Yesterday concluded the “primary season” for the 2018 elections. The race most closely followed by Texas Public School Educators was the race for Republican Lt. Governor candidate featuring incumbent Dan Patrick and Challenger Scott Milder.
In the end, the deep pockets of Patrick supporters were too much for Milder. Milder mounted a fine campaign reaching out to school personnel directly attempting to get them to vote for him (against Patrick). Milder only received a disappointing 24% of the vote.
As much as I would like to be optimistic about the Democrats chances in the General Election in November, I’m not. This is a largely Republication State and will probably remain that way.
As for what we have to look forward going forward:
- More time wasted on bathroom bills that no one really cares about.
- More time wasted trying to pass a “voucher bill”.
- More empty promised to educators, like a $10,000 raise, that is not funded by the state but by the local districts. Just another unfunded mandate.
- More kicking the can down the road with no resolution in sight for the school funding problem.
- Now, there is no Strauss in the House to stop the repeated voucher bills.
- Continued 25% health insurance rate increase each year.
- A continued decreasing percentage of education funding from the state, with more responsibility being put on the local districts. (TRANSLATION: Higher property taxes).
It is going to be a long 4 years with little dan patrick back as the lt. governor. I’m hoping the educators in this state finally have enough courage to follow the lead set by the teachers of West Virginia.