| Here are just a few of the sobering facts about public education in Texas following years of misplaced Republican priorities:
·Texas is the only state in the nation that reduced per student expenditures during the 2004-2005 school year;
·Texas teacher salaries rank 33rd in the country and lowest among the 15 most populous states;
·Texas student population has grown by more than 70,000 students for each of the last 10 years (and that figure does not include the influx of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina);
·Texas ranks last among all 50 states in the percentage of adults with a high school diploma;
·The State of Texas' share of education funding dropped by 3.2% in 2004-2005, placing the burden on local property taxpayers to pick up almost two-thirds of the cost of educating our children.
Our children deserve better.
The simple fact is that everyone from the Governor to local school officials has known for years that the current school finance system is failing our students. But the Republicans have been unwilling to make the difficult choices to fix the system and ensure that Texas students receive the best education possible.
In fact, the Republicans passed an appropriations bill in 2003 that cut over $3 billion by gutting education programs such as elementary teacher training, math, reading and science initiatives, after school programs, textbook purchases and teacher health insurance.
Then, in 2005, the Republican leadership tried to pass a bill that would raise taxes on 90% of Texans, but wouldn't have spent one extra penny of that tax increase inside the classroom. And to add insult to injury, the bill would have created unfunded mandates for local school districts while taking control away from superintendents, principals, teachers and parents and placing it in the hands of state bureaucrats.
Texas Republicans have called three special sessions to address school finance without any resolution. They've wasted taxpayer money and time our children could have spent learning in better schools. And when a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans passed an amendment to end the impasse, the GOP leadership packed their bags and returned home instead of letting this legislation become law.
And today, Texas Republicans are once again making tax cuts their top priority instead of using this year's special session to secure our children's future. As Texans, we won't stand for it.
With the fourth special legislative session on school finance starting on April 17th , the time to act is now .
Join us by signing a petition to let the Republican leadership know what Texans expect during the upcoming special session and to remind them to keep schools in the school finance debate.
Sincerely,
Leticia Van de Putte
Texas Senate Democratic Leader
Jim Dunnam
Texas House Democratic Leader |
