by Kimberly Burkett
I’ve lived in Texas long enough to realize that Governor Rick Perry’s call in his state of the state address this week for improvements in infrastructure and education was a surprising, yet welcomed relief. It’s a relief to those of us who understand the critical importance of water. It’s a relief to those of us who sit in gridlocked traffic 10 to 15 hours per week because of decaying highways that ceased to keep up with growth over a decade ago. The governor that protected the rainy day fund last session as if it were his own personal nest egg, even suggested tapping $3.7 billion from the coveted fund for these much-needed infrastructure improvements. Welcomed words indeed!
For those of us with children or interests in public schools; however, no relief was offered from last session’s $5.4 billion in budget cuts to public education. Sometimes what you don’t say speaks volumes, and this was true of Perry’s address. Despite proclamations by Perry that “the state is stronger than ever,” and “our bank balance is healthy, our economy is growing, our future is limitless,” Perry chose to blatantly ignore the plight of traditional public schools and the impact of last session’s budget cuts. Perry didn’t suggest restoring even a fraction of the billions cut from public education. Not one cent. No, those cuts will likely become institutionalized unless the courts find the state’s funding levels inadequate in the ongoing school finance case. (We’ll know more about that when the court rules next month.)
Rather than offering hope to beleaguered public schools, Perry’s address instead doubled down on the latest short-sighted reform attempts floated by Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) – efforts that essentially abandon traditional public education. While traditional public schools educate the vast majority of Texans (around five million students), and even educated Perry himself, the governor’s remarks indicated a clear and unapologetic disregard for our public schools. Instead his focus was on the legislature’s latest voucher scheme (make no mistake – that is exactly what the re-branded “tax credit scholarship” program is) and increasing the number of charter schools that pull funding from traditional public schools. Throughout the chest-pounding jubilation of our economic recovery that is apparently the envy of the other states, public education was cast aside like an uninvited party guest.
In fairness, Perry did suggest that reform efforts need “to be done in a fashion that continues to encourage teachers and administrators in traditional schools to produce excellent students.” With that small footnote, parents and educators, you received encouragement from your governor. Now, don’t try to take that encouragement to the bank – unfortunately encouragement doesn’t fund additional teachers or restore bussing, security personnel, or fine arts programs. Essentially, your governor is going to hope the best for your children as the state shrugs them off and instead focuses its efforts on charters and funneling tax dollars to private schools. Your child just became an afterthought as the state abandons traditional public education.
The abandonment of traditional public education didn’t begin with Perry’s address this week. In fact, it was formalized in the 2011 legislative session when Texas, for the first time since World War II, didn’t fund “enrollment growth.” Enrollment growth is a clever, euphemistic phrase used by lawmakers to downplay the fact that Texas abandoned children. That’s right – enrollment growth is children; mine and possibly yours. Enrollment growth consists of this year’s kindergarteners, first graders, and any new students to Texas’ public education system that did not receive state funding from the 82nd legislature. There were 160,000 of them.
Now, there are some, including TEA Commissioner Michael Williams, who suggest that discussions of restoring funding are premature until the school finance lawsuit is resolved later this year. To those cowards I say, my child will not wait. My child cannot wait. My child’s educational opportunities are NOW. He does not have time for you to find the political will to bring new revenues to schools or gain a newfound understanding of the state’s constitutional responsibilities to public education. While you explore the state’s pathway to privatization and charter schools, his educational opportunities are passing him by. Every day that you ignore public schools, Texas children just like mine sit in overcrowded classrooms using outdated (if any) technology. They go to schools that eliminated more than 15,000 teachers, social workers, counselors, and aides. They attend schools that reduced early childhood education, athletics, library services, tutoring, and summer school. They will not wait – their time is now.
Governor Perry, Texas parents and educators heard you pat yourself on the back for Texas’ strong economic rebound. We heard about the massive $12 billion rainy day fund. And we also heard your deafening silence to the needs of the traditional public schools that educate most of our children. There is no reasonable or rational explanation for not restoring public education funding when you readily proclaim that Texas “is stronger than ever” with revenues that have well surpassed projections. There is no reasonable or rational explanation for cutting a system that already scrapes the bottom of the barrel of state education funding in this nation. There is no reasonable or rational explanation for leaving schools to languish while you offer billions in tax breaks and exemptions to the corporations that will quickly pull up stakes when Texas can no longer offer an educated workforce. No, there is no explanation for institutionalizing those cuts other than blatantly walking away from the state’s responsibility to provide an adequate, free public education system.
