Look at these alarming facts about the little importance we place on education in Texas and this is prior to the republican majority and Perry cutting funds for our children's education by over $4 billion this year. And this is also prior to the republican majority and Perry, this past week, refusing to vote yes on using the rainy day fund to help alleviate the pain students and schools will feel from the large cuts. -Many elementary schools in San Antonio are forced to get rid of vice-principals. -How do you run a school without vice-principals?! In fact the rainy day fund was established many years ago just for this very reason - to help education in the time of a budget crisis. Texas students were already in trouble prior to this year's Texas govenor's and senate's neglect to support the education of our children and the future of Texas:
Read some of these very disturbing facts:
Texas is #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502).
Texas is #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%).
Texas is #33 in the nation in teacher salaries. Teacher salaries in Texas are not keeping pace with the national average. The gains realized from the last state-funded across-the-board pay raise authorized in 1999, which moved the ranking from 33 to as high as 26th in the nation, have disappeared over the last five years.
Texas was the only state in the nation to cut average per pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2005, resulting in a ranking of #40 nationally; down from #25 in fiscal year 1999. Texas is #6 in the nation in student growth. The general student population in Texas public schools grew by 11.1% between school years 1999 and 2005, with the largest percent of growth seen among low income and minority children.
Between school years 1999 and 2005, the number of central administrators employed by Texas public schools grew by 32.5%, overall staffing in public schools grew by 15.6%, while the number of teachers grew only 13.3%.
-Facts from the website of the Texas State Comptroller -Susan Combs @ http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/wwstand/wws0512ed/
What will we do in Texas when are children do not have the knowledge and skills to go to college and to become the leaders of tomorrow or just support themselves? How will we support the many students who are dropping out and will drop out and their children as well? Who will pay for their trips to the emergency room because they cannot afford health insurance? Of course we will and this will be in the tens of billions of dollars.
Support education -call your congressman or write to your local newspaper editorial. We need to spread the word and begin to realize education as our number one state priority. Without education - we have no future.
”Nothing is more important than education. Our state‘s future tax base and fiscal well-being depend directly on a highly educated work force."
—Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas Comptroller
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