The fight over K-12 funding promises to dominate the upcoming legislative session. The Dallas Morning News outlines the nature of the clash and the dominant players in it:
The brewing fight between conservative legislators and education groups over
efforts to send tax dollars to private schools offers a sharp contrast in the
debate over how best to fund Texas’ public schools.
Republican leaders are seeking vouchers and tuition tax credits to give
private school scholarships, alternatives to an education system that they say
has faltered despite big spending.
But teacher organizations and most Democrats fear that the proposals would
hurt public education, which they say already has suffered from cuts the GOP-led
Legislature made last year.
Their battle is shaping up as one of the biggest clashes of the next
legislative session, which begins next month with the state’s finances topping
the agenda. Republicans again control both the House and Senate.
The outcome over school funding could determine whether Texas becomes the
largest state so far to experiment with vouchers, potentially resulting in
sweeping changes in where students attend school and how they learn.
The story mentions the following people and institutions:
- Dan Patrick, Chair of the Senate Education Committee.
- Rita Haecker, President of the Texas State Teachers Association.
- The Coalition for Public Schools.
It also points out that the proposal - which supporters have opted to not label "school vouchers" - has the support of tea party members, Catholic schools, Gov. Rick Perry and
Lt. Gov David Dewhurst.
Get some popcorn and settle in - this'll be fun.
