla Holmes [00:09:18] It’s the first Wednesday in November, and several women are walking over to a small patch of concrete near a bike trail in East Austin.
Amanda Bachelor [00:09:26] I actually skated here from my house so wouldn’t have been able to do that four months ago and yeah.
Keyla Holmes [00:09:33] Amanda Batchelor sets up near a painted cloth banner that reads Austin Women’s Skate and a donation box for diapers. Batcheler has always wanted to skate. She started learning about six months ago after searching for a women’s skateboard community on Instagram. She found the Austin Women Skate group and now she’s among the dozens of women who meet up twice a month to coast.
Amanda Bachelor [00:09:55] I feel like I just kind of fell in love with it. In your late 20s, you just have no idea how to make friends.
Keyla Holmes [00:10:01] Mental health and art therapist Brie Valdez is one of three women who started Austin women’s skate. This past summer, the trio would grab their boards and meet at Mueller Park for a cruise. But eventually, they realized, if they were enjoying their informal skate meetups, others probably would too.
Amanda Bachelor [00:10:20] We saw kind of like a need in the community for women’s skaters and a space for women skaters to feel really supported.
Keyla Holmes [00:10:27] Every first and third Wednesday, the group takes a break from their jobs and responsibilities to let loose and skate with one another. This audio is from two of the group’s recent meetups.
Amanda Bachelor [00:10:38] As soon as I get on the skateboard, I stop thinking about anything else.
Keyla Holmes [00:10:42] As members erupt into chatter and laughter and place their diaper donations into a box near the extra skateboards, organizer Carolina Montgomery gives a little pep talk.
Carolina Montgomery [00:10:53] Have fun, be safe, be kind, and just remember this is space for everyone.
Keyla Holmes [00:10:59] At every meetup, everyone introduces themselves and sometimes answers an icebreaker. This evening, the group shared what they had for lunch, gripping their boards, waiting to disperse.
Chelsea [00:11:11] I’m Chelsea. I had green orzo risotto with blended broccoli.
Keyla Holmes [00:11:18] Some women have knee pads and helmets on. Others just have the clothes on their backs. Organizer Carolina Montgomery likes to wear gear because it helps her to feel more confident. As a skater in her early 40s, she believes that skateboarding has taught her to take more risks.
Carolina Montgomery [00:11:36] I think that it’s made me brave, to be able to take chances, to take up space and to be okay taking up space, even if I’m not the best skater, or if I am just a beginner, or I don’t do tricks, or I’m so scared, it’s okay to take space.
Keyla Holmes [00:11:52] Herrera grew up watching her older male cousins skate. But as a girl growing up in the 90s, she felt like there wasn’t much representation in the.
Herrera [00:12:00] Not seeing anybody like me doing skateboarding made me really nervous, made me really scared. Herrera does her best to make time to skate because for her it’s like she’s finally free to do what she’s always wanted. I played all the Tony Hawk games and so like I said I watched videos I read some of the magazines and so it definitely felt like giving my child self something back.
Keyla Holmes [00:12:30] After taking a group photo, the women all placed their feet on the tails of their boards, found their balance, and pushed themselves down the bike trail. I’m Keyla Holmes for the Texas Standard.
Jerry Quijano [00:13:01] Great radio story they’re full of some awesome sounds and you know listening to that story made me think about the hobbies I have here in Austin you know going to watch movies climbing rocks and doors everywhere I go to try and find a hobby there’s always one constant somebody in that building is wearing a KUT or KUTX t-shirt so I think you know listening to listener powered public radio right here on KUT news That is a bit of a hobby and we have plenty of people who partake and support and we’re glad you join us every single day, but especially right now here on Austin Signal, this show is made possible because of the work of the trusted reporters and music aficionados here at KUT News, KUTX, and Texas Standard and we’ve got more coming up from them for you after this break. This is Austin Signal. This is Austin Signal. Thank you for making us part of your Tuesday. Think back on what you were doing right about now six years ago. Whatever you were up to, you likely weren’t considering how the COVID-19 pandemic would affect almost every facet of your life. Now, imagine starting a new job in a new city with all of that unfolding in the background. Heck, here in Austin, I bet there’s a few of you out there who don’t even have to imagine much about that scenario. It was certainly true for Bob Bursey, the executive and artistic director for Texas Performing Arts. They operate the Bass Concert Hall and McCullough Theater. He started his new job January 1st, 2020. Needless to say, the pandemic required Bursey to pivot from some of the plans that he might’ve had coming into the gig. Bursey spoke with KUT’s Jennifer Stayton on the stage of the McCulloch Theater about how COVID impacted TPA back then and what the future looks like for them. And the arts going forward.
