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Reforms needed to improve our education
system
by Speaker of the House Tom
Craddick
Texas has made important progress over the past decade under the leadership of Governors Bush and Perry. The Legislature put into place new reforms, raised academic standards, and held public schools accountable for students� performance. While we should be proud of these strides, Texas now faces a set of new challenges in better preparing our children for the economy of the future.
In a state that contains so much academic potential among students and teachers, how is it that we continue to have chronically failing schools in our system? Consistently low-performing schools must improve or be turned over to new management.
The spiraling cost of education has gotten out of hand. Between 1997 and 2004, school operating expenses increased 57 percent, while student enrollment increased just 13 percent. District administrative costs have risen nearly three times faster than student enrollment over the last eight years, and superintendents� salaries have increased 77 percent in the last five years.
These statistics prove that greater accountability, more transparency and more local control of school district funding are necessary. Taxpayers spend three times as much on education as they did 30 years ago, and performance has remained average on many critical indicators, especially those related to high achievement and college readiness. We must force schools that are falling behind to adopt best practices of our most successful schools. Top heavy administrations divert money away from classrooms and leave our teachers without the necessary resources to help our students achieve.
A key reform that would cut administrative waste would require 65 percent of schools� operating budgets to go straight to the classroom. This reform would free up more than $1.6 billion for classroom use without a tax increase.
Requiring school board elections to be held in November, with other local and state elections, would ensure higher turnout and more responsiveness to the public. Taxpayers should also have the opportunity to approve any proposed school district tax increases.
We need to hold schools accountable for college readiness. End-of-course exams for high school students should be exchange for the current TAKS test to more accurately measure and improve the quality of high school courses. College readiness exams should also be mandatory and college entrance exams made optional to better prepare our children for college and to identify students who should be college bound.
We must reward our best teachers. Texas teachers need a fair pay raise and the chance to earn even more for classroom achievement, especially in schools with economically disadvantaged populations and large numbers of English as a Second Language (ESL) students. School districts should design these incentive plans in consultation with teachers, including local indicators of student achievement, as well as improvement on state tests.
As the school finance debate continues, polls show a majority of Texans support these reforms. Recent events in the Legislature have left many frustrated, yet substantial progress was made by introducing these important new ideas into the discussion. These reforms are gaining more support among the public and consensus is growing. We must continue to look ahead at how we can best provide the tools needed for our students to
succeed.
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