By State Rep. Jason Isaac
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas As my wife & I sent our two boys back to school in Dripping Springs thoughts of their future were in the forefront of my mind. As a father I want to provide them with
the best education possible in order to prepare them for success. As a State Representative I have the added responsibility of working to ensure educators have the tools they need
to effectively teach children across the state.
Happy beginning of the school year to all of the faculty parents & students who headed back to the classroom this week!
Education funding continues to be the largest single appropriation item in the state budget. According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation over the past decade spending on public education has risen more than three times as fast as enrollment. Yet only about half of total public education money is spent on
classroom instruction expenses.
Despite significant funding increases student achievement has remained relatively stagnant.
These facts lead me to believe that the important issue is not how much money were spending but rather how were spending it. Administrative costs have skyrocketed while teachers salaries have only seen minimal increases.
Teachers are one of the most important factors in a childs education and I will continue to advocate for more spending in the classroom including teacher pay. Taxpayers expect to see a return on their investment in education and its time to seriously evaluate how effectively our dollars are being spent.
With looming Medicaid costs threatening our education budget next session there is no time to waste in finding immediate solutions. Texas has little flexibility to set eligibility or service levels for Medicaid programs and the Health and Human Services Commission estimates that costs will be an additional $4.7
billion over what the state currently has budgeted.
With the fiscal constraints we will face focusing on ways to alleviate school districts from burdensome mandates will be one of my top priorities.
Incessant standardized testing is one of the biggest offenders. These tests are expensive for districts to administer and take away valuable time in the classroom.
I have been an outspoken advocate for reducing the frequency and duration of these tests and will continue to do so. By identifying and eliminating requirements that are contributing to rising administrative costs districts will have more money to spend in the classroom.
Education is important to all of us because the future of our country is largely dependent on how well we
are preparing the next generation.
When I pick my children up from their last day of school next spring I hope I do so with the confidence that we are continuing to make education a priority in Texas.
Representative Jason Isaac serves House District 45 covering parts of Hays Blanco & Caldwell counties south & west of of Austin Texas. Isaac and his wife Carrie have two boys who attend Dripping Springs public schools. Visit www.ISAACforTexas.com for more information.
