Stop Fighting Over Schools. Start Fixing Them.

My kids went back to school this month, and it reminded me how much of our lives - and our communities - we entrust to public schools.

For me, back-to-school also brings back memories of growing up in a house with two teachers. My mom taught middle school English for more than 40 years. My dad taught high school art for more than 30.

The school year meant 4 AM wake-ups, stacks of papers to grade, and plenty of evenings and weekends when I tagged along to their classrooms.

At the time, being teachers was just what my parents did. Looking back, I understand how much they gave to that job - and how much pressure they were under to do it.

I also attended a Title I school. So when politicians talk about federal support for lower-income schools like it’s government waste, I know better. It was part of my education. Now, as a public school parent, I think a lot more about what we owe the next generation.

And Texas has some very real problems to solve.

In the 2024 national assessment, 43% of Texas fourth-graders and nearly 40% of eighth-graders scored below basic in reading. Eighth-grade math scores were also below the national public-school average.

Those numbers should have our full attention.

We should be talking about why so many Texas kids are struggling to read. Or why good teachers are leaving. Or why special education remains underfunded. Or why rural schools are struggling to keep programs and staff.

Instead, somehow, we keep getting dragged back into fights over library books, classroom walls, and whether teachers are trying to “radicalize” our kids.

Parents deserve a voice in their children’s education. I certainly want one. But turning every disagreement into a political spectacle doesn’t teach a child to read or put a great teacher in a classroom.

It does something very effectively, though — it keeps us fighting with each other instead of asking whether the people running Texas are actually delivering for our kids.

We demand accountability from our schools. We should demand it from the politicians writing their budgets and setting their priorities, too.

And Washington isn’t immune from the distraction.

There is plenty to discuss reforming in federal education policy. Decisions that belong to parents, teachers, and local communities should stay there. We can cut bureaucracy, demand results for taxpayer dollars, and stop pretending every problem requires another federal program.

But there are responsibilities that make sense at the federal level. Title I helps communities that don’t have the same local tax base as wealthier districts. Federal special education law protects kids with disabilities. Federal dollars support career and technical education and help rural and lower-income schools offer opportunities they might not otherwise be able to afford. And there is a legitimate federal role in making sure every child has equal access to a public education.

Those commitments matter, and I believe the Department of Education has an important role in keeping them.

Our kids only get one shot at their education. We should spend a lot less time manufacturing political fights and a lot more time making sure we get it right.

My parents showed me what it looks like to take on the enormous responsibility of educating other people’s children. I see that same commitment in my kids’ teachers today.

They’re showing up ready to do their jobs.

It’s time we elect leaders who will do theirs - and get serious about making Texas schools work better for our kids.