Education - Issue for 2006 Governor's Race
The goal and agenda of the Republicans from the Governor and the people he works with in the legislature is the privitization of public schools with our tax dollars -it is not about improving education or equalizing education for all of the students in Texas, or providing for "No Child Left Behind." which has been inadequately underfunded and thus insures that public schools will fail. Rather it is about greed and corruption in high places. Jim Hightower succinctly wrote a book called, Thieves in High Places which aptly fits what is going on with Texas education.The penalty for failure under 'No Child Left Behind' is to ask parents to move their students to another 'better' school, remove the principal then staff and ultimately 'privatize' the public school into a 'private' charter school.
Charter schools are notorious for not operating within the same rules and accountability as public schools are held to. This needs to change. Further, there are financial abuses in charter schools since they are operated on a for profit motive for their shareholders - not what is best for children or public interest. I know of Charter schools in Texas where students did not have a text book in subjects such as Chemistry, Biology, Social Studies, Language arts, etc. until half a year passed.
The Governor and Republicans in the legislature have consistantly ignored studies that they commissioned from the Texas Education Agency, the Comptrollers office, . Texas is faced with a shortage of teachers which is being aggravated by their draconian solutions - offer inadequate and low pay raises, cutting teacher pension benefits, allowing unqualified people to enter the profession, etc. The study I am referring to states the best way to provide for a quality education for students and attract teachers is to pay teachers a wage that will attract them and insure they want to remain in the profession - well duh!
See The "High" Cost of UnderPaying Teachers http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/teachersalary04/
See Average Teacher's Salaries in the US
http://www.nea.org/edstats/images/averagesalaries.jpg
See TEXAS STRATEGIC PLAN TO ADDRESS THE TEACHER SHORTAGE October 2002.
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/pdf/0510.pdf
Instead of providing for the public good and what is best for education and the future of our state, Governor Perry and the Republican dominated legislature have not done a good job for the state and all need to be replaced with people who will be conscientious about being wise stewards for the children and people of Texas. They have placed the Texas Education system at risk to becoming one ot the worst in the nation. I count the Democrats who have turned on their party and ideals as among those who should be replaced.
Any Democratic Governor elected who has to face the legisature we currently have in place would find getting any meaningful legislation passed impossible. This is why it is vital to expose and fight the republicans to remove as many of them as possible to obtain a majority he can work with.
This is a daunting task but not impossible. A person running for Governor needs to really attack the Republicans on their poor education record and make an issue of this by hammering just how badly these people have hurt the people and children of Texas.
© South Austin Democratic Activists 355 2005
posted by M. H. Doyle @ 10:58 PM
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