Letter to State Legislature

The following letter was sent to the state Congressman and Senator from my district:
To the Honorable Representative Tim Kleinschmidt  (Senator Steve Ogden),


I am a proud educator from the state of Texas. I have devoted 20+ years to educating students in several districts across the state and I believe that pursuing a career in education is one of the noblest endeavors that anyone can pursue. I am honored to have helped shape the lives of the many students with whom I have had the fortune to work. I have a 16 year old son, and unlike many educators, I hope that he will follow in my footsteps when he chooses a career path.

I am writing to appeal to the sensibilities that any good citizen of Texas should have when it comes to the importance of education in our state. Politicians boast about its importance when they are on the campaign trail, they write speeches about how much they support it, and they don’t mind writing or supporting legislation forcing districts to adapt to the many “unfunded mandates” that end up stifling innovation and reform.

Now is the time when voters find out which legislators really support education and our schools.

We have a moral, ethical, and economic obligation to provide the best education possible for all children in our state. We should explore all options. I’m sure that I am not the only person who sees the irony in the fact that our federal tax dollars have been used to bail out private businesses such as financial institutions and the auto industry. Yet, the legislators in this state hesitate to use the “rainy day fund” that has been set aside for tough financial times such as these. It is time to open our eyes and see. It’s raining in Texas. Please speak out for the use of the rainy day fund to help solve this crisis. The fund will eventually renew itself, but the damage done to the students who are shortchanged by cuts and the lives of devoted educators whose jobs are cut will not recover so easily.

Any and all options should be considered as well such as, increasing taxes on sugary drinks and fast foods, introducing legalized gambling, increasing taxes on tobacco or luxury items, restructuring the franchise tax, eliminating tax loopholes for the energy industry, utilizing accounting measures such as delaying the July/August 2013 payments to districts, and elimination of the state assessments in grades other than 3, 5, 8, and 11.

I am asking you to introduce or support legislation that helps alleviate this crisis. It is time to look out for what should be every Texan’s special interest group–the students of our state. If you do not, the other voters and I will not soon forget.


Sincerely,
Lee Holman
A Proud Texas Educator