An editorial in today’s Chron. (a must read) Boy, just when I thought it was slim pickin’s in the newsworthy category. This is where you “need to know” stuff. This truly is important. Like:
Voucher advocate Dr. James Leininger of San Antonio has contributed millions of dollars to the campaigns of many state officials, including Gov. Rick Perry, in order to win their support. He also bankrolled candidates to mount primary challenges to Republican legislators who refused to back vouchers. Despite Leininger’s lobbying, the Legislature refuses to create a voucher pilot program. Now it appears that Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott is trying to slip the program through the backdoor.
I was a bit leery of posting about TEA opening the “Texas High School Project.” I’ve been researching this, and have not found many who know much about it. So, if you do, please clue me in. I’m worried this is something that looks good on paper, but, once again, does does not bode well in real life application. With Perry behind this, it can’t be good. IMHO! What I don’t understand, is why this money, this initiative, can’t be put into the schools. Instead of more unfunded mandates (only those working in education know what a headache those are,) adding the 4×4, keeping schools at 20 year fixed levels of funding, etc., we should be concentrating on improving what we have. There are so many with opinions about how the schools are managing their money, but I still think, if it were done right…
More on the article:
Commissioner Scott pointed out that the money to fund the dropout program would not come from regular public school funding. State Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, rejected that rationale, correctly explaining that the grant dollars are coming from state general revenue.
She also detailed how voucher supporters could manipulate the dropout program by simply taking their children out of public school, having them classified as dropouts and then enrolling them at a private school that had applied for state funding.
How true this is. This is why vouchers are baaad for our schools.When all of the districts across the state are closing schools, cutting programs, etc., etc., then why can’t they see the problem(s)? And by they, I mean the general public, tax payers, parents, and especially our elected officials. I was told by someone recently, I’ve been trying to figure out the logic behind all this, that our elected officials, those who have voted down public education, they want to keep our population…well, stupid. Keeps wages low. How’s that for someone’s opinion? It’s starting to make sense to me.
