In Episode 20, we talk with Lauren Bick from the League of Women Voters of Texas. Lauren is the state League's Issue Chair on Child Welfare for the 89th legislative session. We discuss how our state’s legislative proposals will affect foster youth and families, as well as other vulnerable youth in Texas.

After graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX with undergraduate degrees in Public Health and Psychology, Lauren returned to her hometown of San Antonio, TX. Lauren has worked under a judge in the Bexar County Children’s Court Division, conducting research on critical issues impacting foster youth and families in the area, including access to healthcare and housing, support for kinship caregivers, and older youth access to continuing education benefits through the College Bound Docket.

Lauren joined the local League soon after returning to San Antonio in September 2024. As the Issue Chair, she has been advocating for policies to address the most pressing challenges of at-risk youth. Having spent much of her academic career working on issues far from home, she found it both refreshing and rewarding to advocate for beneficial change in her own community. To stay engaged with her community and local government, she plans to attend law school in the near future.

Lauren reminds us, that the Legue of Women Voters supports only policies that “Promote the well-being, full development, and safety of all children.”

DIVE DEEPER!

LWVTX Take Action Webpage with Action Alerts: https://lwvtx.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=979482&module_id=465924#/

LWVSA April Newsletter Article on “Supporting Vulnerable Children” Published 18 April 2025: https://lwvsa.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=571900&item_id=114604&

LWVTX Children’s Issues Priorities One-Pager: https://1drv.ms/w/c/d88724bf311b3aeb/EXPQ-fh2-O5BsNhofcIhHh4BJLu6HUoG3yE2VuRORbV0tw

San Antonio Express-News Article on College Bound: https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/bexar-county-college-bound-docket-foster-care-19499043.php

Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Bill Tracker: https://texascasa.org/program-portal/resources/texas-casa-bill-tracker/

In Episode 19, we are taking with Teri Marsh from the League of Women Voters of Texas and Evgenia Spears of the Lone Star Sierra Club. We discuss our state’s plans to supply water for a growing population in an unpredictable future.

A native Texan, Teri Marsh exchanged the big city lights of Houston for tiny Brackettville, Texas in 2020 upon retiring after 23 years of teaching in the Houston ISD. A Fort Worth native and the mother of two adult sons, Teri holds degrees from Baylor University and the University of Houston.

After retirement, Teri discovered the League of Women Voters as a way to engage as a citizen in her new community. She especially enjoys registering first-time voters at nearby community colleges. As concerns grew about the drying of Las Moras Springs beginning in 2022, Teri began attending groundwater conservation district meetings and educating herself about groundwater law and science. Recognizing the importance of a stable water supply for all Texans (and for the future of our state), she agreed to serve as the Water Advocacy Chair for the LWV of Texas in 2024.

Teri and Jack, her husband of 45 years, enjoy being surrounded by nature, history, and wildlife on Fort Clark Springs, where they reside. When not at home with their four cats, you’ll probably find them in their RV touring a national forest, visiting a state park, or visiting their two grandchildren in Houston.

Evgenia Spears is the Water Program Coordinator at the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter, where she leads advocacy efforts to protect access to clean water resources in Texas. Through grassroots organizing, water education, and legislative advocacy at the Texas capitol, she works to ensure that communities across the state have a voice in shaping a sustainable water future.

Having lived in rural Ukraine, suburban Russia, and now in the U.S., Evgenia brings a unique perspective on water management, viewing water not simply as a resource to manage but as a relationship to nurture. Guided by this philosophy, one of the new initiatives Evgenia is leading is the Sierras Club Water for People & the Environment Committee, created to educate Texans about water issues across the state and empower them to become stronger advocates in their communities. Through her leadership, this committee brings together Texans from diverse backgrounds and geographic regions, united by a shared commitment to protecting our water resources.

Prior to joining Sierra Club, Evgenia spent several years at Texas A&M University in College Station where she earned a doctorate with a focus on natural resource management, taught undergraduate courses on natural resource policy, served as a watershed coordinator with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and collaborated with Texas A&M and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to develop strategic natural resource planning documents for the state.

Outside of her work, Evgenia enjoys being with her family, spending time in nature, and traveling.

In Episode 18, we are taking a deep dive into what Charter Schools have to teach us about publicly funding private schools in Texas. Thanks to a webinar sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Dalla& Tarrant County, we're able to listen in on a discussion by leading experts on the topic. The event, titled "Facing Facts: Charter Schools in Texas," was held on April 7th, 2025. It featured Patti Everitt, a consultant on state education policy with a focus on the impact of charter schools on public education. Her work on a recent report, "Texas Board of Directors: Our Schools Our Democracy," highlights new information about the impact of charter schools on local public school districts and students. With taxpayer-funded private school vouchers on the legislative agenda, it is even more important to understand how these expanded school choice programs affect the future of public education.

DIVE DEEPER!

Texas Board of Directors, Our Schools Our Democracy

Texas Education Agency: Financial Reports

League of Women Voters of Texas: Take Action

Journalist Krys Boyd, host of Think Podcast interviews Josh Cowen, author of The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.

Texas House Bill 3 full text