CLEMENTS - WHITE DEBATE PBS - Dallas October 16, 1982 Page 15 the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Department of Corrections and other agencies in Texas State Government have all unanimously asked him and insisted that he hire outside council. First time in history we've spent $3 million for outside council and this is inexcusable. He has run his office in a manner that brings about a situation where four former Texas Attorney Generals are all for me. They're supporting me, they're enthusiastic for me. Why? Because he's done a mediocre job. ROGER: Governor Clements, of the some 1100 school districts in the state, between five and six hundred are still paying their teachers the minimum, no local enrichment. Those teachers are getting $11,110 a year. On the other end of the scale teachers with 30 years experience in this state only make on the avearage about 900 more a year than teachers with 15 years experience. How can the richest state in the nation justify that? WPC: Well it's a it's a tough problem Roger, and I agree with you that we need to give attention to our Texas teachers. But under the step plan as it's called withing those pay increases that are so structured and they're so tightly structured, that it is very very difficult for us to give the attention under the present kind of rules that we have to operate under to reach those lower end of-the school systems. We have over 1100 independent school districts in Texas. I have discussed this with Lt. Governor Hobby, as well as Speaker Clayton and the leadership in both the House and the Senate and I am confident that in the 1983 legislative session that we're going to address the formulas by which this is done, also the enrichment and foundation program that pumps money into these poorer 1100 schools districts. There isn't any question about it. They need help and we need to adjust the foundation plan and the enrichment plan as it is now constituted./(But I think the Texas public needs to understand and very few people do that today 52% of our total Texas budget, paid by the Texas taxpayers, 52% of that budget is spent on education. So it's really not just a question of pumping money into these various things but it is an effort on our part to spend that money in a more productive manner, a more cost effective manner and put those dollars where they'll do the most good to get the best product out the end of the pipeline and properly prepare our young people for their career opportunities, and we have not been doing that. I want us to get some discipline back in that classroom, improve the teaching/learning enironment. That's what we need to do.
