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Greg Abbott on Education
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Increase teacher pay, with best earning six figures
We must target education funding to help our students achieve in school. That starts with teachers in the classroom. Texas must recruit and retain the best and brightest teachers to educate our students. This session, we must pay our teachers more.
We must provide incentives to put effective teachers in the schools and classrooms where they are needed the most. And we must create a pathway for the best teachers to earn a six-figure salary.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Texas legislature
, Feb 5, 2019
Focus on mental health for safer schools
Texas must act now to make our schools safer. After the horrific shooting at Santa Fe High School, I held roundtables with parents, students, educators, law enforcement, and mental health experts. One solution everyone agreed on was the need to address
mental health in our schools.Programs like the telemedicine wellness project at Texas Tech. It partners with school districts in West Texas to identify and remove students who pose a potential threat. And it provides students the help they need.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Texas legislature
, Feb 5, 2019
Fully fund GURI: Governor's University Research Initiative
While so many colleges are competing for 5-Star recruits to athletic programs, Texas is leading the way to attract 5-Star recruits to our academic programs. The Governor's University Research Initiative you funded last session brought internationally
renowned researchers to Texas. As one example, Dr. Richard Miles--a member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering--is leaving Princeton to join the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M.
His work places Texas A&M and the State of Texas at the forefront of laser and optical technology that can enhance national security. Research like this spurs economic development and helps create jobs.
We must continue our mission to do more than just prepare Texas for the next two years. We also need to put our state on the path for national and international prominence for the next 20 years. GURI does just that. And must be fully funded again.
Source: 2017 State of the State address to Texas Legislature
, Jan 31, 2017
Additional funding for schools to adopt high-quality Pre-K
[Since the 1980s], the State of Texas has been mired in litigation about school funding. I think we can all agree it's time to put school finance litigation behind us. It's time to stop fighting about school finance and start fixing our schools.
To improve our schools we must begin by building a strong foundation at the very beginning. Our goal should be to ensure all Texas students are performing at grade level in reading and math by the time they finish the 3rd grade.
To begin that process, my budget provides additional funding for schools that adopt high-quality Pre-K programs. My plan also provides Pre-K through 3rd grade teachers with world-class literacy and math teacher training.
To begin the process of building a better education system in Texas, we must improve early education. This is why I'm declaring early education as my first emergency item as governor. Our children and their future have no time for delay.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Texas Legislature
, Feb 17, 2015
Ensure having the best teachers by saying NO to Common Core
An essential ingredient to better schools is ensuring we have the best teachers in our classrooms. In part, that means saying no to common core. We can bring out the best in all of our teachers by getting rid of the one-size-fits-all mandates and
trusting our teachers to truly educate our students. My budget invests in more STEM teachers and in teachers who serve our most disadvantaged students.We must also return genuine local control to our schools.
This book contains all the education-related laws in Texas. It's absurd to micromanage educators with all of these laws. Let's cut it down to size by allowing school districts to opt out of parts of the education code so they can design an education plan
that best fits their community needs.
Local control, however, doesn't end at the school district level. Real local control rests with parents. The ultimate parental involvement is giving parents more choices in their child's education.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Texas Legislature
, Feb 17, 2015
Page last updated: Mar 19, 2019
