By J. Lyn Carl, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
"If George W. Bush were still governor of Texas, he would veto HB 2," said Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
The committee substitute for HB 2 that will come to the House floor for debate today "fails our children and fails our communities," said Coleman and other Democratic House members who held a press conference to highlight their reasons for fighting to defeat Rep. Kent Grusendorf's (R-Arlington) bill.
"I understand education," said long-time public school educator and administrator, college professor and former State Board of Education member Rep. Alma Allen (D-Houston). After 39 years in education, Allen said she likes to think "that I know what it takes to educate a child and what it takes to make a good school."
Allen said a successful public school reform bill would place priorities on programs that focus efforts to attract and retain quality teachers; provide individualized instruction for students who need it; provide safe schools with small class sizes; encourage parental involvement; provide up-to-date textbooks; and increase the use of technology in the classroom.
Coleman said HB 2 "undercuts" the accountability programs from 1995 and takes money out of those programs. If the state is going to hold teachers accountable, members of the Legislature need to be held accountable, said Coleman. "They have failed that accountability test with HB 2."
Allen cited a number of programs whose funding was cut in 2003 during the 78th Legislature, including After School Programs, High School Basic Skills Programs, Parental Involvement programs, the Master Reading program, the Master Teacher program, reading programs, and technology funding. She said those cuts "went straight to the heart" of programs designed for at-risk children, and HB 2 "does nothing to restore these programs."
Some 56 percent of Texas schoolchildren are minorities, said Allen. She said HB 2 fails all those children, particularly those from low-income households and children of color. "We must include all of our children in whatever bill comes out of the House," she said, "so we truly do not leave any kids behind."
Rep. Jesse Jones (D-Dallas), a college level teacher, said he recognizes the value of a good, basic high school educational experience. "Without that, the college doors are closed," he said. A seamless education model, said Jones, is one of the most efficient and is also the predictor of success. He said from pre-kindergarten to professional school, there should not be any gaps in education.
Jones said some students in Texas public schools are "not on track" to go to college and will "run into a dead end at some point," adding, "we have programmed those children to fail."
Rep. Mark Veasey (D-Fort Worth) said HB 2 fails to provide funds for a real teacher pay raise even though there is a shortage of qualified teachers on campuses with the greatest needs. "We support raising teacher pay raises to the national average to attract the best and brightest to our classrooms," he said, also noting the need to restore health care benefits for teachers and ancillary school employees.
HB 2 actually removes all the stipend for school cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodial workers, said Coleman. What funding was left in the appropriations bill for their health insurance last session is now "completely gone," said the Houston Democrat, who called that action "a travesty."
Coleman also raised questions regarding "SWAT teams" in HB 2 to address low performing schools. While in theory the Democrats support such teams, Coleman called it a "slippery slope to full privatization" of public schools.
He said three schools in the Houston ISD are in danger of being contracted out to private entities. The Caucus member said HB 2 provides that 5 percent of Texas schools be privatized because they are low performing.
"We also have an argument with the term 'low performing,'" he said, noting that if schools are indeed "low performing," then they should become the state's "high priority" schools and "go to the top of the list of what we need to do with our schools instead of being at the bottom of the list." He said HB 2 "doesn't solve the problems of our children and our communities."