Legislator tries to revise history
Campaigning in Copperas Cove yesterday, state Rep. Sid Miller said he was a “strong supporter” of education, and his nose grew longer. Gov. Rick Perry, who campaigned with him, wasn’t there because Miller supports public education. The governor was there because Miller did his bidding last year and voted to slash state funding for public schools. That vote already has cost local public schools in House District 59, which Miller purportedly represents, more than $15 million, and more cuts will follow in the upcoming school year. And, if reelected, Miller is poised to inflict even more damage on classrooms.
As the wise old cliché begins, with “friends” like these……
Miller voted not only to hack away at his local school budgets, but he also voted to keep at least $7.3 billion of taxpayers’ money unspent in the Rainy Day Fund. Spending even part of that money could have saved thousands of educator jobs around the state and avoided thousands of overcrowded classrooms. Alas, Miller and Perry have even more damage in mind for education in the future.
As part of their dogandpony show in Copperas Cove, Miller signed the governor’s “state budget compact,” a political document promising even deeper cuts to the public schools and other critical state services during next year’s legislative session.
Perry isn’t on the ballot this year, but Republican voters in House District 59 in Central Texas will have the opportunity in their July 31 party runoff to remove the antipublic education Miller from office. They can – and should – vote for challenger J.D. Sheffield, a wellrespected physician endorsed by TSTA, who wants to help move Texas forward, not keep it stuck in reverse.
Sheffield truly values the public schools. And, he recognizes that Perry’s antischools, antiTexas “budget compact” is politically transparent and dangerously shortsighted.
“I believe these gentlemen (Perry and Miller) are looking out more for their personal and political ambitions than they are trying to prepare for what the state may need,” Sheffield said.
It’s time to retire Miller’s political ambition. He has earned a heaveho.
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