Urban v Rural Interests in the Texas Legislature

In 2306 we discussed some of the material in Texas Monthly's look at cities in Texas and discussed the ongoing conflict between the rural and urban areas in the state, including the emerging influence of urban areas and the efforts rural representatives use to retain as much power as they do.

I need to bulk up the material I have about this conflict, and where the conflict has flared up over time. In that spirit, here's a chunk of text from First Reading that highlights differences between urban and rural representatives on the subject of arming teachers. This helps highlight cultural differences between those in cities and those in the country. It also helps us understand the utility of local options in policy formation, which is a central feature of the Texas Constitution.

A rural/urban split on the wisdom of arming school officials was evident Monday at the first hearing on school safety since the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school in December that has brought the issue of gun violence to the fore of the national debate.

“Rural school officials insisted Monday that their classrooms will be safer if teachers are allowed to carry guns,” reports The Statesman’s Mike Ward , “but urban districts and top law enforcement officials warned the practice could put those educators at `high risk’ of being mistakenly shot by responding officers in the event of a campus shooting.”

“Lawmakers are exploring a variety of options to prevent such a tragedy in Texas: State-paid training for teachers who are authorized to carry guns in classrooms, special voter-approved taxing authority for districts to pay for beefed-up security measures, even changes in state law to allow concealed-handgun licensees to carry firearms in college and university buildings.”

“If there was a common thread in testimony Monday, it was to let local school boards and parents decide the issue of arming teachers.”

“Representatives from teacher and parent groups cautioned against making one policy fit all school districts in the state. Several said while they do not support the across-the-board arming of teachers to protect students, they think those decisions are best made by local school boards, educators and parents.”
Said Barbara Beto, legislative action chair for the Texas PTA, a statewide parent-teacher lobby group,: “No parent wants their child in on an experiment with deadly weapons.”

From the Texas Tribune: In a More Urban Texas, Farmers Face Uncertain Future

I posted new material for GOVT 2306 - Texas and Local Government - which touches on Texas' ongoing transition from a rural to an urban state. This story suggests that the change marks a crisis for agrarian interests in the state.

The drought continues to wreck havoc on farmers, and the increased clout of cities raise questions about whether water intensive crops will be able to draw the water necessary to survive. Will cities get it instead?