Gov. Greg Abbott paid a visit to Dallas Tuesday because he says the school district has a proven system that works. He's considering several statewide education improvements from Dallas and elsewhere in Texas.
Speaking at an afternoon event at Solar Preparatory School for Girls, Abbott said the district鈥檚 ACE program, Accelerating Campus Excellence, has consistently turned around low-performing schools since it launched in 2015. The program, which recruits top teachers, serves kids three meals a day and extends the school day, has since by other North Texas districts.
鈥淚f we have the very best teachers, teaching the students who need those teachers more than anybody else, that is a strategy that鈥檒l move the needle the most,鈥� Abbott said.
Tx Gov Abbott says ed goal is to set the course. Asks how to pay tchrs more... since he is married to former tchr? He wants to pay them more. His critics say lawmakers should increase ed funding that鈥檚 been stagnant 鈦︹仼
— BILL ZEEBLE (@bzeeble)
Dallas school district leaders, like trustee Miguel Solis, say they know ACE works. Before Abbott鈥檚 visit, Solis told reporters it鈥檚 time for the governor not only to fund the ACE program but also to increase overall statewide education funding, especially after education cuts in 2011 were never fully restored.
My thoughts on Governor Greg Abbott鈥檚 visit to DISD today. Lots of info but stay till the end.
— Miguel Solis (@MiguelForDallas)
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to continue to have hollow hope," Solis said. 鈥淭hey need to take what they hear from DISD 鈥� as they have now session after session 鈥� and they need to act on it. If they don鈥檛, they鈥檒l keep coming and seeing some cool programs but they won鈥檛 see it to scale, and they won't get the results that Texas is due.鈥�
Abbott knows there are skeptics. He says he鈥檚 sincere about improving education for all Texas kids and that there needs to be more school funding. But, he says, each district is different.
鈥淲hat may work in Dallas may not work in Levelland,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淒ifferent educators in different ISDs operate differently. The reality is working through the complexities of all the different ISDs takes longer [and] is more complex than saying DISD has a great product that is working.鈥�
Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who participated in the roundtable with Abbott, is ready to take the governor at his word.
鈥淭his is the first time I鈥檝e heard leadership of the state say it鈥檚 time to put more resources in it,鈥� Hinojosa said. 鈥淪o, I think he鈥檚 really serious. He wouldn鈥檛 be spending this much time if it was a hollow promise.鈥�
Abbott says he plans to take what he鈥檚 learned in Dallas and at an earlier roundtable in New Braunfels back to Austin so lawmakers can craft an education plan the governor can successfully sell to the Texas Legislature, which meets in January.
