Texas’ Forgotten Children
In March we reported on the Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District, the worst school district in Texas. After 40 years of abuse, The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is attempting to assume control. For tens of thousands of Wilmer-Hutchins children, it’s too little, too late.
For decades, Wilmer-Hutchins has been mocked, threatened and laughed at. Over multiple generations, the children of Wilmer-Hutchins received a sub-standard education.
To learn more about this Texas tragedy: Click Here.
Their ordeal may finally be over. Wilmer-Hutchins has spent itself into bankruptcy. The 40-year party financed by our children’s future may be over.
Who Did This To Our Children?
Texas Educrats. Will they be held accountable? No.
The people who delivered the substandard education for more than 40 years have taken steps to assure they’ll not be held accountable. Even though the districts bankrupt, the Educrats responsible for the miserable instruction and the run-away spending will lose nothing. Fearing loss of lucre, the teachers producing the worst results in the worst school district in Texas filed a lawsuit against Wells-Fargo and Wilmer-Hutchins ISD.
On the Texas State Teachers Association website, Joe Tave, President of the Wilmer-Hutchins Education Association was quoted as saying
“We are taking this action because as the financial problems of the district are sorted out, the teachers who came to work every day for the school children of this district should not be denied the pay they earned due to mismanagement by WHISD or a money grab by Wells Fargo. We have no intention of letting anyone deny teachers one-third of their annual salary for this school year and making them and their families suffer as a result.”
Money grab? Teacher suffering? What about the tens of millions of dollars Texas parents paid your teachers for the abysmal instruction that persistently left their children at the bottom of the educational heap? What about that suffering?
Does it gall anyone else that Texas Educrats are the only “so-called” professionals permitted to drive the train off the tracks and then throw up their hands like they had nothing to do with it?
Texas taxpayers should not be forced to pay these people. They shouldn’t be compensated for bankrupting the district.
Nevertheless, they’ll get paid. They’ll get paid because they are unaccountable Educrats working for Texas Public Schools. Not only will they get paid, unless we change the way schools are funded; they’ll quite probably be part of whatever reincarnation Wilmer-Hutchins undergoes. Once reinstalled, they’ll continue dispensing their “so-called” education to hapless Texas children.
Let’s Buy Them Off Once and for All.
Texas Teacher’s Unions have proven time and time again that Texas children are, at best, of secondary consideration. For a complete discussion: Click Here.
Texas parents just want them gone, so, let’s not argue about their profits. Let’s give them their 30 pieces of silver. In return let’s demand real reform, not just for the children of Wilmer-Hutchins, but for all of Texas’ children.
Consider What’s At Risk.
Wilmer-Hutchins is only the tip of the iceberg. Fully 50% of Texas High School graduates attending state universities require remediation in reading, writing, and/or mathematics. For a complete discussion: Click Here
Texas Educrats are oblivious to this calamity. As long as the money arrives from Austin, nobody cares.
Consider this, over the past 40 years it wasn’t the cheating, it wasn’t the abysmal TAKS scores, it wasn’t the indicted superintendents, it wasn’t that the district was in chaos, it wasn’t that the district was a laughingstock, and it wasn’t because of the IRS and FBI raids that may put Wilmer-Hutchins out of its misery.
The ONLY reason Wilmer-Hutchins MAY be shut down is because they ran out of money.
If the Texas Education Agency will take no effective action through all of Wilmer-Hutchins trials and tribulations, ONLY getting serious about shutting them down when they absolutely cannot get any more money, do you think for one second that anyone in Austin is worried about your kid having to take a remedial reading course?
Absolutely not!
Even with the sorry record compiled by Wilmer-Hutchins, Interim Superintendent Damm, the superintendent appointed by the TEA, exhorted his district employees to persuade the community to retroactively authorize the tax increase the district had illegally imposed for years.
From the Communication Connection, Wilmer-Hutchins internal publication, Interim Superintendent Damm writes in the “Superintendent’s Script”:
“The vote on the Tax Rate Authorization will bring to a close, all of the milestone points in our financial plan for survival. It is imperative that each of you be knowledgeable of the facts so that you can speak intelligently to your friends and the parents of your students.”
Fortunately for Wilmer-Hutchins children, parents and friends were very knowledgeable about the district. They overwhelmingly refused to ratify the increased property tax.
Texas Educrats will do whatever is necessary to save their jobs regardless of the cost to the children. The way Texas Public Schools are presently funded, short 40 years of malfeasance, the ONLY people that suffer are the children.
Take Action For Our Children!
We’ve received an unexpected opportunity. Governor Perry has called the Texas Legislature back to fix Texas education.
Let’s make sure it’s done right.
The only fix acceptable to parents is fully funded education vouchers where the child’s attendance results in the school being paid. With vouchers, parents will place their children in the public, private or parochial school that best serves their families needs.
In a November 10, 2004 message TEA Commissioner Neeley said:
“We need to keep the main thing, the main thing – the 2900 students of Wilmer-Hutchins. They deserve a quality, first class education.”
We agree with the Commissioner.
It’s time for the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Legislature to put Texas Children First. Putting Texas children first will always mean providing Texas parents “The Power of the Purse.” The only way to assure another Wilmer-Hutchins never inflicts agony and angst on our most vulnerable citizens is through fully funded educational vouchers. With vouchers, if there’s a problem with a school, the children will just walk away. Not in 40 years, but today.
Contact the Governor, your state senator, state representative and your State Board of Education Representative today. Urge them to support 100% Fully Funded School Choice in Texas.
To locate your Texas State Representative: Click here
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