As the session enters its final week, the robust investments in public education that Texas needs are not materializing. Now is the time when legislators need to hear from constituents who support public schools and are concerned about the many threats to our schools’ future in the current session. Please consider copying and pasting the message below (personalized for your community) and sharing it and/or encouraging those you know to contact legislators before it is too late.
Message to share with your community
This year’s session of the Texas Legislature is nearing its conclusion without a lasting, significant investment in public education. While Texas had high hopes that much of the $33 billion state surplus would be used to provide funding for schools — to address the 14.5% rate of inflation since the last time state leaders invested new dollars in public schools four years ago — state leaders do not seem inclined to prioritize public education in the allocation of funds.
The dollars needed to provide raises for our teachers and other school staff hang in the balance. Not only are the robust investments that schools need to better serve students not materializing, but it also appears that the modest increases proposed in the House and the Senate earlier in the legislative session are stuck in a political tug-of-war. Specifically, meaningful new dollars on education appear to be linked or contingent upon passage of Education Savings Accounts that would use public dollars to pay for private schools.
Key deadlines are fast approaching. If bills don’t pass the House by Tuesday or the Senate by Wednesday to at least make it to a conference committee to negotiate the differences in the proposals, then schools will not receive the funding increase we desperately need. We need parents, community leaders, and others who care about public education to reach out to legislators and other influential voices in the community. The message is simple: Before the legislative session ends on May 29, we need a significant investment in our schools. Legislators need to approve a meaningful increase in the Basic Allotment for public education so that schools can recruit and retain the educators we need.
I’m asking you to put your voice to use. Call our local legislators and deliver this message while encouraging others in our community to do the same. Our local schools should not be held hostage by the very people elected to serve this and other communities.
Action Steps for Educators and Allies
1.Phone Call to State Representative/Senator
Call local legislators at the Texas Capitol and and ask them to invest in our schools by providing a meaningful increase to the Basic Allotment and funding to provide increased pay for teachers and school staff.
You can find your local legislators in the Texas House and Texas Senate here.
Sample script:
I am calling to ask you to please make real investments in public education. With a $33 billion surplus, the state should be putting more dollars into classrooms.
- Public schools face 14.5 percent inflation and are struggling to keep teachers.
- The Basic Allotment is the best way to deliver resources to our schools and hasn’t been increased in 4 years.
- Funding for schools should not be tied to vouchers schemes that divert resources to private schools.
Please invest in public education. Thank you.
2. Email to State Representative/Senator
You can click here to send an email to 6 key elected leaders with influence over education spending. It’s quick and easy and you can send those messages in less than a minute.
Social Media Resources
Post for Facebook, LinkedIn, NextDoor and Message Boards
The Texas Legislature is nearing the end of its session. Without a significant investment of new dollars, Texas will continue to suffer from the impact of stagnant funding and high inflation. Texas ranks 40th in per-student spending and this could get even worse without more dollars for classrooms. Call our local state legislators TODAY and ask them to increase funding for schools.
Captions for Twitter and Instagram
The Legislature could soon adjourn without making a meaningful investment in public education. Please tell our legislators that it’s time to prioritize students by putting more funding into public education. #txlege #txed
- Texas ranks 40th in per-student spending. Putting new dollars in classrooms is the best way to use our state surplus to help kids and teachers. #txlege #txed
- Keep public dollars in public schools! Vouchers create an expensive new entitlement program that won’t help our kids and teachers. #txlege #txed
Social media graphics to share (click image to download):
Another Resource: Important Op-Ed
Additionally, former Speaker of the House Joe Straus wrote an op-ed for the San Antonio Express News that was published online Friday, May 19. Please consider sharing the message in this op-ed with your community and legislators.
In addition to the link available through the image to the right directly to the San Antonio Express-News, the piece is also posted in its entirety without a paywall via the link here: Straus: Funding for Texas schools hangs in the balance
