Here's your weekly wrap-up of education news from ATPE Governmental Relations:

• Guest Post: Dan Patrick is lying about teacher raises
• 12 Days of Voting, early voting end today
• Gov. Abbott pitches school finance fix

Carl Garner

In the weeks prior to the upcoming midterm elections, many people across the state have been bombarded with a slew of campaign ads featuring members of both parties vying for the votes of the general public. One such ad features Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick discussing a $10,000 raise that he alleges he championed for educators. But there's a problem: no such thing ever happened. ATPE Past State President Carl Garner quashes that claim and explains why such rhetoric is offensive in this guest post.

Over the past two weeks of early voting we've been highlighting what's at stake for educators in the 2018 midterm elections. This past week we've examined a myriad of issues like why it's important to elect pro-public education candidates to the State Board of Education and why vouchers are a threat to public schools. Over the years, teachers have had to deal with a barrage of attacks: attempts to limit their ability to join professional associations, school funding cuts, and exorbitant increases in health care costs, to name a few. That has made an already demanding job that much more difficult. With Nov. 6 a few days away, it's time for educators to asses the hand they've been dealt and whether the legislature is holding up its end of the bargain; then vote accordingly.

Read more from the 12 Days of Voting series:

• State Board of Education
• A-F Accountability
• Intimidation
• Vouchers
• Payroll Deduction
• School Safety
• Turnout
• School Finance
• Retirement
• Legislative Math
• Health Care
• Teacher Pay

Governor Abbott showcased his plan to patch up the state's school finance system to business leaders and educators earlier this week. Without having received the recommendations of the Commission on Public School Finance, which has not yet concluded its work (although it is expected to report its findings by the end of this year), Abbott has proposed a plan that would limit the amount of property tax revenue school districts can raise and would give school districts financial rewards for improving student performance. The proposal gave pause to Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio), vice chair of the House Public Education Committee. Bernal had this to say with regards to the proposal:

"It would be a shame if school finance was merely a Trojan horse for his property tax agenda," he said. "What that means is that it's not about the students at all."

Read more about the proposal and see the text of the document in this article by the Texas Tribune.