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Henry Ford once said, "Failure is only the opportunity to
more intelligently begin again." Public school finance has
been the focus of two legislative sessions and three special sessions.
I believe in the past, we in the Legislature have been too broad
in our efforts, trying to do too much. I believe our efforts to
"intelligently begin again" will benefit us by focusing
our efforts on a few key issues. But we do them well!
Here are some statistics that should shock and displease you:
1. One-third of students who entered ninth grade in the Texas public
schools do not graduate.
2. Of those who go to college, nearly 30 percent require remedial
coursework.
3. Texas' SAT scores rank 47th in the nation.
These are unacceptable and we must begin to reverse this trend.
The Supreme Court of Texas mandated that the legislature must devise
a new school funding system in lieu of our current system which
has become overly-dependent upon local property tax. A special session
has been called by Gov. Perry to do just that. This is a mandate
and I believe a drop dead deadline we must adhere to.
But along with this most pressing issue, I believe we should make
changes in a few other ways in order to dramatically change the
classroom today. Texas has an accomplished record of educational
reform in the elementary grades, as our elementary students outperform
most other states in the nation, and have demonstrated unprecedented
improvements and academic gains.
Unfortunately, that success has not been carried over as our students
enter the secondary level. While the majority of our elementary
schools continuously make the grade, our high schools are in desperate
need of change and innovation. Of the 900 Texas campuses that failed
to meet the federal standard of adequate yearly progress, only nine
percent of them were elementary schools -- which of course shows
91 percent of the high schools failed. Texas' high schools must
be the focus of our educational reforms to ensure that we do not
fall behind any further.
Texas high schools are failing to graduate two out of five students.
Education is not "one size fits all." The manner in which
we operate our high schools today does not work for all students.
And, we must change that. Since 1986 Texas has lost as many high
school students as the populations of Dallas and Austin combined--2
million young people, according to the Intercultural Development
Research Association. And many students who do graduate receive
inadequate preparation for post-secondary studies. Thus 30 percent
receive remedial courses in college.
Perhaps it is also that lack of preparation that explains why such
a low percentage of Texas students attend institutions of higher
learning, compared with other states in the nation. We no longer
live in a world where a high school education is enough. The modern
world and the future of Texas requires that students graduate high
school with the tools necessary to succeed in, not just enter, college
or technical careers.
Focusing our effort in the special session on high school will prove
invaluable in the future. But more importantly, we should focus
on teachers. In my opinion, teachers are the key and the single
greatest factor to improving the quality of education in Texas.
They are our direct link to students. A study at Berkley showed
that having more high quality teachers increases students’
test scores in all subjects, with the overall test scores increasing
by 3 to 6 percentage points. We must begin in our colleges of education
and ensure that the preparation our new teachers receive is of the
highest quality, so that they walk into the classroom properly prepared.
We must also ensure that teachers receive the proper amount of support
in the classroom, especially in their first three years on the job
through a qualified and experienced mentor. While support for new
teachers is essential, so is a competitive salary in recruiting
and retaining the best and brightest. We must first offer a wage
that entices more talented individuals into the profession. And
those who do an exceptional job with our students should be compensated
in a manner that keeps them in the classroom. Not only is it important
how much a teacher is paid, but how he or she is paid as well.
A motivated teacher overcomes obstacles. Our teachers must feel
that they can make a difference and know that their efforts will
be recognized. The overall climate and structure for teacher compensation
system in Texas needs to change so that excellence can be rewarded.
Simply using seniority pay is no longer acceptable. Performance-based
pay must be available for the 21st Century. Diversity of pay--rewarding
teachers for growth of student achievement must be a part of teacher
compensation.
Finally, we should look at school efficiency. I firmly believe that
the problems in our public schools cannot be solved simply with
new funding formulas and different tax configurations. Before we
add any new money to the system, we must ensure that dollars are
spent wisely in a manner that will benefit students most. We must
always be mindful of our goal in education…Our goal is to improve
student performance. We want students to graduate who are prepared
for the rigors of the workplace and prepared to succeed in college
and beyond.
We must accept the fact that there are no blank checks, so our educational
dollars must be spent in ways that result in the greatest student
improvement. I believe that with a narrow focus this special session,
we can hone in on these most important aspects of educational excellence
initiatives and seize the opportunity to "more intelligently
begin again," as Henry Ford said; but with thorough preparation,
hard work and lessons learned. I look forward to this new challenge
and the opportunities it brings. Thank you!
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