Bob Bursey [00:15:02] Taking the lead of a big organization on the precipice of a moment of great disruption really set the tone for so much of what we’ve been able to accomplish since then. When it became clear that we weren’t going to be able to do what we normally could do or normally how we serve our community, we tried to find other things, other ways to make an impact. So we… Did a renovation of the facility that was bigger and deeper than what would have otherwise been possible and Bass Concert Hall made a lot of improvements. It also gave us an opportunity to look more locally for the artists that we engage with. So organizations like ours were founded in the middle of the last century on the promise of bringing in the most interesting things from around the country and around the world. And that’s still core to what we do and very important to us. But for many organizations like us. Did that at the exclusion of great artists and amazing projects in your own backyard. And so during COVID, we worked with a lot of Austin-based artists to provide creative residencies where they could safely develop projects in our studios and on our stages that then went on to be presented and performed around the country later.
Jennifer Stayton [00:16:18] Is that something that has stayed with Texas Performing Arts since COVID days?
Bob Bursey [00:16:24] Yes, we’ve added that aspect to our program as creative development and residency for Austin-based artists. The pandemic also brought into question many of the ways that big organizations worked and showed the value of partnership. And that’s something that stayed with us as well at TPA, that we can accomplish ambitious things, life-changing projects, impactful. Educational initiatives when we work together with other organizations.
Jennifer Stayton [00:16:55] How does the commercial viability of an artist or arts group coming to town sort of balance with maybe artistic experimentation or something new? Do you have to go to sort of something familiar that you know will fill seats? Or do you feel like you’ve got some room to try something new or experiment? How do you kind of make that calculation?
Bob Bursey [00:17:17] We’ve been very intentional about doing all of the above to have things that will fill Bass Concert Hall at 3,000 seats night after night and also to do things in a rehearsal studio that maybe 12 people a night can see over the course of a week. We’re one of the only places in the country that’s able to embrace that huge wide range of programming from artists that you have heard of and are really familiar with their work, popular entertainers to major touring productions to things that are just being developed and are experimenting and trying to get off the ground. Because we have different size spaces, because we’re part of an institution of research and learning, we’re able to embrace all of those missions. Texas Performing Arts operates financially self-sustaining, but is very much informed by the values of the University of Learning, Research and Education. So anytime you come to see a performance here. The artist may have gone and done a master class with students at UT, they may have gone out and visited with a local high school or elementary or middle school, or there may be students coming from the community to that performance.
Jennifer Stayton [00:18:32] Can just talk a little bit about what the arts can do for people, especially maybe when times are challenging in a host of different ways.
Bob Bursey [00:18:42] I personally find it a source of inspiration, and I love gathering together with people in the same space. Nothing makes me happier than to see our lobby just full of folks who are all there because they want to be, to have an experience that they’ve chosen to have, that they’re going to be inspired, entertained, engaged, maybe challenged by. That’s certainly what motivates me and keeps us going, and I think it’s a real source of optimism. Right now, that we get to see artists who really represent the idea of excellence, that they have trained and crafted for many, many years in order to be able to present what they do.
Jennifer Stayton [00:19:24] What do you see as the biggest challenge for Texas Performing Arts and maybe sort of arts in general moving forward?
Bob Bursey [00:19:34] There is so much choice out there now for us as audience members. We have essentially unlimited access to digital content. In our city, there’s always so much going on. And making sure that we continue to offer really singular, memorable, sometimes once-in-a-lifetime experiences is a big priority for us. And keeping up with the pace of change that tastes are rapidly evolving and folks’ interests are very, very wide now because we can self-curate in a way that we were never able to. It’s a challenge, it’s also hopeful because as life is increasingly digital, to have those moments of being in real space, in real time, together with fellow audience members, sharing an experience given to us by a performer. Becomes I think even more special right now. So I see it both as a challenge and as an opportunity.
Jennifer Stayton [00:20:37] Is there an especially memorable show or performance that you’ve experienced in your time here that really stands out for you as something that really struck you or has stuck with you in your times here so far?
Bob Bursey [00:20:50] Too many to name, clearly. I’ll offer a few. One is anything that I get to see with my family, especially with my kids, and introduce them to the American cultural tradition. We have so many art forms that come from America, be it jazz or modern dance or Broadway. To see a Broadway show with my kid and introduce to that cultural lineage is really special. I also love the experimental work that we get to do. We did an extraordinary project early in my time here with a New York-based artist called Robin Frohart, a project called The Plastic Bag Store where she transformed a warehouse in Austin into a museum of incredible artifacts all created with plastic bags. And those kind of out of the box. Non-traditional projects are really, really special to me.
Jennifer Stayton [00:21:49] Bob Bursey is executive and artistic director of Texas Performing Arts. Bob, thank you so much for chatting with me on the stage at the McCullough Theater. It’s been great.
Bob Bursey [00:21:58] It’s been great to have you, Jennifer. Thank you so much.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:06] And thank you out there for tuning in on this Tuesday. Glad you’re spinning part of it here with listener-powered public radio. We are KUT News 90.5 on the KUT app. And we have more from our show online at kut.org slash signal. And please, if you listen to the show as a podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, and check the show notes for all the reporting that we brought to you today and that we bring to you every day. Thank you to Keyla Holmes, to Isaac Yu, and to Jennifer Stayton and Bob Bursey with their help making today’s episode happen. Kristen Cabrera is our managing producer. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. I’m Jerry Quijano. Austin Signal will be back tomorrow, and we’ll talk to you then. Have a great day.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