Governor when you and lawmakers walk away from traditional public schools, you abandon my child and the five million Texas children those schools educate every day. You abandon the system that has educated Texans since 1840. You abandon the education system that this state’s founding fathers demanded and included in the state constitution. But, just as disappointing, you abandon Texas and her future. You abandon economic growth and future job opportunities. You abandon all Texans when you walk away from her public schools.
So please excuse us if we choose not to join in your jubilant celebration of the “Texas Miracle.” Unfortunately those of us with children or interests in public school don’t see that miracle. Instead we see an oncoming calamity and a grave disregard for the good of the majority of Texans and their children. And that isn’t anything to celebrate.
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I think Rick Perry and the other TEA-quest-traitors in Texas have made every move to remove funding for public education. This is in accordance with the teaching of Libertarians who used the scarlet(R) when they ran for office. Career politicians must be headed off at the pass, before they pass go and collect retirement on the public’s quarter. Term limits should be vigorously enforced by vote should career-types seek further and future ofices in every state in the nation. Ask your Senator and Representative where they stand on getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions which have benefited those with money and influence. Get registered, vote, and get out the vote! We well know the truth of the concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people and the concentration of power in stricter, less compassionate hands. “Sweep your state Capital CLEAN….in 2014″ “Sweep the House CLEAN….in 2014″ “Sweep the Senate CLEAN….in 2014″
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As a public school teacher and a parent I want to say thank you for this well written letter. Public schools are required to meet every educational need of children and raise them to the rigorous demands of the STAAR test without the funds necessary to accomplish this mammoth task! And then the state wants to base our performance on the students performance on said test. I say to Rick Perry and every legislator, come spend a week at my school!
Teachers are very resourceful people, often spending our own money to buy things the school budget can’t afford, but it’s getting harder to meet the demands placed in front of us.
What people need to understand is that this isn’t just neglect. It is a calculated right-wing elitist and corporatist conspiracy to destroy public education and the middle class. The theory behind it is similar to that of Josef Goebbels and the propagandists, which holds that the less educated populace, devoid of the tools for critical and analytical thinking, will be easier to control with disinformation and lies. It is the basis for the disinformation and lies and the secret corporatist support of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Fox News. I may be long gone to be proven right on this, but I firmly believe that it what is going on in the United States.
my kids are in tx public schools. i don’t see a point in pouring more money down the drain though. While there are some public schools that are doing well, overall the system failed a long time ago, not enough in the system want to change it and just want to demand more money. I’ve seen all too often the same budget but 2 completely different schools, it’s who’s running them and the political environment around them, ie teachers unions, jobs being looked out for rather than kids education. Parents and taxpayers caring about buildings rather than what kid is learning and what is actually happening in classroom. some parents care, but too many don’t know anything, are too busy. i can only afford to send one to private school next year, i’ll have to live with my parent’s to do it, if that’s the cost of my daughters future then so be it. let the slaying begin….
OK, first, I’m not gonna be a Grammar Cop, even though you posted this on a site about education.
Second, My Wife is a school teacher at a public school in Texas. When discussing the state of our education system with her and her co-workers, I’ve never heard anyone mention maintaining their job or a desire for more money…not once. What I HAVE heard is a desire to reach more students and to reform the current, badly broken system. They want to do things like cut down on the number of standardized tests students are required to take each year and eliminate teacher seniority.
Texas is a ‘Right to Work’ state. That means that the teacher’s union has little or no power here. Teacher contracts (at least my wife’s, but this is her first year) are done on a year-by-year basis, they make less than 30,000 per year and are required to cover their own Insurance costs and, due to budget cuts have to pay for much of their own classroom materials. If unions had ANY power in this state, none of these things would be true.
Now, to be honest, most of your post sounds like talking points from…well, you know. I don’t think I’ve met a single parent that doesn’t care about their child’s education. The only problems I’ve ever seen are misinformed people repeating the lies they’ve been told about our education system. Maybe, before you go broke sending your child to private school, you should spend some time trying to improve the public school in your community. The only way it will get better is if we all stand up and demand change.
We do not have teacher unions in Texas. And – you’re right, education is expensive – public, private, voucherd or not. Public education in Texas offers an efficient and solid education to All children regardless of disability or economic status – I seriously doubt that private schools can do the same even with a voucher program. Also, your suggestion that private schools, especially publicly funded private schools, do not and will not face the same sort of conflicts that traditional public schools have is pure fantasy.
If his lips are moving, he’s lying.