By GEORGE MASON AND FREDERICK HAYNES
Published: 19 October 2014 08:04 PM
Updated: 19 October 2014 08:06 PM
Eighty-four percent of children in this country
attend public schools. Slightly more than 60 percent (over 3 million of our 5
million Texas public school students) are identified as poor. These children in
our public education system are our neighbors, and we are called to love them
by providing a vibrant and thriving school system. That’s why Dallas-area
pastors are calling on elected officials and leaders in the business, faith,
parent, labor and neighborhood communities to support the public schools of
greater Dallas.
Pastors for Texas Children is a statewide
organization mobilizing the faith community for public education. We are
focused on supporting great public schools for all Texas children. While money
alone does not solve the challenges of public education, they cannot be solved without
it.
According
to the Texas Kids Count Project 2013 report, Texas ranks 43rd in the nation in
per-pupil spending. In 2011, the Texas Legislature cut funding by more than
$500 per child and forced school districts to lay off teachers, increase class
sizes and reduce prekindergarten programs. We witnessed the cost of these cuts
here in Dallas in the closure of 11 public schools, including recognized and
exemplary campuses. In 2013, Texas legislators put back only a portion of these
cuts — about 60 percent, leaving a continuing and debilitating deficit in
public education funding. This means the typical Texas elementary school has
$300,000 less per year. Little wonder then that state District Judge John Dietz
recently declared our state school funding system unconstitutional.
Read the
entire opinion piece.
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20141019-coalition-of-pastors-urges-support-for-public-schools.ece
Someone
should inform Kevin Johnson.
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