AUSTIN -- Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his rising-political-star son, George P. Bush of Fort Worth, urged Texas on Tuesday to dismantle the "monopoly of public education" by expanding access to charter schools, embracing online learning and overhauling how teachers are evaluated.
But neither man offered any hints about his political future.Jeb Bush, often mentioned as a contender for president in 2016, told an education forum organized by the Texas Business Leadership Council, "I urge you to be big and bold, and if people get offended, so what?"He added that America's public schools have for too long been organized to best suit the "economic needs of adults," such as unionized teachers and school administrators, rather than students.Bush was governor from 1999 until 2007 and pushed an overhaul of Florida public schools, which he said helped improved standardized tests scores enough that the state's fourth-graders went from near the bottom nationally in core subjects to among the country's leaders.George P. Bush, meanwhile, delivered a short warm-up speech.He has announced plans to seek statewide office in Texas next year and that he's leaning toward land commissioner. He described teaching in an underprivileged Florida school after college and seeing firsthand "the power that can be unleashed with reform in an education system."Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
