$4 Billion
That’s how much Republicans in Texas cut from public education funding during the 2011 legislative session.
Denton County Republican Texas House of Representatives members have plenty of excuses for making these huge cuts:
Protesters on March 12, 2011 at the "Save Texas Schools" rally in Austin, Texas. CC image courtesy Matthew Juran.
- Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound, 63) justified them by comparing them to slashes he endorsed to other state agencies. Cutting education at a slower rate than other agencies doesn’t make it acceptable.
- Myra Crownover (R-Lake Dallas, 64) enthusiastically supported gutting our public education system, claiming that she had to make the “painful decisions”. She even said on the House floor “I think this is the right thing for Texas, and I will be voting aye.” (PDF, p. 6427) Cutting $4 billion from public education will never be “the right thing for Texas”.
- Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton, 65) spent so much creating the redistricting disaster in Texas (he was chair of the committee) that he practically ignored education entirely until he voted to cut it.
How can our elected officials believe a low tax rate is more important than educating our children and paying our teachers properly? The Texas GOP tried to shift the blame to local school districts, even though districts in Denton County like Lewisville ISD have already cut administration positions and payand are still financially struggling.
Cutting $4 billion from our state education system is penny wise, pound foolish. Before these cuts, Texas ranked 42nd in funding levels. More than 12,000 teachers and support staff have been laid off already.
Fund Education Properly
Education funding should be the first thing passed every session, not the last. It should not be a partisan issue, but it has become one. Our resolve is simple: fund our schools, our students, and our teachers properly. There is no excuse for not providing the most basic of services to citizens.
We will support those who support our future. There will be no more cuts, and there will be no more excuses.
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Jan 6, 2012 1 Comment ›› admin
