The Texas House of Representatives endorsed sweeping legislation to fund public schools. Representative Dan Huberty (R-Houston), chairman of the House Public Education Committee, steered the legislation to a nearly unanimous vote.
“House Bill 3 would increase base funding for each student by $890, fund full-day pre-K for low-income 4-year-olds in most school districts, compress tax rates for all districts and reduce the amount of money wealthier districts pay the state in recapture payments to shore up poorer districts. Because Democrats spearheaded a change in the bill, it would also provide across-the-board raises for all full-time school employees who are not administrators.”
“We are finally reforming public education in Texas, and not by court order, so that’s a pretty important thing,” said the bill’s author, Rep. Dan Huberty, a Republican who chairs the House Public Education Committee. The vast majority of House lawmakers signed on to the bill as co-authors. Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, was the lone no vote.
“The bill will now make its way to the Senate. The upper chamber last week increased the amount it had planned to set aside for public education and property tax reform to match the House’s original proposal.”
Rep. Dan Huberty is a hero of public education. I met him a few years ago at an evening sponsored by Friends of Public Education in Texas. He joins the honor roll of this blog for shepherding a complex bill through the House that will improve schooling for five million children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is great news that the bill passed with great support and little drama. Maybe Texas realizes that public education is the key for the state to move forward to prepare for a future that depends on resilience, science and technology. The additional funding will be helpful in fighting off the coming “portfolio” assault planned for some cities. Hopefully, the change in the recapture formula will be a improvement as well.
Every city in Texas is under siege by charter forces, who are promoting the “portfolio” model, in which schools are treated like a stock portfolio–sell the “losers,” open charters (what happens when they are “losers”?)
An exact reason to hope that no one will be seduced into voting for Michael Bennet from Colorado as he postures and yells about Trump in early days before presidential campaigning officially starts: PORTFOLIO BUSINESS MODEL could be his middle name.
In other words we are doing a disservice to young people allowing them to be treated as some rich person’s investment. One thing I learned from working with poor, often traumatized students is they long for stability. Once they have it along with other supports, they can soar. Allowing students to be treated like subjects in an economic experiment is dehumanizing and reckless policy. The instability of the “market” is exactly what they do not need. We should be protecting students, not looking for way to enrich hedge funds.
Retired Teacher,
I wish you could explain this to the Disrupters. They think nothing of closing schools that have been the hub of a community for decades, and sending the students to many different schools. Disruption is their favorite ploy.
They only understand the money side of monetization. When applying market based principles to vulnerable students, we need to understand that instability has a negative impact on young people. Poor students are already facing lots of instability in their lives. We should tell lawmakers to consider the very real ethical consequences of applying market based principles to developing humans. It is a morally bankrupt ideology.
retired teacher,
Bingo. Thank you for all of your comments. You should be Sec. of Education.
This is the social and emotional question we should study, not “self regulation.” What is the impact on students’ emotions and lives when schools “open and close like daisies?”
Right?
This should be so obvious and yet precisely this clear thinking is sorely lacking.
Teachers and others are in front of Denver’s capital today …. protesting.
I’d be there, but I still cannot drive long distances … back injury.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
The latest rumor this morning that the pay raise that has been promised has been reduced from $5000 to $1850…not really surprised.
Right?
This should be so obvious and yet precisely this clear thinking is sorely lacking.