Latest NewsFrom Save Texas Schools, May 2012:
“Change Starts Now!” is our new motto for 2012. Some people think the budget cuts haven’t been so bad, or that maybe it will all be better next legislative session.
Have the cuts been bad? Ask the 12,000 laid-off teachers, or the ones who came back to larger classes and fewer supports. Ask parents of special needs children who can’t get an appointment with a school counselor because there isn’t one. Ask kids who are being dropped off further away from home as bus routes are trimmed. Ask the 11 communities in Dallas who just lost their elementary and middle schools. And this is just year one, with much deeper cuts coming next year. Yes, Governor Perry and the Texas Legislature, it’s raining and raining hard.
Will it change next session? Without our efforts, more cuts to education are a near certainty in 2013. Governor Perry and a coalition of conservative groups are already saying “no” to adequately funding education, even if there is the money to do so.
The May Primaries are just around the corner!
Primary elections will be held Tuesday, May 29, and early voting begins Monday, May 14. Eighty per cent of the races in the Texas legislature will likely be determined in the primary elections, but these usually have a low turnout, so every vote matters.
Find a pro-education candidate and vote in the primaries! For help finding who is running in your area (and how candidates stand on education), click here. Also, don’t forget school board, city and county elections and State Board of Education! These all play a role in how public schools are supported.
Are you registered to vote?
Are your neighbors and co-workers registered? The deadline for registering is Monday, April 30 for the May 29 election. You can mail in a registration card postmarked by April 30th or click here to register online. Not sure if you’re registered? If you’ve voted recently and haven’t moved, then you probably are registered. If you’ve moved and haven’t registered under your new address, or changed your name, then you need to register. Click here to check your status.
We’ve just introduced a new 12-page guide for small group discussion. It’s filled with simple information explaining the current education budget mess and why we need to invest in public education. Click here to download a pdf version or e-mail info@savetxschools.org to order copies.
Join us in Houston for a regional STS workshop on Saturday, May 19 from 9 am to 2 pm. The workshop is free, and includes lunch, workshop materials and childcare. Workshop topics cover “Understanding the Current Budget Crisis,” “How to Support Pro-Education Candidates,” “The Truth Behind Testing” and “How to Host a STS Small Group Meeting.” Click here for more information, and to register.
Save Texas Schools is also sponsoring “STS Days of Action” between May 8 and May 29 to encourage people to vote in the primaries. Check out the “$5.4 Billion Bake Sale” as a way to get people talking in your area about the effects of budget cuts on public education. We also encourage you to block walk and volunteer for pro-public education candidates.
There’s much to do, and Save Texas Schools needs your help. Keep checking our website for updates, as well as our Facebook page.
Thanks, and remember, “Change Starts Now!”