Texas would be running in a deficit for the next biennial if it were not for some difficult decisions and budget cuts made this past legislative session. Funding for education was one of the hardest hit areas, and with the closing of local schools it is a constant reminder of the reality of the cut. With the school year coming around quickly, the children are about to pay for the decisions made. Although education funding was increased by 1.2% from the 2008-2010 budget cycle, it falls short of what is necessary. The only other area of funding that had a smaller increase was business and economic development. Offset by steady growth due to a tax friendly environment in Texas, this area is less dependent on the funds it receives. Education in Texas however is still floundering. One of the most effective ways to ease the burden is to do something that is taboo in Texas politics, increase taxes. In 2006, the school finance reforms were passed and effectively lowered local tax rates. However, the money was still needed, so the state picked up the tab from other revenue sources. This strategy worked fine when the economy was growing, but with the economic downturn in 2008 this strategy began to show signs of weakness. Now, something needs to change if public education in Texas is ever going to get a passing grade.
One solution is to raise taxes, which is highly unlikely and a deadly move in Texas politics. Another way is to eliminate the archaic system of union representation. The education system is controlled mainly by unions, which effectively give teachers job security regardless of their performance. If a school is failing, it is closed or reformed, but if a teacher is failing they have job security so they stay until they are ready to leave. Talk about a flawed system. Education needs to be a meritocracy not an oligarchy of union supporters. If teachers had to be successful in order to have job security, it would be a much more effective system than just having to work for 10 years to receive tenure. It would also ensure that those people who want to be teachers are doing it for the right reasons and are dedicated to working hard and seeing results. Isn’t that the lesson schools should be teaching children; that hard work pays off? It is time that education becomes a privatized industry, one that must remain competitive to stay alive. After all isn’t that one of the main reasons Texas sailed through the recession; competing successfully to attract businesses and being innovative. It’s time Texas schools looked more like the state itself; competitive, strong, and successful. It’s time we invested in the future, in the children that make up the future, and rid the system of its outdated and crippling ways.
I enjoyed your article about the problems within the Texas education system but there are a few points I disagree with. While no one can deny the difficulty that raising taxes would be, its what Texas needs to do plain and simple. Sometimes the right choice isn't always the easiest. We cannot cut education and not raise taxes, the population is growing and more money will be required to sustain it. Theres no getting around it and eventually legislators will have to give in. I also agree that unions do need to be reformed but as a future teacher I know how necessary they can be. The part about tenure is a serious issue that needs to be looked at, there is no doubting that. I believe that your forgetting that schools sometimes fire teachers for inappropriate reasons and they need someone to protect them. It is extremely difficult to maintain a teaching position in this current economy, especially in the first few years of employment. That is why institutions like tenure exist. Without unions a school can fire a teacher for reasons like having to give them a raise or because they just plain dont like them.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but privatizing education has to be the most horrible idea ive ever heard of. The schools would end up just like the state: corrupted, bias, and weak. If we hand over education to the private sector it gives them the ability to change whatever they dislike in the curriculum and fire people for whatever reason they please. It also allows them to cut corners and have no regulations which is the real reason Texas business is so strong.
There are many things to fix in the education system but making them more like the private sector would be the worst choice Texas could make for future students.