Statement About Comptroller's Erroneous Claims on Education Spending

Statement About Comptroller's Erroneous Claims on Education Spending

AUSTIN - The following statement was issued today by Kathy Walt, press secretary to Gov. Rick Perry, in response to the comptroller's inaccurate claims about education spending in Texas.

"Comptroller Strayhorn's claim on per-student spending in Texas is 100 percent wrong. Texas increased per-pupil spending in 2005, and the National Education Association admitted it got it wrong in a conversation with Senate Education Chair Florence Shapiro. Whether Ms. Strayhorn is deliberately misleading the public, or ignorantly echoing a false claim by the NEA, she should know better as the state's top number-cruncher."

In its appropriation bill, the Texas Legislature delayed an $800 million payment to Texas schools by five days, but school districts still got their money for the school year. This funding was left out of the NEA calculation, leading to a false claim about per-pupil spending in Texas. As the comptroller of public accounts, it would seem likely Strayhorn is aware of that delayed payment. If not, it's even greater cause for concern.

http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2006-02-21.5054