Drag Texas Backwards, or Move Texas Kids Forward?
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Drag Texas Backwards, or Move Texas Kids Forward?
8/16/2012 2:56:53 PM
Our schools and health services for kids can't go back in time, so a new petition tells Texas state leaders to move forward instead.

You probably know by now that in 2011, the state of Texas made severe cuts to public education, matched with deep reductions in other services that help children stay well and succeed in school. If we continue to take money out of our schools, our classrooms might look like this image: out of date, run-down, and eventually empty.

The state, which already was among those investing the least in kids, started spending billions less on education, health care, and protection for children in recent years. With another legislative session around the corner and talk already from state leaders about still more squeezes on our schools and health systems, we need your help.

Texans Care for Children is a steering committee member of Texas Forward, and we support the coalition's position that Texas needs better than what has come before. Our state needs to support the vital public structures--like our schools, roads, and hospitals--that underpin our communities, and we as Texans all need to stand up for the people who perhaps count on these things most: our children.

Health care and schools are both essential parts of our economy and community and of our children's lives. Yet some Texas leaders have been pitting health care and education against one another, indicating Medicaid could "squeeze" public education in the state budget.

As Texas grows, we need to pay attention to whether Texans have a safe, secure, and healthy future. Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of children, as well as their grandparents in nursing homes and family members with a lifelong disability. Quality public education is the key to our state’s future prosperity, preparing our youth for higher education and good jobs.

We hope you will sign the petition today to tell state leaders not to drag schools OR health care backwards! Tell state leaders:
The problem is not Medicaid, public education, or any other essential public service; the problem is the priorities of state leadership. We need a real plan to meet the needs of Texans!

Fix the hole: We must fix the $10 billion hole in the budget that state leaders put there in 2006, leaving Texas without the revenue it needs for health care and education.

Use the Rainy Day Fund: Stop prioritizing tax giveaways over investments in our children's future. In the short run, use our Rainy Day Fund for its intended purpose, to maintain vital services in this Rainy Day economy. The Fund replenishes on its own, and when matched with a fix for that $10 billion hole, we can give our schools and kids what they need.

Have the courage to lead: We need real solutions to our revenue crisis. Take an honest look at the challenges that our rapidly growing population faces, and stop using rhetoric that asks us to choose between quality education or quality health care for our children.
Please don't delay. Sign on today!
Posted by: Christine Sinatra | Submit comment | Tell a friend


 

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