About Our Texas Public Schools


Taxpayers and businesses help subsidize education, and they want to make sure their money is being used effectively in a system of education that works well. The good news is that public education, one of the pillars of American society, remains strong. In the words of U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, "True, the United States is economically powerful now...The quality of our educational system is directly responsible for our economic success."


Of course we want to maintain our global position of strength and our competitive edge, and that's a noble vision. Sadly, teachers and schools aren't lifted up by that vision. More often, they become victims of it.


We know that our public officials have good intentions. Their message is, "We must remain vigilant; we must strive for continued excellence in our schools." Sadly, “fixing” the public schools is a favorite platform for politicians. And what the public ends up hearing and reading is, "We're not good enough. We need to reform our educational system. We must revolutionize the way we educate!"


Our system is revolutionary, and Texas public schools are overwhelmingly successful. In the face of ever-increasing standards, public scrutiny, complex policy and budget battles, Texas public schools continually rise to the occasion on behalf of their students.




Editorial Note from Scott Milder, President and CEO, Friends of Texas Public Schools.  
 
The fuss over top heavy administration, excessive spending on football and other extracurricular activities, and the general inefficiencies of our public schools are nothing more than falsehoods fueled by those who would like the public to believe our schools are top heavy and inefficient. The facts of the matter lead anyone who conducts just a tiny bit of research on the subject to find that our public schools are arguably the most efficient human enterprise in our state and nation.

Little known factoid... only 3 pennies of every education dollar are spent on central administration in this state. On the flipside, 49 cents of every education dollar is spent on teacher salaries. What about extracurricular? Surely we could save some serious dollars if we cut football and other activities. Turns out only 3 pennies of every education dollar are spent on extracurricular activities.  Huh...This document, Tracking the Education Dollar (PDF1.79MB), sorts things out for us and is a fantastic tool that every educator and school board member should keep in their hip pocket. Thanks to Moak Casey & Associates, a private sector financial firm specializing in the most complex math problem on the planet -- school funding -- for preparing this report.

Arm yourself with the facts! Share them with your staffs first, then your supporters/advocates, then with your critics. And ignore those malcontents. They wouldn't believe a fact if it jumped off the page and slapped them in the face.

--Milder