Of Cabbages and Kings
by BOB BARTON
Saturday was a day of fun and frolic in Kyle, with folks enjoying the spring weather at a variety of functions on and around the public square on Centre Street. It was the first of this year’s Parks and Recreation sponsored Market Days, and topped off with a big fajita and barbecue fiesta on a portion of the grounds.
But there were also deeply serious happenings underway over at Gregg-Clarke Park, where a sizeable contingent of teachers from Buda, Kyle, Dripping Springs, San Marcos and Del Valle were rallying to express their strong opposition to the education bill that has now passed the Texas House of Representatives. Saner heads reign over at the State Senate, so hopefully it can be considerably improved before it wends its way toward the desk of Governor Rick Perry.
I am particularly impressed by the involvement of a sizeable number of teachers from all of the four districts and by the enthusiasm of scores of school kids holding signs imploring the House members (particularly our freshman Representative Jason Isaac) to support efforts to restore the drastic cuts that are causing layoffs and hardships.
Unfortunately he cast his vote Sunday with the House leadership, although two education minded Republicans put principle ahead of party and voted “no” Sunday, along with all of the House Democrats.
The funding fight goes on. It was inspiring to hear from leaders of the teachers’ group Saturday, including our district’s Esperanza Orosco, just about the most dedicated teacher I know, and particularly from school board members Willie Tenorio of Kyle and John Adams of Dripping Springs, among others. They spoke with passion, conviction and from the heart.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett was his usual passionate and competent self, and outlined in clear terms the conditions (and they are minimal) that need to be met for our state to get funds that were allocated to the various states. Most states with Republican governors have complied; ours hasn’t. Pride doesn’t go easily before fall for our coyote hunting in the park guv.
Barring resusitation by the State Senate, HB 1 will, if enacted, cause the loss of almost 100,000 school employees by next fall, cut $223 million from the funding of kindergartens and cut another $153 million from the Teacher’s Retirement Fund.
If you don’t care about the people of Texas, but instead deeply covet the respect of high rollers from Spain who are ready to build some more costly toll roads, then the “deaf ear” approach to taking a stand for full funding of schools makes sense.
After all, continued state funding for schools at current levels would be injurious to a whole bevy of fat cat multi-national corporations who are standing in line for large “handout” incentives to come to Texas while hundreds of thousands of smaller Texas businesses pay their share of the tax burden.
Unfortunately “corporate welfare” is the side of Governor Perry’s bread that gets buttered and there is no hope for help from him in this dispute.
There is a chance that the Republican leadership in the Texas Senate will at least partially save the day with some sort of sleight of hand. They have more “adults” among their number and some of them are both sharp and tough negotiators. Hope springs eternal, but it will be strengthened greatly if educators and school trustees continue to be unified in this fight to save our schools.
