The school voucher/school choice program has been a heated topic in the Texas Legislature the last couple of years. It has been stripped apart, shot down, and seen vicious stances both for against it. But the issue is up for debate once again this fall, and now, some members of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) are pushing board trustees to now weaponize pay increases to combat the agenda.
It was proposed at a recent conference held by the TASB, where a guest speaker told members to withhold pay increases for next year, taking money out of teacher's pockets for the sake of political gain. Whether for or against the school choice, many have taken issue with that suggestion.
One of them is Rob McClellan, a school board trustee in Texas. Speaking to KTRH in a personal capacity, he says he was in the room when the idea was floated, and he did not appreciate it.
"I got up and walked out of the session...it was completely inappropriate, and not something that elected officials should be subjected to," says McClelland
The session was originally set to be a budget discussion, as many districts across the state face funding crises. But, as with most things nowadays, it devolved into a political agenda push for the betterment of one side of the aisle.
Of course, there are some people fine with the idea of stripping teachers of pay in order to satisfy an agenda. But as districts face money issues around the state, and students continue struggling in the classroom, this is not the time to pitch such an idea.
"We are there to do what is best for the community, embody their values and do what is best...that is our job, and the only responsibility we have," he says.
Instead of taking care of the kids though, they are solely focused on destroying school choice by any means necessary. To McClellan, that is wrong on so many levels.
"To inject political pressure into decision making for us, and into finances...it is not something that is appropriate," he says.
For years, we have had the phrase 'shut up and dribble,' in reference to politics in sports. But now we need a new phrase: 'shut up and educate.'
"Politics needs to work its way out of this, and we need the legislature to do some work...there is a lot of conversation, but we need that focused on kids, and what is best for them...not some political agenda," he says.
McClellan adds that we have not completely fused politics and education yet, but from a rhetoric perspective, it is.
Photo: Stone RF