TAKS, Chris Bell, GOP, Immigration, Winning and Losing
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell is campaigning against high-stakes testing and believes the $360 million spent on selected teacher bonuses should have been used for a larger, overall pay raise.
He is correct. Even with the additional $2,000, average teacher pay in Texas will continue to lag several thousand dollars behind the national average. Most Texas teachers are being “squeezed.”
Clay Robison chief of the Houston Chronicle’s Austin Bureau.
“Those folks running schools from Austin think they can use tests to make our kids smarter,” he rails before chuckling: “But a test won’t make you any smarter than a ruler will make you taller.”
Chris Bell on the TAKS test in a column by Carlos Guerra.
“For them to adopt such an egregious proposal makes their platform look more like a hate crime than a policy position.”
Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-San Antonio) in a press conference on the Texas GOP’s divisive immigration stance.
“It’s not very often that you have a Democrat candidate for governor trying to come in third. You have to relish that.”
Rep. Lamar Smith to the GOP executive committee. Smith is facing John Courage in November.
She also warned the party faithful that President Bush’s sagging poll numbers and general unease across a spectrum of issues could jeopardize the Republican majorities in Congress.
“We have never had so much to lose, and we’ve never had so far to fall,” said Hutchison, whose re-election is being challenged by Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer.
John Moritz - Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
