The opening bell rang on the 84th Texas State Legislature today. Amid some leadership elections, oath swearing, and box unpacking, the State Comptroller made a report on the Biennial Revenue estimate. That number, and it’s a big one, is the amount the Legislature uses to guide the direction of our State for the next two years.

And there’s good news!

For 2014-2015, the state can expect to have $101.4 billion in funds available for general-purpose spending. This represents a 12.4% increase from the corresponding amount of funds available for 2012-2013. * (italics added)

You heard it, Texas. 12.4% more money!!!! I’m not going to ask where the money came from, since I don’t really see much economic growth in the part of Texas where I spend my days. I’m just glad it came from somewhere.

But wait…there’s more.

In addition to the General Revenue-related funds, the state stands to collect $112 billion in federal receipts and other revenues dedicated for specific purposes…Revenue collections from all sources and for all purposes should total $208.2 billion.*

*Excerpted from the Transmittal Letter of the Texas Comptroller’s Office

Here’s the question I want answered: How are we going to spend it?

It is OUR money after all. We entrusted it with the good people in Austin when we elected them (either by voting or by not voting) into office this past year. They have from today until May to spend it. Many members of the legislature want to put it into savings. Seeing as how that money isn’t going into my savings account, I’d rather they use it to write some checks.

And here’s the first one I want you to sign…

Start Paying for Texas Schools 

Here are some more numbers for you.

According to the Texas Comptroller’s Office and The National Education Agency:

• Enrollment in Texas Public Schools is up 9% since 2009.
• Enrollment gains in Texas are the greatest percentage gain in the Nation
• Texas schools educate 750,000 more students than we did in 2003

The most notable fact about these enrollment statistics is that the increase seems to be entirely made up of economically disadvantaged kids.

The number of economically disadvantaged students in Texas public schools is up 776,840 since 2003. That means that, of all the new students Texas Schools have been charged with teaching in the last decade, 105% of them live in low-income households. All of the increased enrollment our state has seen represents a population of children who’s families have the fewest resources to provide for their futures.

And what have those good people we put into office done to support Texas’ future?

The Texas State legislature has decreased district expenditures every year since 2009. Over the last 5 years, the State has cut education funding by nearly 5%. In fact, Texas ranks 45th in the Nation in per student expenditures. As a result, Texas schools find themselves teaching more kids, and more disadvantaged kids, with less money than ever.

Texas ranks 45th in the Nation in per student expenditures

So get out your checkbook, Texas. It’s time for us to put our money where our mouth is. In the recent election, our State’s children were at the forefront of the debate. In order for Texas to continue to succeed, we need a workforce of well-educated Texans. We need better schools and better access to technology. We need fewer students in each class, which means we need more teachers. We need to encourage our Nation’s best and brightest to enter the noblest profession by paying teachers a wage deserving of their hard work. The average teacher in Texas earned $38,091 last year. That’s $13,613 less than the average worker in Texas and $14,159 less than the national average. If we want kids to know that we value their future, we need to put the most outstanding Americans in charge of their education and we have to pay them a salary that shows how much we value them. We need to hold these people accountable for success while we provide them with the resources and support they need to succeed. We need to explore new ways to provide access to excellence for our State’s most valuable resource. In order to innovate, we need investment.

So it’s time to ask your representative, whether you voted for them or not, what they will do to ensure that our kids have the best teachers, the most access to quality instruction, and the greatest chance at success.

Since Texas seems to be doing better than ever, perhaps its time our State’s children get their fair share of the wealth.

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To find out how to contact your State Representative, click here. And then call them, e-mail them, write them, and pay them a visit. Make your voice heard about this important issue!