MT. PLEASANT- Thomas Ratliff Republican Candidate for the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has expressed concern about the latest proposal being considered by the SBOE for investment of the Permanent School Fund. Members of the SBOE are discussing using the Permanent School Fund to invest in facilities for charter schools. Said Ratliff I understand and am sympathetic with the charter schools need for facilities funding but am deeply concerned about this notion that the Permanent School Fund can become a mortgage company. We need to ask a lot more questions before we jump headlong into this.
More importantly with the recent display of poor judgment by hiring of the least qualified investment company to manage the $20 billion Permanent School Fund I dont have a lot of confidence that the State Board of Education could craft a plan that would protect the integrity of the Permanent School Fund while maximizing the returns for the purchase of textbooks statewide said Ratliff.
To be clear I support our public schools charter schools private schools and home schools. Each serves a key part of educating children in Texas. There is not a
one-size fits all approach to educating kids. After speaking with educators and taxpayers around the district I think this is an issue better left to the Texas Legislature to address rather than the SBOE.
Mr. Ratliff concluded I think the State Board of Education needs to focus on the key issues facing our school children instead of finding new ways to increase their power and control over our local neighborhood schools from Austin.
