About 40 people spent hours addressing the Pflugerville ISD school board Dec. 13, with fewer than 10 speaking against the benefits in a packed cafeteria.
The Pflugerville school board made history Thursday night, voting 5-1 in favor of offering domestic partner benefits to district employees.
The proposal, recommended by the district employees’ insurance commission, initially passed in October, making the school district the first in Texas to approve DP benefits. But a trustee requested a review of the plan after news that it covered same-sex couples. About 40 people spent hours addressing the board Thursday, with less then 10 speaking out against the benefits in a packed cafeteria, Austin’s KVUE reports.
“I believe that teachers who I work with down the hall from me should be able to get the same benefits that I get for my wife and my child,” said teacher August Plock, a member of the Pflugerville Educators Association that began a Change.org petition in favor of the benefits.
Shortly after Pflugerville ISD — as well as Dallas County — approved DP benefits in October, anti-gay state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, requested an opinion from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott about whether the benefits violate Texas’ constitutional banning same-sex marriage. No word yet from Patrick, but he’s probably not happy about last night’s vote.
Unfortunately, while the issue is decided for now in Pflugerville, Dallas ISD — and most other districts in Texas — won’t be able to offer DP benefits anytime soon.
Watch KVUE’s newscast below.
