For Immediate Release
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Layoffs and Cutbacks: Rick Perry's 2011 Education Record
Rapoport is a reporter with the Texas Observer. She said today: “Once upon a time, Rick Perry was all about public education. In his 2006 re-election campaign, he devoted an entire ad to his commitment. ‘I’m proud of Texas schools,’ he says to the camera as he wanders through a classroom. ‘Since I became governor education funding has increased $9 billion.’ He beams and stops next to a teacher. ‘Education is our future and my highest priority.’
“This year, Perry helped cut that ‘highest priority’ by an unprecedented $4 billion. Facing a $23 billion shortfall for over the next two years, the governor was adamant that the state budget get balanced through cuts. He pressured the legislature against tapping Texas’ Rainy Day fund — around $9 billion the state saved up — to help soften the blows to services. Yet almost no one in the Republican field seems eager to criticize the cuts or Perry’s support for them.”
See Rapoport’s article “Layoffs and Cutbacks: Rick Perry’s 2011 Education Record“
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