Business Leaders Draw a Line on Education Funding
Leaders in the business community said Wednesday that they would not stand for increased funding for education if it came with any rollback of accountability standards in Texas public schools.
“If we are going to remain competitive in the world’s market, we are going to have to have an educated workforce. We do not have one today,” said Bill Hammond, the president of the Texas Association of Business. “We will vigorously oppose additional money for the public school system unless and until we are certain that the current accountability system is going to be maintained.”
The Capitol news conference ...
Comments (19)
Luisa Inez Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
as long as we have low quality legislators who're obsessed with abortion and creationism, texas will continue to be a sort of 'slave' state, where the Governor of Texas has never visited the Colonias of Laredo.
Michelle Michon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is just the Texas arm of ALEC. Why report anything they have to say? The problem is with the Republican Legislators who are starving our schools. You have to have the right tools to get the job done. Our schools, educators and students deserve better. I pay my taxes for PUBLIC schools. Not some virtual pretend, privatized business.
Steve Coyle via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The STAARS testing system does not provide useful information in a timely fashion to teachers that would actually improve the quality of instruction in the classroom-the amount of test prep, administration and supplemental resources divert a great many of the resources that not only could be used to bring up students who need additional help but also eats away at resources that could provide our best students with deeply enriching programs. In addition the "accountability" illusion is founded on the idea that the tests are accurate and provide useful understandable data that those genuinely motivated to improve education can use in their decision making and from following last weeks interim hearings at the state capitol it is clear that the vast byzantine and largely incomprehensible process has left everyone in charge baffled. The folks lobbying for "accountability" are case building for cutting funds to a public education system that they clearly are not interested in improving-if they were they would be talking on the steps of the Capitol about improving education rather than simply enforcing a process to collect data to document downward spiral of the students they are threatening to continue under-serve.
Shawn AndMichelle Wehmeyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thanks to his ignorance and that of others like him, we have a generation of test takers! Corporate driven reform has failed miserably! Even with considerable financial backing of the high stakes testing model (when is the last time you heard of any testing element of a school district being cut due to funding?), their own tests have proven again and again that an education system built on intimidation, fear, greed, and test scores will do nothing to benefit the student! Bill might know business, but he obviously doesn't know a thing about educating our children! It is time Texas parents gave Bill Hammond and his fellow business leaders an ultimatum of their own!! KEEP YOUR GREEDY OPINIONS AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE OUT OF OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION!!! IT IS TIME PARENTS START BACKING THE REAL EDUCATION EXPERTS! THE TEACHERS!! PARENTS NEED TO CONTINUE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE STAAR TEST AND STAND UP FOR THE TENETS LAID OUT IN THE TASA RESOLUTION AGAINST HIGH STAKES TESTING!!! THE CORPORATE REFORM MOVEMENT HAS GONE TOO FAR AND IT IS TIME FOR PARENTS TO SPEAK UP AND TAKE A STAND AGAINST THE CORPORATE BULLIES WHO ARE USING POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL POWER TO HOLD THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN HOSTAGE! Parents need to write and call your legislators, your local newspapers, your local school board members and make sure that you speak up for your child. Parents' voices should not be drowned out by the sound of corporate and political greed! What Bill Hammond thinks is best for his business by way of the education system, should not trump what Texas Parents want for their children!
T D
Mr Hammond? Meet the 'Wrong Side of History'. (As far as testing goes, you're on it.)
Michelle is absolutely right in that the Trib should be wary of quoting the TPPF.
Shawn AndMichelle Wehmeyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
http://www.tstaweb.net/archives/2012/06/too_many_educat.html
Aida Dyanne Ornelas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Keeping the population uneducated and unemployable is the best way to continue feeding the personnel needs of the military industrial complex. Haliburton, anyone?
Rebecca Book Warnick via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What kind of "educated" workforce does Mr. Hammond want? One consisting of intelligent, creative problem solvers or an army of workers who excel at doing only exactly what the big bossman tells them to do? Hmmmmm, I wonder.
Fernando Perez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Amen Shawn. Obviously, these people have never step foot into our classrooms lately. All they want is to line their pockets and really don't care of the students of Texas.
Texas Parents Opt Out of State Tests via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Bill Hammond appears to be confusing an "educated" workforce with an "obedient" workforce. Chronic testing and accountability continues to rob our children of a quality education. l Hammond needs to get out of our Texas Public Schools! Why should he have more influence than teachers and parents?
Richard Stone via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The Texas GOP platform calls for reducing state pubic education funding to the lowest level possible. Does anyone else see the contradiction ... ?
Debra Haas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Do Mr. Hammond and his associates want public schools to "train workers" or "educate thinkers"?
The two are certainly not mutually exclusive, but without thinkers we will not have new ideas, new knowledge and new products - which are the very things that have sustained us in to date in the global economy.
Kathi Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I sent Mr. Hammond an email, in which I asked him if he wanted trained worker bees (in which case we're training for that) or to stimulate bright minds to make a difference in our state's future. Certainly right now, we're not doing much to stimulate bright young minds.
Andrew Brown via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What do you want, an educated workforce or Republican legislators? You can't have both.
Texas Parents Union via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Good article by Rick Hess about alternative types of accountability for public schools. In case the link doesn't work, it's called "Don't Like Value-Added? Cool. So Pick Your Poison"
Texas Parents Union via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Here's the link:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rick_hess_straight_up/2012/02/dont_like_value-added_cool_so_pick_your_poison.html
Joan Neuberger
No wonder. This is from the 2012 Texas GOP platform:
We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (valuesclarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-BasedEducation (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challengingthe student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.
Rudy Gonzales
The current standard of education in Texas has been cut back and portions totally eliminated to meet the lowered standards of the TEA-Republican parties who want to wipe out completely the public version of education. The 3.4 million students are the one who really lose while the administrative and bureaucratic continue to maintain their standard of living.
Wake up! Throw out all the confrontational TEA-Republicans currently wasting tax money and time in Austin.
tr wilson
What we need is to remove companies that are profiteering off of public schools.
All business selling goods and services to school districts should only be allowed costs and ten percent. That would do away with the business lobby and interference with education.