Gov. Rick Perry vetoed $35.3 billion in public school funding Saturday and called legislators back to the drawing board on education reform for a special session to begin Tuesday.
"I recognize that this is a bold step," Perry said. "Wiping the school finance slate clean and starting over again is the best way to proceed."
Lawmakers now must approve a new education budget in a 30-day session so that schools have enough time to prepare their own budgets for the fall.
Perry also used his line-item veto to cut an additional $1.7 billion from the state budget, which he said could help provide funding for education.
In addition to reworking the budget, Perry called on legislators to reform the way schools are funded and the way that money is spent, two goals they failed to meet in the regular session.
"I think our children, their parents, our teachers deserve better," Perry said.
Perry said lawmakers can reach an agreement on public school finance that relieves property taxes, increases teacher salaries and expands classroom resources.
"There's plenty of time to finish the important work before us," Perry said. "We have no greater public priority than to ensure our children can succeed."
Without a special session, Perry said, $2 billion that had been set aside for schools would not be spent because lawmakers never agreed on a reform plan.
"I can't let $2 billion go unused when it can go directly into the classroom," Perry said.
Perry's announcement was met with mixed reactions of applause and cynicism.
Robert Floyd, executive director of the Texas Music Educators Association, issued a laudatory statement upon Perry's announcement.
"Texas sorely needs the kind of strong leadership Gov. Perry demonstrated today," Floyd's statement read.
Other educators remained skeptical.
Rob D'Amico, a spokesman for the Texas Federation of Teachers, said the special session is unlikely to result in a fundamentally improved public school system.
"To a certain extent, they are holding public education hostage, and that may be the strategy to get something accomplished," D'Amico said.
However, he said it would take more than a ticking clock to accomplish meaningful reform.
"We certainly have not seen any new commitment or changing of course that would indicate that they are going to provide an adequate amount of funding," D'Amico said.
Perry said he is confident the session will be a success.
"This issue has been studied and debated long enough," Perry said. "Now is the time to act."
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