Hutchison on Education: Name That Building

Governor Perry Delivers Education Reform; Senator Hutchison Delivers New Name for Education Building

AUSTIN – While on the campaign trail, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison repeatedly cites education as one of her top priorities. However, education has been anything but a priority for Sen. Hutchison during her 16 years in Washington.

Sen. Hutchison’s record reveals that she has sponsored just one piece of education legislation that has become law – a symbolic bill to rename the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., for President Lyndon Baines Johnson. (H.R. 584, 110th Congress, became Public Law 110-15 on March 23, 2007)

“Contrary to what the Senator may believe, the more than 1,000 people who move to Texas every day are not doing so because the U.S. Department of Education building was renamed,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Businesses and the people they employ know that when they come to Texas, their children will receive a good education and be prepared to enter the workforce.”

On Sen. Hutchison’s campaign website under “Issues,” the “Education” section includes a quote from the Senator but zero policy proposals, nor any mention of her accomplishments – or lack thereof – related to education.

Meanwhile, Gov. Perry has effectively worked with lawmakers and leaders to improve the Texas education system by increasing accountability, emphasizing core curriculum, introducing teacher incentive pay, increasing college aid, and paving the path to develop more Tier One universities.

To view a comparison of Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison's education accomplishments, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koXjLSVuISo

Consider the following accomplishments:

*Funding for Texas public education has increased 43 percent over the past nine years.

*Gov. Perry has created the largest teacher pay-for-performance program in the nation to reward the teachers who are making the greatest impact in efforts to improve student performance. Since its inception, more than 200,000 teachers in 600 schools have received an average merit pay amount of $2,000 per year.

*This past session, Gov. Perry signed into law House Bill 3, which implements higher standards, accountability and transparency. This legislation makes Texas one of the first states in the nation to hold schools directly accountable for improving student performance and ensuring students meet college readiness standards. It also requires districts to post their budgets online so taxpayers can see how their money is being spent and helps improve parent access to student academic data.

*Under Gov. Perry, schools have increased their focus on core subjects like math, science and English/reading, which are essential to empowering students’ success in our increasingly competitive and global economy.

*Following this past session, Gov. Perry also signed House Bill 51, which will open the door for seven of the state’s emerging research universities to compete for Tier One or national research status. Through the Emerging Technology Fund, companies that are developing cutting-edge technologies work with universities to commercialize their discoveries.

*Gov. Perry has also worked with the legislature to improve access to colleges and universities by increasing financial aid levels by 900 percent.