Members of the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District administration and board of trustees came together with leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley to bring awareness to public education issues during an informational event hosted by Raise Your Hand Texas on March 18.
The event was aimed at informing the business and education community about the public education policies that can effectively lead change in Texas Public Schools. These issues include the importance of providing better and fairer funding for our public schools, creating a more balanced accountability system, the opposition of policies that will divert funds away from public schools and the beneficial programs additional funds can bring, said George McShan, Board of Trustees Vice President. It also promoted methods for individuals to showcase their opinions to Texas Legislators.
“We want to educate the public about what public education does for almost five million children in Texas,” said McShan. “It’s an investment we must make for our future. Texas is currently 48th in the nation in per capital spending for students and we can do better than that. We have to do better than that for the future of our students.”
Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell and additional elected officials were present to offer their support for Texas Public Education.
Speakers included HCISD Superintendent Dr. Steve Flores, McShan and PSJA Superintendent Dr. Daniel King. Dr. Flores and Dr. King, who served as the administrative representatives for the event, showcased their support for the collaboration between the educational and business community of the Rio Grande Valley to benefit students across the state. Also presenting an overview of the issues was Raise Your Hand Texas CEO Dr. David Anthony.
“To see the community come together highlights the importance of collaboration on the topic of quality public education,” said Dr. Flores. “The foundation of our democracy is built upon pubic education. We at HCISD, as well as the rest of the Rio Grande Valley, understand that quality education is a must. To prepare our students for the 21st century, we must prepare them for post secondary college and workforce readiness.”
Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-profit education advocacy organization working to strengthen public education in Texas. The organization trains public school leaders to lead transformational change at the campus level, and advocate for public policies that make public schools better for all Texas students.
