Robert Morrow, Lani Popp, and the education establishment (It's a little funny)

"Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:"
Luke 18:9

There's a thought we've been having, off and on, for awhile.  It reoccurred to us yesterday.  We suppose now is as good a time as ever to say it.

 

Under anything remotely resembling normal circumstances, a strong conservative like Lani Popp is the type of State Board of Education candidate the educrat crowd would be desperate to stop.  Normally, they hate conservatives.  This time, however, they have no choice.

Case in point:

Former Republican board member Thomas Ratliff was not alone in his simple summation of the race: “Anybody but Robert Morrow will be fine.”

Facing the reality of a Robert Morrow candidacy, all of a sudden you have Thomas friggin' Ratliff [Hint: This guy] endorsing a conservative.

Lolz.

Bottom Line: Only a prude fails to see the humor in this one.

Does Freedom have a place in Education?!?

"Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life."
Proverbs 4:13

TPPF Policy Orientation: Education Savings Accounts: The Solution Texas Needs?!?

Stephanie Matthews, TPPF:

• Too many families don't have educational options.

• Education Savings Accounts can be used for virtual learning, which is fantastic for rural areas.

Thomas Ratliff, Texas Association of School Administrators (formerly of the State Board of Education):

• Blah, blah, "local control."

• If you want school choice, move.
• Note: He recently moved into Grand Prarie ISD, which has a school choice program within its district; we don't begrudge Mr. Ratliff making the decision to educate his children in the best way he sees fit, but we will simply wish that every family in Texas had the same options while noting the hypocrisy.

• Something, something, transportation to school for poor kids.

• "With tax dollars comes transparency and accountability."
• Author's Note: This is bureaucrat-speak for saddling a program with so many regulations as to render it ineffective.

• Something, something "protections."

• Something, something "your neighbors tax money."

• Author's Note: For those who are new to Texas' state level politics, you can learn more about the older history of our good friend Thomas Ratliff here.

Marty Lueken, EdChoice:

• School choice programs take up less than 2% of the education budget in every state where they exists; less than 1% of all education spending nationally.
• Author's Note: That sounds like a bug, not a feature.

• School choice saves school districts money.

• Districts deal with enrollment fluctuations all the time.

Patrick Wolf, University of Arkansas:

• Research evidence on school choice is clear about how it benefits students academically.

• Competition also benefits children who stay in government schools by forcing them to get their act together.

• States who have tried school choice have liked it and want more.

Senator Larry Taylor (Likely Education Committee Chairman):

• There are always going to be kids whose needs aren't met by the current socialized education model.

• At least 25 other states already have some sort of school choice program and most of the states who initially implemented a program have expanded it further.

• You don't need that many kids to participate in a school choice program to benefit the rest of the system.

• Rural Republicans like to argue parental choice will "destroy public education" in their community then say there just isn't the demand in their community for school choice to make a difference; they can't have it both ways.

The Strange Priorities of Chairman Dan Branch (and Joe Straus)

Another fantastic piece from Agendawise:

House leadership is trying to impeach a champion of higher ed reform, but is protecting a State Board of Education member who appears obviously ineligible to serve.

The difference? Wallace Hall wants to bring transparency to a massive government bureaucracy and Thomas Ratliff is a connected member of a huge bureaucracy.

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This is a good representation of House priorities when establishment politicians like Joe Straus and his partner Dan Branch are in positions of power.

 Read all the details here.