Texas’ Continuing War on Teachers

Remember back when Classroom Teachers created a budget crisis in Texas by refusing to collect enough revenue in order to provide basic state services and then refused to balance a state budget by taking a sufficient withdrawal from the Rainy Day Fund? Remember how teachers created economic hardship and at the same time created tax holidays for corporations to lure their business into the state?

And do you remember back when it was the Classroom Teachers that caused Texas to be in 44^th place out of 50 in the nation with its per-student education funding rate?

I don’t either.

But Classroom Teachers got hit once again this week by both houses of the Texas state legislature when the both passed – right down party lines – the so-called “Furlough Bill.” This is a bill that allows school districts to put teachers on up to six days per year of unpaid leave. That’s the furlough part. Then there’s all the other goodies like how it allows school districts to reduce the pay scale and eliminates teacher seniority protection during layoffs so that the higher end salaries of more experienced teachers can be eliminated.

And oh yeah, the “Furlough Bill” also slashes another $1.4 billion in state grants to school districts.

In short, what the Texas legislature just said to its public school teachers is this: if you’re teaching now, start looking for another profession or another state to ply your trade. If you are thinking of becoming a teacher forget it, Texas is no country for teachers.