McAllen Team
Volume 18, Issue 7
March, 2011
MCALLEN AFT NEWS
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
LOBBY DAY– MARCH 14, 2011
“USE THE RAINY DAY FUND RALLY”
On March 14, 2011, McAllen AFT members, parents, children and citizens went to Austin to talk to our legislators concerning school funding.
We told them that we wanted a balanced approach. Relying on cuts alone will not meet people’s urgent needs and, it will fail to invest in the future—our children.
In addition, in these hard times we’re past either/or choices. As a practical matter, we’ll need to do everything—use our reserves (Rainy Day Fund); maximize federal assistance; make some cuts; and create new revenue. That’s a practical, balanced approach.
When we spoke to the legislators, we said the following:
· Our goal should be to maintain adequate funding for education, health care, and to help families struggling because of the recession.
· We need to support K-12 and college funding because it helps people get good jobs. You don’t improve our kids’ future chances by laying off their teachers!
· If we don’t invest in education and children’s health care now, we will be poorly positioned to take advantage of our opportunities when good times return.
· The worst thing a state can do in an economic downturn is to weaken basic public services that a strong economy needs, like education, health care and public safety.
· In these hard times, Texas schoolchildren and their families need more help, not less.
· It’s always right to prioritize spending, see what works, see what doesn’t, and make adjustments. But to get out of the deep hole the recession has put us in, we need a balanced approach, not just spending cuts.
We would like to mention polling data that you need to know.
· 88% of Texans agree that Texas public schools need more money from the state. Only 10 percent disagreed. [Source: Texas Poll/Texas Association of School Boards, October 2010.]
· 82% of the public is opposed to proposed cuts in education. They also oppose cuts to: pre-kindergarten, 62%; state contributions to teacher and state employee retirement programs, 69%; the Children’s Health Insurance Program, 87%; for closing four community colleges, 77%. [ Source: UT/Texas Tribune Poll, February 2011.]
A special thanks to our team that represented McAllen at the “Use the Rainy Day Fund Rally!” Everyone did an outstanding job voicing their opinions and concerns to our legislators from the Rio Grande Valley.