Bad News for Texas Teachers

More bad news for Texas teachers
Friday, February 22, 2013
Read the entire article here

A few recent studies paint a mostly dismal picture for teachers in Texas and across the nation.

According to a recent National Education Association study, Texas’ per-pupil spending has fallen to about $8,500 — about $2,000 below the national average. (New York spends $17,746 per student.)

Nearly 5 million children attend public school in Texas — the second highest population in the country — but Texas has the largest instructional staff with 366,204 K-12 public school employees. Of those, 324,243 are teachers, data from the union said. That means there’s one teacher for every 14.7 students in Texas, compared to California’s abysmal ratio of 24:1...

Left Off of the Party Invitation List

"sh nothin'!  Thought I heard Sh'mbody knock."  The Texas Legislature parties with $8 Billion in slush fund, Texas schools get left behind with inadequate funding. 

Central Texas Teachers are Armed - Do You Feel Safer?

How often do you think teachers lose their keys, forget a few grades, get angry at students?  After all the recent national criticism of teachers' competency to do their jobs, now those same criticizers want to arm them?  What will be next?

Schools Suffer - Corporations Win Big in Texas

Standardized tests cost $1.2 billion since 2000

Investigation from KXAN

Tests' price tag $90 million this year

It is testing time for Central Texas students required to pass the state's new standardized test to assess their academic readiness. And a battle over the entire testing system is brewing between the state, educators, parents and students.

State Representatives & Senators Contact Information

State Representatives & Senators; U.S. Representatives & Senators for Fort Bend County, Texas

Texas budget writers anticipate losing court case over school funding

Top Texas budget writers anticipate losing court case over school funding
Austin Bureau
31 January 2013 11:10 PM

AUSTIN — The Legislature’s top budget writers indicated Thursday that they are pessimistic about the state’s chances of winning in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of school districts, though they said they haven’t seen harm to public schools from budget cuts enacted two years ago. Sen. Tommy Williams and Rep. Jim Pitts said that the state should set aside money in the budget — or leave money unspent — in case the Texas Supreme Court rules against the state late this year or next year. The districts’ suit argues that state school aid formulas are unconstitutionally unequal and their funding inadequate. “We’re looking at … an epic battle on this in 2014,” said Williams, R-The Woodlands.

Letter To America

A Teacher's Letter to America by Lisa Myers

Dear America,

It feels strange to hear your voice praising teachers for their selflessness, dedication, and love for their students. We’re listening to what you’re saying, but we must admit that we are listening with tilted head and quizzical eye. Why? Because we’ve become accustomed to hearing a very different voice from you.
For the past few years, you’ve been certain that most of society’s problems stem from our schools, more specifically the teachers in those schools. We are lazy and useless, we are only in it for the money, we only teach for the vacation time, we don’t possess the intelligence to teach anyone much of anything, our demands for a respectable wage are selfish, we don’t teach students respect, we are leaches sucking the blood from State coffers, we don’t even work a full day like everyone else, and the most hurtful one of all – we don’t care about our students. Concerned citizens have even documented these ills in grossly successful movies that take the worst of us and use it to convince the public that teachers are deserving of nothing but disdain.