Press release
When Texas cut $5.4 billion from public schools, affecting 5 million students and making Texas 49th in the country in per-pupil spending, Texans protested and school districts sued the state and won. Oscar-winner Vanessa Roth’s film, “The Texas Promise,” details the high-stakes battle over funding for public education in Texas.
The acclaimed documentary will be shown to the public Wednesday, May 6, at 6 p.m. at the Church of the Living God in Athens. “The Texas Promise” is the gripping story of equity, politics, money and our children as Texas and the nation make historic decisions about opportunity, the economy and our democracy.
Athens ISD will host a free community screening of “The Texas Promise” at the church, located at 2743 US 175 East in Athens. This screening is open to everyone interested in an effort to fuel a deeper conversation about the impact of our investment — or lack of investment — in educating all kids in Texas and across the country.
Liz Mims, senior film programmer for the Austin Film Festival, called the film “eye opening, compelling at its core and empowering through its content.”
Set within courtrooms, classrooms and the Austin capitol, the film features Wendy Davis and State Rep. Mike Villarreal arguing to restore funding while now Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and State Sen. Donna Campbell support vouchers and charters rather than investing in “failing” schools.
The film also features an inspirational valedictorian from the Rio Grande Valley, an 80-year-old principal devoted to an inner city school in Houston, a mother-turned-protester, a wise oracle of a demographer, a pastor who preaches support for public schools, and Judge John Dietz, who ruled that lawmakers were violating the state’s constitution by under-funding public schools.
“It is a powerful message, told by plain people, about a fundamental good for all humanity,” said Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, leader of Fort Worth-based Pastors for Texas Children, who is featured in the film.
Director Vanessa Roth has written, produced and directed non-fiction films and headed up national community engagement and outreach through storytelling for nearly 20 years. Additional screenings of “The Texas Promise” and outreach events designed to engage communities in conversation about the direction of public education are now taking place in communities all over Texas. For more information, such as hosting your own screening, or to watch the trailer, visit thetexaspromisemovie.org. You can also find “The Texas Promise” on Facebook and Twitter.