School funding at bottom of list

Editor:

I would like to comment on the latest failure of Texas politicians in regards to education/public school funding during the fourth special (session) that ended in December (2023).

Sadly, Democrats and Republican politicians made it abundantly clear that education/public school funding is at the bottom of their list of priorities. As has been reported, the special session was marked by endless bickering and intra-party fighting. Thus, Senate Bill 5 which would have allocated 800 million on school safety measures and proposed bonuses for teachers went down in flames.

Gov. Greg Abbott's fixation with school vouchers proved to be a major hurdle to overcome and a deal breaker after everything was said and done. So much for public school safety and increased compensation for Texas teachers.

A question arises: Where were so called Texas teacher organizations during the debate on Senate Bill 5. As has been reported, some teacher groups proved to be part of the problem instead of part of the solution after voicing opposition to increased compensation for teachers if it meant school vouchers.

In the final analysis, the 4th special session of the Texas legislature might have been more productive if Democrats and Republicans had devoted themselves to answering the question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? Sad!

Ben Castillo
Harlingen