Rep. King talks education at town hall here

Education funding dominated the discussion when State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) held a town hall here October 17.

King serves on the Texas Commission on Public School Finance and said the level of state funding for public education continues to drop. The state now pays 35 percent of school expenses with local property taxes paying 55 percent and federal money covering the balance.

“That’s going to drop another 14 percent in the next four years,” King said of state funding.

King said the state has limited options to come up with more money for schools, and he said the governor has already promised to veto any increase in the state sales tax.
The representative addressed teacher pay and said the governor has promised raises for teachers but has offered no way to pay for it, but he said teacher pay needs to be addressed.

King stressed the importance of public education, especially in rural West Texas, for the sake of our area’s economy.

“We need education to compete with our urban counterparts and be able to get our goods and services to market,” King said.

School safety was also discussed, and King said more needs to be done to address mental health issues.

Clarendon School Superintendent Mike Norrell asked about legislative priorities and the anti-public education agenda in the state senate.

“Dan Patrick is on TV every day with a borrowed dog telling you how much he loves public education,” King said but noted that lieutenant governor focuses instead on school vouchers.

King also said politics in large urban centers like Harris County (Houston) is driving property tax issues and said the state needs appraisal reform.

“I think politics is trumping policy too often, and that’s what I’m combating,” King said.