[Dubya]

Among local lawmakers, only state Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, maintained a consistent vote against the Dunnam amendment. He said it was a matter of principle.

“It is one of those issues where people are afraid someone will use [the vote] in a campaign against them,” Zedler said. “But the amendment did nothing for teachers and it gave taxpayers the shaft.”

Michael Quinn Sullivan, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, complained that the legislation, as amended, “puts unions and special-interest politics ahead of hard-working Texans.” He noted that before any new tax relief can go into effect, every public school teacher, counselor, librarian and nurse in the state would have to receive a $6,000 per-year raise -- at a cost of more than $2 billion per year.

[goodnesswins]

"every public school teacher, counselor, librarian and nurse in the state would have to receive a $6,000 per-year raise -- at a cost of more than $2 billion per year."

And, there you have one of the problems with PUBLIC EDUCATION!

[Zack Nguyen]

That put House lawmakers in sync with the priorities of ordinary Texans, said state Rep. Jim Dunnam, the Waco Democrat who sponsored the amendment. “I don’t believe that we should rely on personal charity to keep people in the classroom -- we ought to treat teachers like the professionals they are,” he said.

I agree - so let's get rid of all standardized testing and all state curriculum. Treat teachers like professionals - let them teach. As it is now, they are half educators and half babysitters.