Will Teachers Make Republicans Pay?

Surely Texas Republican House members are concerned that voters back home won't be happy with teachers being laid off and pubic education being decimated. But, maybe not. They went right ahead and happily made drastic cuts that mean many tens of thousands of educators across Texas will lose their jobs, adversely affecting the local economy and the education of Texas children.

There are some signs that teachers aren't going to put up with it quietly. In Lubbock, several hundred teachers rallied on Saturday. The president of the Lubbock Educators Association made this comment about Republican legislators:

“We don’t believe they were voting these people in to make decisions that would affect their children’s education,” she said.

I think that is very well put, but I also know that Republican legislators have been very single minded, and very vocal, about being voted in to cut government spending. They must think teachers and parents won't demand payback at the polls next November.

In San Antonio on Saturday, another group of educators rallied for education, part of TSTA's 20-city "Day of Action." The board president for the Judson school district talked about laying off new teachers:

“Every cut you make affects kids,” said Gilbert Flores, board president of the Judson school district. “We have to cut everywhere, and unfortunately that means some good, first-year teachers.

All of these educators are very familiar with accountability systems, but will they hold their legislators accountable for their job losses, increased class size, and loss of administrative support? Obama started his re-election campaign yesterday, but Texans need to get fired up and get ready to un-elect the Republican architects of the structural deficit and House Bill 1 next November.

Let Obama take care of himself. We need to take care of Texas and get pro-education candidates lined up to take over the Texas House and Senate.