The Issue

My name is Tracy Gallman.  I have served our community firsthand and have seen the potential and the success of our children within the Castleberry ISD. Our accountability rating is a B, our performance is above State average in many areas, we are a community that prides itself in our educational institutions, and we provide school choice within our district. Yet, to maintain and propel the high standards of education our students deserve, securing proper funding for our schools is not just important—it’s essential.

As such, we are calling on the Texas House Public Education Committee to increase per pupil spending by $1300. Investing in our students is not just beneficial to them but to our society as a whole. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, increasing per-student spending yields significant improvements in educational attainment and earnings for students and could substantially alleviate poverty and inequality in adulthood.

We also urge the opposition against Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) that siphon public resources away from our public schools. ESAs are detrimental to our public education system as they redirect public dollars to private institutions. As per the Economic Policy Institute, this can lead to a disparity in the allocation of funds and potentially widen the gap in educational quality between public and private institutions.

We, the community members, educators and parents of HD 99 in Texas, implore the Committee  to consider our request. Our children's future and the quality of public education in our state depend on the wise execution of these financial resources. It's time to act now and foster an environment where all children have equal opportunities to learn and succeed.

Please, sign this petition and together, we can ensure a brighter future for the children of Texas.