• Rubi Reyes •
• Originally published January 1, 2009 at 11:44 p.m., updated January 1, 2009 at 11:44 p.m.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reported that in the fall of 2006 more than 162,000 college freshmen at state public institutions took remedial courses.

The board said school districts in the state are not adequately preparing students for post-secondary education or the workforce.

Bob Moore, Victoria school district superintendent, said preparing students for higher education is a priority for the district.

"We are working closely with Victoria College and University of Houston-Victoria on preparing students for college," he said.

In the fall, Moore; Tim Hudson, UHV president, and Tom Butler, VC president, served on the Expanding Access to Higher Education Commission and have continued their efforts set forth while on the committee to prepare students for post-secondary education.

"We have been working with the Victoria school district and have begun to organize a council to see how we can benefit the community and the students," Butler said.

The district plans to have an advanced learning center, part of the $159 million bond approved by voters in 2007, which would help students fill out college applications, work on class work and dual credit hours, Moore said.

"We need to develop programs that will help our students go into the workforce and continue with higher education," he said.

Brad Williams, Bloomington superintendent, is also looking at developing more programs to help students prepare for college.

In order to provide more programs to help students, the district would need to receive more school funding, Williams said.

"We hope that legislature will address school funding issues, but I doubt much will happen in that regard this session," he said.

Moore is also concerned about school funding and said the district will need to make the most sense of the funding they have and receive.

Williams and Moore are both unsure about what will come of the 2009 legislative session set to convene on Jan. 13.

"With the political and economic climate in Austin, it is hard to predict, especially with a gubernatorial election in the future," Williams said.

• LEGISLATION ISSUES

  Early Childhood Education (pre-kindergarten)

  Preschool enrollment in the state has increased rapidly in the past decades. To manage the increase some states like Oklahoma, Georgia, and Illinois have implemented taxpayer-funded pre-kindergarten for every 4-year-old. Texas does not offer ...

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LEGISLATION ISSUES

Early Childhood Education (pre-kindergarten)

Preschool enrollment in the state has increased rapidly in the past decades. To manage the increase some states like Oklahoma, Georgia, and Illinois have implemented taxpayer-funded pre-kindergarten for every 4-year-old. Texas does not offer universal pre-k, a movement to provide quality pre-schooling to all 4 year olds, regardless of income. Recommendations state that universal pre-k will benefit students in education.

Teacher Quality and Compensation

A teacher pay schedule designed in 1921 rewards teachers' longevity over effectiveness in the classroom. After each year or teaching, teachers receive a corresponding pay raise. Many of the state's designed incentive pay plans show promise for attracting and keeping the best teachers. New ideas for stipends and bonuses will be presented to the Legislature to help keep and recruit teachers.

School Choice

Students and parents are assigned to a school depending on their zip code. They do not have the choice of which school their child will attend unless they move, attend a private school or homeschool. Some recommendations made to the Legislature have been to create an education tax credit against the franchise tax for purchasing education scholarships for students to use in receiving an education at the school they choose, eliminate the cap on open-enrollment charter schools, give students more options within their school district by creating more magnet schools with a specialized and rigorous curriculum and various other options to help insure students receive a quality education.

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