VFAK 101, Lesson 1: Texas could have the best public schools in the country

By Ashley Bean Thornton

I posted a question on Facebook the other day that sparked a long thread of comments.  I was trying to get an idea of what people are looking for when they are looking for a good school district.  Here is a quick summary of some of the responses:

• Leadership that has a vision/passionate about kids.
• Experienced, passionate, caring, engaged teachers. Low teacher turn over.
• Individuation/tailored to needs of the student /treat kids as individuals – One size does not fit all
• Academic Success/challenging academics
• Effective program for teaching reading 
• Wide variety of opportunities, extracurriculars – sports, arts, robotics, etc. 
• Values and supports students from all backgrounds, all economic levels.
• Diversity of students
• Strong support programs: Special Ed, students with disabilities, learning differences
• Strong Gifted & Talented programs
• Strong Career/Tech
• Synergy/Trust with the community
• Willing to work with, listen to parents, especially to solve problems.
• Good student environment: avoid exposure to drugs, crime, negative relationships, bullying, fights.
• Calm environment
• Opportunity to make good friends
• Adequate staffing/smaller class sizes
• Safety
• Good facilities
• Kindness
• Healthy, developmentally appropriate expectations for students

This is not necessarily a complete list, but I think it’s a pretty good list.  It illustrates both the complexity and the promise of public education. This list represents the kind of foundation we could be providing for all our K-12 students in Texas.  It’s the kind of foundation that provides a solid jumping off point for a productive life.  Our communities are stronger when our students get this kind of foundation. Our society is stronger.  It makes all our lives better.  These kinds of public schools make Texas Stronger.

Most of us recognize that the kinds of schools represented by this list, and the benefit they provide to our communities, are worth the investment.  Yet, as a state we are not making that investment.  Texas is the second wealthiest state in the country by gross domestic product.  We rank 28th in K-12 education. And, we rank in the bottom 10 of states for per pupil spending. Our public school system in Texas has been underfunded for decades.

Our public schools and school districts accept the criteria on this list. Teachers, administrators, staff, school boards are all working hard to provide schools that live up to the expectations on this list. Many are doing a terrific job, but they are stretched to provide excellent services with inadequate funding, and we have gotten to the point that they have simply been stretched too far.

Take another look at the list.  You can see that the kind of education system we say we want requires investment. 

Excellent teachers need training, time to prepare, and pay commensurate with their skills and education – lack of investment means a smaller pool of high-quality teachers, low teacher retention, and teachers who are being stretched by bigger class sizes and more job responsibilities. 

Support programs are crucial, well worth the investment, and impossible to maintain without investment.

Smaller classes, the ability to focus on the individual needs of each student, the resources to provide a calm environment and to work productively with students who are causing disruption requires adequate numbers of appropriately trained faculty and staff. 

Good leadership is crucial, no doubt, but at some point even the best leadership cannot make up for lack of resources.

Texas would have to increase its per student spending by $4,000 just to be average in the country.  Our level of funding is not keeping up with inflation, much less helping us move ahead.

The Texas Legislature determines per student spending for our public schools.  Our tool for increasing per student spending is our vote.  If we want the schools we say we want, we must elect candidates to the Texas Legislature who will prioritize increasing funding for public schools.  There is nothing inevitable about the quality of our public schools. Texas could have the best public schools in the country.  It’s a choice.  It’s a choice we make when we elect representatives to the Texas House and senators to the Texas Senate.  It’s a choice we will make in November.

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