Education
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“I have four grandchildren – three living in Texas – and I want the best for them as well as all Texas children and youth. We must responsibly invest in educational excellence for their sakes and the future of this state.” – State Rep. Ellen Cohen
Investing in quality public education must be a priority. Our economy is dependent on students who graduate and are ready to support the high demand for skilled jobs in our region and state.
In order to accomplish this goal, we must recruit and retain the best teachers to our public schools and make higher education affordable for every student. A combination of tuition regulation, grants and financial aid are solutions that will enable us to produce a qualified workforce that our vibrant business community demands.
To make critically needed changes, for example, we must examine the cost of early childhood education, incentive compensation programs, and equitable funding for community colleges. We must implement accountability and seek innovative solutions.
A glance at Rep. Cohen’s record on the issue of education:
- Supported a 13th check for retired teachers
- Joint authored a bill to address the Top Ten Percent rule at the University of Texas – Austin
- Supported legislation which laid a foundation for increasing the number of Tier One universities in the state
- Coauthored a bill to establish full day prekindergarten in public schools
- District 134 includes 16 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 4 high schools and Rice University.
- Texas ranks 47th in the percentage of elementary/ secondary school funding allocated from state revenue.
- 45,000-50,000 students drop out of Texas schools each year. The cost to the state – including lost wages and sales tax revenue, as well as the increase in welfare and incarceration — is estimated to be a final lifetime loss of between $5.4 and $9.6 billion.
- Currently, Texas has three Tier One universities – two public and one private. Comparatively, California has nine; New York has seven.
- Texas ranks 33rd in average teacher salary.
- Nearly 37,000 Texas teachers leave the profession each year.
