Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Gov. Rick Perry and Republican challenger Carole Keeton Strayhorn clashed on taxes and education Monday, making fresh appeals for conservative support nearly 200 days before they face off in the March 7 gubernatorial primary.

Perry, by issuing an executive order, presented himself as foreseeing more aid reaching classrooms, despite inaction on school and tax plans in three special legislative sessions and a 140-day regular session since April 2004.

Under his order, Shirley Neeley, the state education commissioner, is expected to implement changes in financial reporting by school districts, adding a mandate that at least 65 percent of funds go to classroom instruction.

Proposals for such a directive have upset school officials fearful of being forced to shift resources from areas such as transportation, campus safety and food services.

Perry, speaking at Teacher Heaven, a South Austin classroom supply store, said, "Schools that do not currently meet this standard will be spending more dollars on items like classroom computers and technology, science lab equipment, books and instructional materials or even higher teacher salaries."

Some 1,000-plus Texas school districts spent an average of 60 percent of funds on classroom instruction in 2002-03, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Austin-area districts fell short of the 65 percent mark that year.

Mark Diaz, superintendent of the 4,270-student Manor school district, said the district recently doubled money budgeted to pay for gas for school buses — an expense not necessarily considered instructional.

"I'm hoping it's not another unfunded mandate," Diaz said of Perry's move. "That's my concern: Where are the dollars?"

Strayhorn said in her first campaign radio advertisement that Perry has been "begging legislators to pass the largest tax increase in Texas history, and not one penny for education."

Her ad — overlooking the fact that Perry proposed a teacher pay raise in June and favors higher state taxes in trade for cuts in local school property taxes — describes Strayhorn, the second-term comptroller, as "one tough tax fighter for Texas."

Luis Saenz, Perry's campaign director, said the ad shows she won't offer a positive message.

Strayhorn, who has blamed Perry for action by legislators last year shifting a school district performance review program from her office to another agency, called his order a cover-up for declining classroom spending.

She didn't say whether she favors a 65 percent standard but said that if Perry "was serious about improving public education, he would have issued this order years ago and before he called back-to-back failed special sessions."

Perry spokesman Robert Black said, "If the comptroller were serious about reforming education, she'd" be forthcoming with her own funding plan.

Black provided a news clipping that said when Strayhorn was an Austin school board member some 30 years ago, local classroom spending declined.

Democratic candidate Chris Bell of Houston said he's not sure the governor has the legal authority to place spending requirements on districts. Debbie Ratcliffe, spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, called Perry's directive in keeping with state education laws.

Earlier, Bell named Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, his campaign chairman.

Gallego, a legislator since 1991, said: "We can't keep trying to out-Republican the Republicans. After seeing the way things went this year in the Legislature, why would you?"

Classroom costs

Percentage of school money spent directly on classroom instruction, 2002-03:

Travis County districts
Austin 58%
Del Valle 59%
Eanes 62%
Lago Vista 61%
Lake Travis 63%
Manor 57%
Pflugerville 64%

Williamson County
Leander 60%
Round Rock 63%
Georgetown 63%

Hays County
San Marcos 61%
Hays 58%

Source: Americans for Prosperity-Texas, citing National Center for Education Statistics