Just as the AFL-CIO is calling for us to call 1-888-355-3588
and speak to our congresspersons against CAFTA:
School Employees Rally Against Texas Legislature Cuts
Members of the Alliance for Education rallied at Town
View Magnet School in Dallas right after school hours on May 23. President
Aimee Bolender presented School Board member Ron Price and several officers
from the American Federation of Teachers. About 200 school employees
enthusiastically supported speakers while television cameras recorded
the story.
The State of Texas is constitutionally obligated to provide
quality education, but the Legislature has steadily cut their own share
of school financing from 33% to 18%, according to Bolender. The rest
was dumped onto local property taxpayers.
"Do no harm"
The enthusiastic crowd chanted with Bolender, "Do
no harm!" because of the many threats from the Legislature. They
want to make it harder to retire and easier to get
fired.
They pretend there's no money for quality education while actually cutting
taxes for the wealthiest Texans and raising taxes for everybody else.
They want to continue squandering taxpayer money on poorly-performing
charter schools and start throwing away even more money on a voucher
system for private schools. While school employees see their retirement
possibilities suffering, the legislators are rewarding themselves with
a fat new pension plan!
Their new pension plan would give them $6,000/month, but
a 26/year teacher would only get $2,000, Bolender said.
"Textbooks yes, vouchers no"
The school employees stand with the rest of Texans in
wanting quality education. Texas students are doing without while fat
property owners get the benefit of new legislation. Aimee Bolender pointed
out that they showed their disdain for Texas children during the last
session when they cut the Children's Health Insurance Program. Cuts
made in the last session were supposed to be returned, but the public
statements from legislators are actually misleading, Bolender said.
"Stand up, be strong and fight"
One of the leaflets distributed at the rally began, "The
Texas legislature is Taking Aim at you and Texas public schools."
Another one complained that teachers at the Wilmer-Hutchins School District
are not receiving their pay at the end of the school year! Current proposals
being consider today would take away more than a billion dollars in
TRS pension benefits from hundreds of thousands of school employees.
Dallas School Board member Ron Price said, "These
proposed bills will take Texas education back 30 years." AFT lobbyist
Dwight Harris said, "The Texas legislator and the leadership there
does not have Texas education as a priority, their priority is property
tax cuts." He added, "90% of us are about to pay more property
taxes so that 10% can get property tax cuts."![](afbleed72.jpg)
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