Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 25 March 2019

Suddenly, cost-cutting states turn friendly to teachers

gan last year. one utter the word ‘vouch-
But protests aren’t why the ers’ this session. And I think
money is suddenly avail- that’s significant.”
able. A nationwide teacher re-
Texas hasn’t even had a volt that began with walk-
teacher strike. outs in West Virginia in early
But as in other GOP strong- 2018 is still kicking. In Ken-
holds this spring, lawmak- tucky, recurring “sickouts”
ers who have spent years for teacher protests forced
clashing with public schools schools to cancel classes,
by slashing budgets, ratch- and a six-day teacher strike
eting up testing and cheer- in Los Angeles ended with
leading private schools are a 6 percent pay hike and
blinking in the face of elec- commitment to smaller
tion pressure as much as classes.
picket lines. Elsewhere, new worries
Rattled by a dreadful mid- over elections are moving
term election for Republi- Republicans to act on their
cans — and looking ahead own.
to 2020 — conservative- In Oklahoma, the state’s
leaning states including new CEO-turned-gover-
In this March 11, 2019, photo, Educators attend a rally to support funding for public schools at the
state Capitol in Austin, Texas. Georgia, Oklahoma and nor , Kevin Stitt, made giv-
Associated Press South Carolina are pouring ing teachers another pay
By PAUL J. WEBER Schoolteacher raises of hike that ranks among the new money into schools. boost a key plank of his
Associated Press $5,000 are on the table in biggest in the U.S. since a And to ensure it doesn’t campaign.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas — a proposed pay wave of teacher unrest be- go unnoticed, Republicans He’s pushing ahead with
are making a show of a an additional $1,200 pay
renewed commitment to increase for classroom
public classrooms, courting teachers, a year after sev-
voters turned off by years eral Republican opponents
of cost-cutting that ca- of a pay package were
tered to the party’s base. ousted in GOP primaries.
Nowhere is this political In South Carolina, a state
whiplash more on display budget passed by House
than in Texas, where just lawmakers would give all
two years ago conserva- teachers a 4 percent raise
tives pushed heavily for pri- and bump the minimum
vate school vouchers and salary for first-year teachers
restrictions on which bath- to $35,000. Teachers there
rooms transgender stu- have asked for a 10 per-
dents could use. That was cent raise.
followed last November by Public concern about edu-
Republicans losing 14 seats cation is growing, said Pat
in the Statehouse, their McFerron, a GOP pollster
worst election in a genera- and strategist in Oklahoma.
tion. “In a red state where Re-
To some, the message was publicans are in control,
clear. Said Republican it’s going to fall on Repub-
state Sen. Kel Seliger, quot- licans.”
ing a top GOP official “way Texas is in the middle of the
up” whom he wouldn’t pack nationally in class-
name: “Urban Texas is now room funding for the state’s
blue. Suburban Texas is pur- 5.5 million public school
ple and it’s rural Texas that students, and teacher pay
is still red. And then what is about $7,000 below the
does that mean for the fu- national average.
ture” of the party? In recent years, conserva-
Seliger added, “You’re not tives have pushed for di-
hearing anything about a recting some funding to
bathroom bill. students attending private
You’re not hearing any- and religious schools.q