Lt. Gov. Dewhurst Sen. Patrick Announce Major Education Initiatives

Reform is never finished and success is never final said Patrick.

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst along with Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick (R-Houston) earlier today held a press conference announcing a major education reform initiative for Texas including changes they plan to make during the 83rd Legislative Session.

Dewhurst and Patrick laid out their goals for education that included changes to the accountability system expansion of charter schools more choices for parents and teachers and creating additional pathways toward graduation with an emphasis on career as well as college.

Our children deserve the best education possible and we need to make it easy for parents to determine the destiny for their childs education said Dewhurst.

I have met with countless superintendents and teachers and heard the concerns voiced about the new STAAR testing system. I believe that we need to relieve students and teachers from over testing said Patrick.

However we will not allow for the rigor of our academic institutions to suffer Patrick said.

Education is vitally important to the fabric of our culture here in Texas said Lt. Governor Dewhurst.  This Session the Senate will work on a number of education reforms including:

1. Strengthening Accountability
2. Increasing the number of Charter Schools and
3. Implementing School Choice said Dewhurst.

Senator Patrick has supported the effort to eliminate the 15 and cumulative scoring requirements on current high school students. My accountability legislation will create more pathways for students by giving them additional flexibility while ensuring our students graduate fully prepared for higher education or the workforce said Patrick. My legislation will also provide new choices for students and families to choose the best school for them whether in district or out of district. It will lift the cap on charters and tighten standards on our charter schools to ensure highly effective schools remain open. It will also create a tax credit scholarship program providing economically disadvantaged students the opportunity to choose a private school or an after-school or pre-k program within public schools.

We currently have school choice in Texas for those wealthy enough to move. Unfortunately most Texans have very limited choices and can be forced to attend a failing school said Patrick.

School choice introduces the incentive to develop new and innovative techniques to help educate our states most precious resource our children Dewhurst said. Reform is never finished and success is never final said Patrick.