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Failed Leadership, Failed Priorities, Failed Session
November 4, 2005

The 79th Second Called Special Session on school finance was the third time this year that Texas leadership failed taxpayers and our school children because of failed priorities.

Written by Senator Shapleigh, www.shapleigh.org

News454

The 79th Second Called Special Session on school finance marked the third time this year that Texas leadership failed taxpayers and our school children because of failed priorities.

Our school finance debate should be about establishing great schools that produce an educated workforce that can compete for good jobs in the 21st century with a fair and modern tax system to support it. What our children learn will determine what they earn. Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, told state legislators and policy makers at this year's National Conference of State Legislatures that the decline in the number of Americans studying science and engineering is a troubling sign for the U.S. economy especially while those academic disciplines are increasing in popularity in China and other nations. When asked how states can attract more jobs, he stated that "industries are far more sensitive to the quality of talent in the area than they are to tax policies."[1]

Based on recent polls, Texans want quality education, not tax cuts for the wealthy. In a poll by Mike Baselice -- Gov. Perry's own pollster -- 83% of Texans ranked great schools as the #1 priority for Texas lawmakers. If children are our greatest asset and education is our #1 priority, then why do our teachers receive $5,000 less per year in average salaries than the national average? Texans want accountable schools with qualified, motivated teachers teaching a rigorous curriculum in state of the art classrooms. Are we listening?

During the last three sessions, the "tax relief" bills proposed by Governor Perry gave nine in ten Texans tax hikes and a bare 3% increase in funding to cover inflation costs at schools, while the wealthiest 10% got tax cuts and millions of new dollars for schools that serve only 400,000 of the 4 million children in our public education system. Bad bills produce failed sessions.

Robin Hood is still better than the any of the legislation proposed to date. Every "reform" bill proposed by leadership broke promises to Texas teachers for a real pay raise, created lasting harm to basic concepts of equity and permitted private corporations to take over public schools. In addition, after they pay for all the mandates included in the legislation, urban districts actually lose money. If we truly value education, then we need to fund it.

Of his party leaders, Dallas lawyer Michael Boone, an adviser to Republican leaders on school finance for 14 years, said "they cannot lead and cannot be led. They've all been Norquist-ed." [2]

According to the Dallas Morning News, "thirty-five House members, including Speaker Tom Craddick, and four senators, all Republican, have signed a no-new-taxes pledge advanced by national anti-tax guru Grover Norquist. The governor has visited with Mr. Norquist on numerous occasions, even taking him on a retreat to the Bahamas."[3]

Leading means taking risks to guarantee that tomorrow is better than today, instead of just playing to the base. Running radio ads and dueling press conferences in Austin won’t get the job done.

"You've got to pay the piper," Mr. Boone said. "It's got to begin and end with leadership. Our schools are dying. It's a fact. They're suffocating them to death."[4]

[1] http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?site NodeId=136? uageId=1& contentId=49241

[2] http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedc ontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/ 081405 dntexqua g.2e6bcf1.html

[3] http://www.dallasnews.com/shared content/dws/ news/texassou thwest/stories/ 081405dnte xquag .2e6bcf1.html

[4] http://www.dallas news.com/sharedc ontent/dws/news/texasso uthwest/stories/ 08140 5dntexq uag.2e6bcf1.html

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