By Linda Bridges Texas AFT president
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas -- Statement from Linda Bridges: The Texas House and Senate budget bills announced today would continue deep cuts in public education for another two yearsin spite of the availability of resurgent state revenue that makes it possible to undo those damaging cuts. While the authors stress that they cover enrollment growth" in public education in these budget plans the truth is that funding per pupil would stay at the same reduced level established two years ago. Thus their plans would continue the cuts of more than $500 per pupil enacted in 2011.
The best that can be said for todays initial spending plans is that they are just the starting point not the ending point for writing the 2014-2015 budget. Texas can do better. The money is there. Whats needed is the will to make the needed investment in our schoolchildren and our states future."
Texas AFT represents more than 65000 teachers paraprofessionals support personnel and higher-education employees across the state. Texas AFT is affiliated with the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers.
