Dewhurst, Patrick to Announce School Reform Legislation
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick on Wednesday at an Austin parochial school will reveal education legislation that some expect will spark a major battle of the upcoming legislative session.
Patrick, a Houston Republican and education committee chairman, has declined to discuss details of the proposal in advance of the announcement. He told The Texas Tribune in October that he envisioned a broad school choice bill and left open the possibility of private school vouchers, including for religious schools like the one where the news conference will be held.
"When we talk about choice today, it's ...
Comments (13)
Arthur M. Thomas IV via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The idea that people can control others peoples children is a fallacy. Bob, your tax money goes to teach other peoples children and they still grow up with their parents beliefs. If you don't want your tax dollars used poorly then don't support institutions that use them. You are ok with them watering down history and science as a side effect of the battle over schooling as long as they don't blatantly do something you don't like? You are sacrificing the many worrying about the few.
I would much rather us public funding to allow people to send their children to a school of their choice than to have our current government school monopoly to become a battleground for political and social ideals. How about parents rights to choose education for their students?
Michael Cardona via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Arthur how about having a level playing field. I am a product of private education and they get to pick and choose their students based on those who follow their ideology and who fit their mold. Public education systems accept all students. Second, ensure that private schools must also educate all students regardless of background and disability. The currently do not have to nor do most choose not to. Let them teach ELL and Special Education students with the same accountability measures as public schools. Third, ensure that public schools have the same accountability measures as private schools which is none. Fourth, ensure that private school teachers have to meet the same teacher certification requirements as public school teachers. If you are going to use public monies, which the current regime has continued to cut then make sure that all play by the same rules. Rick Perry has systematically placed people in positions to ensure that this happens. We in public education are up for the challenges because we have continued to adjust as politicians led by Rick Perry have continued to change the rules and then flip flop. Hold all schools to the same standards period and ensure that private schools educate all students and not hand selected.
Samdavis
Patrick's whole plan is to allow schools such as his precious Second Baptist to suck up state dollars. Public schools don't force their beliefs on students (outside of Kountze and Santa Fe) and they have resources for disabled and learning disadvantaged students that private schools can't begin to match. These schools will take all the children without disabilities and leave the rest in a public ghetto.
Tim Spotswood via Texas Tribune on Facebook
All the private schools have to do is raise their prices enough so the voucher won't cover it. They still get to pick and choose - but the public schools will be drained of funds. I paid my school taxes and paid my kids tuition, that was my choice. And since i work for the public school system I would not have it any other way.
Rudyg43
Dan Patrick, David Dewhurst and a host of others in Texas are hell-bent on destroying the Texas school system by every means necessary. TEA-Republican's want to voucher every thing they can to allow business to come in and make money off the people. Convulsing and convorting with the fringe elements they maneuver their way into local and state offices and obstruct federal implementation of legislation that would benefit the people. They are not in this for the people, they are in it for themselves. They hide behind "states rights" which is a farce as they realize their white majority will become the minority with ethnic diversity as this will change the demographics of Texas and that cannot come soon enough. And the 2014 Mid-term election is a-coming!
Brandon Cooper via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Arthur, an argument can be fallacious or incorrect, but an idea can't be a "fallacy", especially if that's only the case because you believe otherwise. Rather than simply "not support" institutions because you don't like the way they are run (which, by the way, does not relate in any way to what Bob wrote), why not simply reform the institutions and support them then? The rest of your argument was chock-full of straw men, so it's not really worth my time, but clearly parents already have "the right to choose education for their students". This doesn't have anything to do with that; rather, it is about citizen's rights not to have to pay for private institutions. That's called corporate welfare.
Carl Webb
?** Action alert -- Please forward and circulate **
TEXAS SAYS: ‘NO’ TO VOUCHERS! FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
THIS WEDNESDAY December 19 • Gather at 10 AM at the corner of 10th St. & Brazos
Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick say that school vouchers are their #1 education priority in the upcoming legislative session. They are rolling out their push for vouchers THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN at a press conference at a parochial school. School vouchers will only lead to more privatization of our school system, greater inequality for Texas students, and money taken out of our public education budget that was hammered by funding cuts in 2011.
Join us to say NO TO VOUCHER SCHEMES! RESTORE THE FUNDING FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS! Please BYO signs. Pass this on!
Texas RMS
Teachers in this state have little or no respect from the legislature and Governor. Those in charge of public education have made it clear that they feel its value is minimal. The plan to take our tax dollars away from public schools and give them to private schools should make all citizens very uncomfortable. It is in no way intended to improve public schools. When the head of the TEA does not give priority to our schools, that should set off major warning bells across the entire state. (And isn't it interesting that now the call is for those teachers to put on a gun to go to work? I can see it now. Kindergarten teachers with guns on their hips. How perfect is that? Heaven forbid the state just provide decent funding to hire campus police. No, instead let's just be sure that teachers are carrying loaded weapons around the school. That will definitely improve safety.)
gypsy314 ne
Vouchers is the best thing for our children and schools. The teachers will have to do there jobs or face loosing the customers. I say let it begin so our children will have the very best out of our teachers. I know the bad teachers and unions will fight this but we all know we should do what is best for the children.
hans5162@ix.netcom.com hans
Never let facts get in the way of your ideological argument. This is nothing more than regurgitated ALEC model voucher laws. Louisiana's voucher program has been ruled unconstitutional by a state court and a federal court found that it undermines desegregation efforts. Florida's voucher program has been rife with fraud. Private schools receiving state support have been found to be substandard, dangerous and run by convicted criminals. The record of charter schools in Texas is worse than the public schools. They have more underperforming campuses and have had more financial irregularities than the public schools. When Senator Patrick talks about our failing public schools, he should be reminded that it was a public school principal who was gunned down running toward a gunman, while trying to protect the children in her school. It was a public school psychologist who was shot trying to protect children and running toward danger. It was a home-schooled student who was their murderer and the murderer of 21 Americans. Public schools provide a common purpose and understanding of the society in which we live. They are crucial for a well functioning democracy. Private schools and home schools sever those societal ties. We have seen the result in Sandy Hook. Under his plan, this is our future.
visule
I think it is good for all parties because it allocates resources for the best interest of the student.
If a student has issues or needs that the home school is not able to provide, why stay there. If my student is dyslexic and the home school and the entire district disavows that condition (ie Carrollton ISD), my only option is private school or to physically move into a school district that does recognize it and provides resources. The voucher idea gets you to the same place without having to pack up.
And finally by leaving the underperforming home school, it allows the counselor and teacher time to be reallocated to the other remaining students. Go see Waiting for Superman.
Texas Parents Union via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thanks for the heads-up! We're interested to see what their approach will be.
Michael Hull
More bad ideas from the usual suspects. More money for private corporations. More pain for public schools and low-income parents and students. More insanity....