In “State of the State” speech, Perry emphasizes education

On Tuesday, January 27, Governor Rick Perry issued the “State of the State” speech to outline his agenda for the legislative session. As expected, the economy and employment garnered much of the attention. However, he spent a significant amount of time discussing his vision for public education in Texas. His remarks are below. The full speech can be accessed at www.governor.state.tx.us.

“To reach our goal of ensuring every student graduates from Texas high schools with a strong foundation in math, science, and English, we owe them three things. First, they deserve the best teachers. Nothing matters more to student success than having an excellent teacher in every classroom. That is why we worked so hard to create the largest teacher incentive pay program in the country, one that will pay out more than $147 million to teachers and staff by the end of this school year. This is a program we must continue. Second, we must hold our schools accountable for student performance. As you consider changes to the accountability system, make sure it keeps moving students along the path to graduating ‘college and career ready’ while keeping parents and taxpayers informed on their district’s performance. Third, let’s keep improving our math and science education, and continue preparing our young people, especially low-income and minority students, for a productive life after high school.”

TIER strongly supports teacher incentive pay, “college and career readiness” as the goal of the accountability system, and higher math and science standards. We look forward to working with Governor Perry to see these goals become law.
...click for full issue

Articles in this issue of TIER CAPITOL UPDATE Volume1, Issue2

• In “State of the State” speech, Perry emphasizes education
• State School Districts to Receive Billions in Federal Aid
• No Committee Assignments Yet
• TIER Legislative Contact Network
• Legislation Affecting Public Education

Read the entire issue in PDF