Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott’s Education Ideologies Are Wild, Here is Your Texas Ed Update
Hello SAISD Parents and San Antonio Community Members,
I hope everyone had a good first day back to school. Parents, this school year will be different than others due to the budget cuts and lack of funding from our state. On August 9th, SAISD cut 30 certified librarians because our school official said there were “no more allocations for librarians and that their positions were being cut”. The district has also cut 28 family engagement specialists at other campuses. The idea that these positions have been cut right before school starts is unfair to anyone, especially our students and families needing these services. Now that leaves SAISD with about 30 certified librarians, who will be working as paraprofessionals or library assistants to help their schools.
As you all know, Texas HB 900 is about all the books banned from our school libraries, and now some publishers have filed a lawsuit against Texas. On top of that mess, we’re still looking at returning for a special session over school funding and vouchers, which means that our Governor Gregg Abbott is still adamant about passing school vouchers. According to a report that was released by a 15-member committee which was made by both Republican and Democrat lawmakers it seems that not all support school vouchers. If these lawmakers had to approve this program, it would be done at a smaller scale than the original one that was proposed this past legislation. In the report, they mention that taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be used to pay for these school vouchers. So where would these funds would come from? That is still a mystery. The House of Representatives doesn’t want anything to do with these school vouchers; instead, they want to raise the basic allotment per student so that would provide more services for all their students in public schools. The committee has also recommended expanding the “Teacher Incentive Allotment,” a program that promises a six-figure salary if they meet specific performance requirements. The report also recommends that more districts establish a “Teacher Residency Program”, which would pair new teachers with others teachers with more experience for one school year. The outcome of this program would be helpful because some new teachers can become overwhelmed in their first year of teaching. The report then stated that some teachers taught last year without certification, so they recommended that the state waive the cost for those who want to become a bilingual teachers, special education teachers, and first-time teacher applicants. They even asked to eliminate the charge the school district has to pay to hire retired teachers.
Still, the reality is that if the House and Senate cannot agree on school vouchers, our Governor Gregg Abbott will keep pushing forward until he gets what he wants, which is public funds paying for private education. Our Governor, Gregg Abbott, has forgotten that bullying is against the law, and yet that is what he’s doing by holding back funds that our public schools desperately need at this time. Parents, we need to let our Governor know that he needs to consider some of these recommendations before it’s too late and our students fall further behind and we end up losing more teachers, librarians, and other staff. After all, his job is to protect and serve all Texans and not just fund his ideology. Let’s remind him that he is the Governor of Texas and not the Dictator or God of Texas.
Lastly, remember that our children need us to be involved with their education, so please reach out to their teachers if any of your children need help. If you have any questions or concerns please email me at lena.lopez@saobserver.com.
Have a Blessed Week,
Lena Lopez
