Commentary: Honoring public schools

2 weeks ago 39

American Education Week, which we celebrate Nov. 18-22 this year, began after World War I, when leaders of the National Education Association and the American Legion expressed alarm that one-fourth of this country’s military draftees during that conflict were illiterate.

Both organizations adopted resolutions supporting a national effort to raise public support for public schools, which were essential if our country was to attain literacy for all children. The same two groups sponsored the first observance of American Education Week in 1921.

Many issues, including the desegregation of public schools, were still to be resolved. But the emphasis was on expanding and improving public education, as an open door offering opportunities and better futures to untold millions of children, an important contributor to our democracy and a driver of our economy.

For decades, our public schools have produced educators, doctors, lawyers, scientists, inventors and civic and business leaders who have advanced our quality of life. Public schools also have made it possible for people without generational wealth — countless hard-working, everyday Americans — to live comfortable, productive lives.

Our schools and the educators who worked in them were respected and helped to unify local communities. Parents and other volunteers worked with teachers and school support staff to give children the best educational experience possible. Political and civic leaders praised their work.

Public schools still turn out success stories, and many Texas policymakers still offer praise. But now public schools and the people who work in them are under political attack by many of our state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbot, who are threatening to destroy public education in our state. This attack has been building for several years, beginning with restrictions on what teachers can teach and what books they can stock in their libraries.

Public schools are about teaching the truth about our history and culture, including disturbing truths about slavery and race relations, which the governor and his allies have tried to restrict because they make a small but influential number of Texans uncomfortable. Public schools also are about diversity and inclusion, giving every child — regardless of zip code, identity, immigration status or other circumstances — the opportunity to succeed.

These same leaders are squeezing public school budgets, denying students the full opportunities to which they are entitled under the state Constitution. Texas now trails the national average in per-pupil funding by more than $5,000, ranking 46th nationally, according to the National Education Association, and Texas teachers, on average, are paid more than $9,000 less than their national peers.

The Legislature hasn’t increased the basic per-student funding allotment since 2019, and inflation has eroded school resources to the point that many districts now have budget deficits. Classrooms are overcrowded, and many districts are suffering from teacher shortages, as many educators, their morale sinking, have left the profession.

The governor has made taxpayer-paid vouchers for private schools his top education priority, despite his constitutional responsibility to support public schools. Advocates claim vouchers will give low-income children better opportunities in private schools. But other states’ experiences with universal vouchers, which Abbott proposes, show that many of these handouts are providing subsidies to upper-income parents whose children already are in private schools. Many low-income families are keeping their kids in public schools because, even with vouchers, they can’t afford the tuition and other expenses of private schools.

The ultimate losers in this turmoil are Texas children, most of whom will continue to be educated in public schools, regardless of how crippled these schools may become by budget cuts, particularly if tax dollars are diverted to private schools.

American Education Week is still on the calendar, but the governor and his policymaking allies need a renewed commitment to what it means. They can start by visiting some public schools to see the everyday magic our educators are creating, doing their best to help students learn and thrive. The biggest problem these leaders will find is a shortage of the political and financial support they are supposed to be giving for the future of Texas.

Ovidia Molina is president of the Texas State Teachers Association.