Dewhurst, Patrick Discuss Plans for School Reform
Speaking in a Catholic school classroom in Austin, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick gave the first details of what they promised would be a wide-ranging set of proposals for public education policy during the upcoming legislative session.
Patrick, a Houston Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he would carry legislation that would increase the options for public school students through lifting the state's cap on charter schools, fostering open enrollment within and across school districts, and creating a private school scholarship fund through offering a state business tax savings credit to corporations. When ...
Comments (22)
Lee Dunkelberg via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Texas: Open for Business
We don't need no public education. How can people make money at it?
Scott Chase via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The tax savings to business would continue the de-funding of public education. Patrick, I can understand since he's clearly anti-public education but Dewhurst should know better.
Matt Taylor
This article has been linked on thejavelina.com
Andrew Goldberg via Texas Tribune on Facebook
why the hell is there a preacher in this picture? Education not religion...I HATE antidisestablishmentarians.
Kathy Schmidt via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I will fight this tooth and nail. The state should NOT be funding private schools. I mean really, they can't even fund the ones that they are Constitutionally mandated to! SMH!
Martin Woodward via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I think this is basically an effort to weaken public education, and I hope enough legislators stop it in its tracks and instead restore the funding that they ill-advisedly cut during the last session.
Lindsay Siriko via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I agree. School Districts Safety Reform !
Philip Goetz via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Instructional materials. Not books.
Laura Whiten Courtney via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Note that it was held in a private, religious school classroom. Not a public school.
Chuck Bloom via Texas Tribune on Facebook
A, the plan comes forth to utterly destroy Texas public schools. Nice tie Dave..you putz! Patrick symbolizes the wolf in sheep's clothing. How to go from right-wing talk radio to actual power and how dangerous BOTH can be.
Jerry Andrews
The attack on public education continues. Last session is was remove $5B from their budget even though there are many more students to teach. This session it is, those sorry public schools are failing for some befuddling reason ($5B perhaps?) so we need to go private instead. How many private schools are more cost effective and cheaper than public? How many private hospitals are cheaper and more cost effective than county hospitals? Private Prisons in Az have been more expensive than state Prisons, even though the private prisons refuse to take sick inmates because of their care costs. The profit motive results in private companies seeking profit first. Great in business. Profit motive should not be part of the formula for public education. Those profits are sucked out of education and into the pockets of the already rich.
Dinah Miller via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Every dollar credited to a taxpayer for contributions to a private scholarship program is one less dollar in tax revenue for the State of Texas. At a time when Texas can’t afford to adequately fund our public schools, we can’t afford to set up a new publicly-funded program to support private schools.
Susan Syler via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Patrick makes me ill with his self-righteous propaganda - he has little concern for the school children of Texas. They can best be served by strengthening all public schools and that requires restoring full funding.
Loren White via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The attack on public education continues.
Andrew Brown via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Yeah but think of all the money we'll save by having kids learn from Creation Science Institute DVDs rather than actual science teachers, like they do under the voucher plan in Louisiana. /sarcasm
Samdavis
Good idea Andrew, just let them read the first chapter of Genesis and cut back on biology. Patrick is just dying to get those state funds flowing to the Second Baptist School for Creation Studies and Medieval Instruction. Onward to the 14th Century!
Stuart Greenfield
Unfortunately, the good Senator's data was off by a considerable amount, While Texas public schools did spend $54.6 bil in SY09-10, $13 bil (25%) was for debt service. In fact, charter school operating costs/student were higher, $8,952 v. $8,797 for public schools. The state savings envisioned by the Lt. Gov and Senator overstate the savings, since reducing enrollment in public schools does not reduce local revenue to the district, since revenue is based on property value and the tax rate, not enrollment. The state would save $'s since it's obligation to ISDs are based on enrollment.The Senator asserted that the state would save $3 bil/year were 300,000 students egress. The State would save about $1.3 bil/year since local districts could continue to collect the save revenue.
John Longoria via Texas Tribune on Facebook
These two guys are out of touch.
Carolyn Mata via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I think thy are way off base
jpt51
Bishop Vasquez,
I don't appreciate my church being used as a prop to help advance Dan Patrick's political career at the expense of public schools.
Lyra Mitchell
Will the state protect kids from unqualified private school teachers? Will accountability tests follow taxpayer's money?? Will we see a requirement to take a proportional amount of special education children, or is this difficult job only meant for public education? This will create the haves and the have-nots. De facto segregation. It's appallling!
Just wrong! Imagine corporate America taking control away from our local communities. Just look at the bloated foreign leach of Pearson draining away money from our American students. Support public education.
Michael Hull
All good points--this is a travesty. Hopefully, this stuff won't get past the senate.