By J. Lyn Carl, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
As lawmakers continue to struggle with trying to piece together a public school reform bill that will pass muster in both the House and Senate, two members of the Senate today struck out on their own path to resolving the problem and ending, at least short-term, some of the frustration.
Sens. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) and Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) today said they would file legislation aimed at solving the major problems in school funding that almost all can agree on - even Gov. Rick Perry.
Their bill would fund what they call a "significant" teacher pay raise while also providing for textbooks for Texas schools. The $1.8 billion proposal - called "bipartisan" by the Democrat and Republican senators authoring the bill - will provide $295 million in funding for new textbooks for Texas public schools, and $1.5 billion for school employees, including $1 billion for teacher pay raises. Funding will provide for an approximate $1,000 per teacher raise in the first year of the biennium, and an additional $1,000 per teacher in the second year, while restoring the stipend for health insurance that was cut in 2003.
Perry said at a press conference Monday, "If you can get a half-loaf versus a full loaf, you generally take a slice or two if you can get that," when asked if he would accept a proposal that addresses only teacher pay raises and textbook purchases.
While Eltife and Ellis label their bill "bipartisan," it has not garnered the support of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. The lieutenant governor said today that the bill "does little to improve public education in Texas."
Dewhurst said that while he supports both teacher pay increases and new textbooks for Texas schoolchildren, "I strongly believe that any legislation that is passed must reform and improve the quality of our public schools, give teachers a much deserved pay raise, fund textbooks and end the lawsuit."
The lawsuit referenced by Dewhurst led to a state district judge declaring the state's public school finance system unconstitutional. That ruling has been appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, with a ruling expected sometime in the fall.
Ellis said it is apparent after the House shot down its own public school reform bill and the Senate apparently did not have enough votes to bring its bill to the floor, that no agreement will be reached "until we adjust our parameters of what we hope to accomplish."
"While we cannot reach an agreement on several key issues, I do believe there is consensus that we must fund textbooks and provide our teachers with a much deserved pay raise," added Eltife.
"The things we all agree on are being held hostage by the issues on which we cannot yet find consensus," said Ellis, noting his and Eltife's bill will allow the legislature to "move forward" on issues where there is agreement and "stop the bleeding" on school finance. "It is time to get on down the road before we do something that could harm our kids' schools."
Ellis pointed to statistics that show the state's share of public school funding has dropped over the years while the state ranks low in per pupil state aid; the lowest in high school graduation rates and low in average teacher salaries.
"We must continue our efforts to find a way to provide much needed property tax relief and greater accountability in school budgets, but we should not leave this special session without providing critical funding for textbooks and teacher pay raises," Eltife said. "I am hopeful this bill will be receive support from both the House and Senate."
"If our bill passes, every member can leave Austin knowing they have taken a significant step toward improving their local schools," Ellis said. "Let's not get bogged down on the issues we disagree; let's move forward on those things on which we agree."