Abbott In Dallas Discusses School Safety, Teacher Wages
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Gov. Greg Abbott was in North Texas on Tuesday to hold his second of two statewide round table discussions, talking to teachers about campus safety and a variety of other topics. Abbott will meet with educators at Solar Preparatory School for Girls in Dallas.
The Governor wants to see how safe teachers and students feel heading into a new school year. He also talked about wage increases for teachers.
With pen and paper in hand, Abbott arrived at the New Braunfels school ready to listen and get a frontline lesson in how to improve education in Texas. One of his goals during the next legislative session, he said, is to invest in teachers, beginning with a road to higher pay.
"We want to structure a compensation plan," Abbott stated, "that will put the very best educators on a pathway to earning a six-figure salary.
"I'm a proponent of that," said parent Deedee Black. "Pay great teachers competitive wages. I think that's great."
"I'm very disappointed in the amount of attention and funding that actually gets into the school," remarked parent Shafeeqa Small. "The lack of support for the teachers themselves."
"Teachers are definitely underpaid," added parent Julie Palencia. "They are bringing up our future generation and we need them to be paid more."
Of course, campus safety is also top of mind at the moment, as children head back to class following several deadly school shootings across the country, including one right here in Texas. Ten people were killed when a student started firing shots at Santa Fe High School, outside of Houston, back in May.
"There is no magic formula that will ensure absolute safety across the board," Abbott added. "Based on what you told me, I can tell you schools are better structured for better safety when the school doors open in the coming year, to make sure that your students are safer, knowing that the state will be working with you and schools across the state in the upcoming session to make sure we do all we possibly can to make our schools safe."
Wages and school safety are not the only issues, however. Abbott also said that retirement and healthcare should be made priorities during the upcoming legislative session. The Governor plans to hold additional round table conversations at other Texas schools in the future.