Presumed Democratic Party nominee for Texas governor, state Sen. Wendy Davis, addressed an education forum in North Texas today. Davis attended to promote her ideas to reform education in the Lone Star State.
Her standout idea is underwhelming. It belongs alongside candidates for student body president, promising free ice cream in the cafeteria on Fridays.
.@WendyDavisTexas proposes auto college admission for kids in top 20 pct who promise to become teachers. Includes UT Austin.
— Jay Root (@byjayroot) January 9, 2014
Education issues in Texas and elsewhere typically have nothing to do with a shortage of teachers, which this idea is presumably intended to address. Nor do we have too few college students. The problem is that college tuition is rising at a pace far faster than the rate of income increases and far beyond inflation. We have universities that are not transparent about how they spend their money, and which have gotten into the habit of doling out lavish salaries on platoons of assistant vice presidents and deans for this or that. Universities increasingly focus less on educating, and more on delivering leftwing ideology, while they busy themselves restricting the free speech of students and faculty.
Davis’ proposal would have no impact on any of that, but would create a glut of teachers, which would probably drive educators’ salaries down.
Update: The Abbott campaign is out quick with a statement on Davis’ “fuzzy math.”
Communications Director Matt Hirsch today issued the following statement regarding Senator Wendy Davis’ education proposals:
“Sen. Wendy Davis’ proposals are more fuzzy math – a plan that will increase spending and impose more mandates on Texas universities without explaining how to pay for it. Greg Abbott believes in genuine local control of education: empowering parents, teachers, and principals to serve our students well. Greg Abbott has traveled and will continue to travel across Texas, meeting with educators to learn how he can achieve his goal to make our education system number one in the nation. He’s boasted the benefits of competition in the classroom, digital learning, and having the involvement of both students and parents, in addition to the highest quality of teachers and principals, to help achieve this goal.”
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