Sunday, September 23, 2007

Why Ron Reynolds is Running for Texas State Representative in HD 27 [Part 2]

Ron Reynolds, in his opening remarks to a group of supporters yesterday evening (9/20/2007), spoke of his many blessings. Having been blessed with so much, there is so much to return. That is why Reynolds is running for Texas State Representative in HD 27.

Ron Reynolds addressed three areas of focus, three critical areas that he promises to address when he becomes the Texas State Representative from HD 27. In the video below, he addresses focus area one: Education.

This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart.

“…there’s so many people, so many students dropping out of high school . . . they’re not graduating. There’s so many teachers that used to love the profession that are getting away, that are quitting. And why is that? Because as legislatures, in the state of Texas, I’m very, very ashamed to say, that we are one of the worst states when it comes to public funding for our schools. We can and we have to do better. We have to give the funds that these schools need to pay the teachers a reasonable salary so that they can stay encouraged to deal with a lot of these hard-headed kids.”
There’s more to it Ron, but it has nothing to do with salary. It has to do with respect. Respect that teachers are professionals and can do their jobs without state government breathing down their necks. Without the news media jumping on teachers whenever they are denounced. Without laws being passed to fine teachers for offenses, that seem trivial on their face. Without laws that presuppose that teachers will behave any way but professionally.

Maybe there is a relationship. Maybe the teachers who are accepting these low-paying jobs do so because it pays better than working as a night janitor in a commercial building. Maybe it’s these people who besmirch what I see as a highly professional community of educators. Especially here in Fort Bend County. Better pay does draw a better class of people. You do get what you pay for.

Better pay also means the public respects you not only as a public servant, but as a person of substance in the community.

No comments: