Texas Governor Greg Abbott has recently revealed a plan to make the state’s education system rank among the best in the country. However, his remarks irritated some Texas residents, who believe that the governor has not been doing well in this area over the last 12 years.
As reported by the Austin American–Statesman, Abbott told reporters at an event that he intends to put Texas at number 1 in the national education rankings. According to him, even with programs such as Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which provide vouchers for private schools, his team continues to deem public education a priority.
Abbott said that the administration will focus on improving reading proficiency, math education, and attracting more educators to the state. He also said that the Texas Classroom Commission will meet monthly to deliver reports on teachers’ perspectives on how to improve education.
Texas Reacts to Abbott’s Education Plans
Texans were not very positive about Abbott’s interview; however, many users on r/Texas disagreed with how the state has handled education in previous years. One of them said: “He’s had a plan for destruction for more than a decade, unfortunately.” Another added: “Oh, he still has a plan. You think he’s done yet?”
Others took a jab at the governor, saying: “He’s been Gov for 12 years, and NOW he has a plan?” Someone else responded: “Technically, he says he has a plan leading up to every state election. This is just his parroting empty promises so he can continue to get reelected so he can continue his real plan, which is to have education for the rich only and dismantle public schools so much that the public school system fails so much that the federal requirement for school disappears.”
Generally, locals were skeptical that anything would improve, as shown by this commenter: “He created a task force in 2022 to figure out why teachers were leaving Texas and did nothing with the report they gave him.”
If Greg Abbott is elected to another term, it remains to be seen how he will handle education, but these comments make it clear that he will face fierce opposition from some residents who don’t like his approach.
