Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to cut property taxes will starve public schools while he sends state money to private schools.

Texas already ranks 47th in the nation in public school funding and pays teachers $10,000 less a year than the national average. No surprise then that Texas students trail the nation in reading and math scores, according to the Nation’s Report Card, a nonprofit that analyzes testing data.

The Legislature increased public school funding by $8 billion for the next two years, but it was the first increase in state funding since 2019 and doesn’t keep up with inflation. Lawmakers then promised to spend $1 billion in state tax revenue to send 100,000 kids to private schools.

Tying the hands of school boards will guarantee they will have to close more schools and cut more teachers, explained Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association.

“Abbott does not really care about public education; his focus now is on private schools, charter schools, and giving them all the tax dollars,” he told me. “More teachers are going to quit.”

  • etherphon@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Yeah, I mean I really don’t know what’s going on in the south with schools, they are all pretty near the bottom. There has to be some explanation and I kinda refuse to believe it’s a public school problem. As with everything, there’s probably far too many middle-management administrators and things like that which could be eliminated.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      What’s wrong with those voters? No matter how conservative you may be, How do you see your state among the worst education systems and decide they need less money?

      • etherphon@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        I believe they are convinced the education system is already over funded, and we are not getting our money’s worth. The problem is, that money is not making it’s way to the student’s education, it seems, and no one wants to give up the grift.

      • etherphon@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        It’s really a goddamn shame what’s still going on there and many many large cities across the US. Every child should have a quality education available to them in this country of obscene wealth.

    • devedeset@lemmy.zip
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      1 day ago

      Its often some combination of racism, corruption, and hating poor people yet relying on them for all sorts of things.

      • etherphon@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        So what’s the deal they’re not satisfied with the skim and they want more? FFS. Though I suppose this has more to do with teaching a bunch of religious bs in the classroom.