By Jennifer Bendery, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
Gov. Rick Perry today joined several House members for day three of the "Roadmap to Results" campaign, an effort spearheaded by House Public Education Committee chair Rep. Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington) to keep the public informed on the array of education reforms contained in HB 2.
This week's "road tour" comes on the heels of criticism from some legislators that the bill fails to provide new money for schools. Grusendorf responded to that criticism by repeating throughout the press conference, "The bottom line is that it's not only about the money, it's how the money is spent."
Today's event highlighted the transparency measures in HB 2, which requires individual schools to clearly identify the portion of education dollars being spent on classroom instruction. "We believe full and open disclosure will build greater trust between the public and school leaders," said Grusendorf. "The more they know, the more responsive they will be."
Full disclosure also will be a strong incentive for districts to become more efficient, he said. HB 2 will ensure that the public has access to "clear terminology, not bureaucratic terminology" outlining school and district spending patterns, said Grusendorf.
Perry, who Grusendorf referred to as "the foremost champion of greater accountability," called on lawmakers to leave party politics behind and work together to adopt legislation that will make "the state's good education system better." The governor said that "those bemoaning partisanship in Austin have a chance to do something about it."
The education chair has "begun a productive, positive process," said Perry, who referred to HB 2 as "a good starting point." Schools won't have maximum efficiency until taxpayers have easy access to a breakdown of school spending, he said. The governor emphasized that if school dollars are spent on lobbying, people should be able to find out how much is spent and on whom.
"The ultimate form of accountability is an informed citizen," said Rep. Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands). He applauded HB 2 for requiring "clear, detailed information on how schools spend, from the administrative level to the campus level." A former school board member, Eissler said the "only way" to achieve greater classroom results is to have greater accountability with spending.
Rep. Suzanna Hupp (R-Lampasas) said she has a "vested interest" in transparency of school spending because she has two children in public schools. She said she wants to ensure schools are making the wisest use of taxpayers' "hard-earned money. How can anyone be against this?"
Hupp noted a disconnect in the education system because 89 percent of school districts receive the highest financial accountability rating but only one-third of Texas graduates are prepared for college. "If so many districts are spending the money so well, then we should have greater results in the classroom," she said. Hupp added that how money is spent "is the critical component," more so than how much money a school has.
Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale (R-Cypress) called attention to problems with failing schools. He said to think of HB 2 as "a huge investment for children" and a failing school as "a block to that investment." Failing schools will not be tolerated, said Van Arsdale, and legislators are prepared to "shut them down and reopen them with new leadership."
When asked if $3 billion in new funds is sufficient for reforming the state's education system, Perry replied that he attended today's event "to support the process" and that "trying to get me tied down to the specificity of the bill" before it has been debated on the House floor "is a little premature."
The governor also responded to questions about the possibility of a payroll tax, which he has said in the past would discourage businesses from coming to Texas. "Anything that stops the development of job creation in Texas is a bad idea," he said.
When asked if there is a disconnect between HB 2 and findings from a recent poll showing the majority of Texans support a pay raise for teachers, Perry replied, "We have elections. We don't rely on a polling service to tell us what to do." Grusendorf said his goal is to allocate resources in the most effective manner for school children. "In my opinion," he said, teacher pay raises are handled "best at the local level."
Grusendorf also defended provisions of the bill when asked if property-rich regions like Highland Park would receive more money than less wealthy areas. "We're working through the formulas," he said.