Education

In my view, nothing is more important to our future than an educated populace.  Our children will be the trained workers for tomorrow. 

During the 2003 legislative session legislators cut 2.3 billion from the state’s K-12 education budget.

The state is currently covering only 38% percent of the cost of K-12 education funding, a historic low. (‘Education Chief says Financing System Works’, Jason Embry, Austin American Statesman, Wednesday, September 08, 2004)

340 school districts are suing the state of Texas for failing to properly fund education. (‘Education Chief says Financing System Works’)

State funding levels for education, proposed by the Texas House, are tied to a study that measured an "adequate" education as 55 percent of students passing math and reading tests; the funding levels also accept a 25 percent dropout rate, and a 75 percent failure rate on high school science tests. http://www.schoolfunding.info/states/tx/march4 cost study.pdf

Texas is 30^th in $/student (’97-‘02, even before the ’03 cuts) http://tft.org/legis/archive2.cfm?hotid=589

Texas is 30^th in $/teacher (Texas pays its teachers $6,000 below the national average) http://tft.org/legis/archive2.cfm?hotid=597

Texas has 54,000 improperly certified teachers

Texas is 50^th in the percent of high school graduates   http://tft.org/legis/archive2.cfm?hotid=589

Current school funding formulas leave poor districts with an average of $1,700 less per student than rich districts http://tft.org/legis/archive2.cfm?hotid=630

Legislators deregulated college tuition last session.  Many college tuitions have jumped by over 30% since deregulation  http://www.tft.org/legis/archive2.cfm?hotid=615

Tuition was raised at Texas Tech by 65% in just one year http://www.universitydaily.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/03/01/4042a011f2253?in_archive=1    http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/opportunity/documents/Process for Designated Tuition Increase Spring 2004.pdf 

UT proposed hikes for Spring and Fall amounting to a 32% increase on a 12-hour load http://www.utwatch.org/oldnews/aastuitiondewhurst_11_16_03.html, http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2004/08/11/TopStories/University  Delegates.Defend.Increasing.Tuition.Rates-702123.shtml

According to a recent article in the Daily Texan, “The cost of education everywhere in the past 10 or 15 years has increased faster than the amount of grants or funds available," said Don Davis, associate director of the UT Office of Student Financial Services. “Families are just squeezed.” http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2004/06/15/TopStories/Students.Borrow.More.As.Education.Costs.Increase-687695.shtml

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