Private, charter students aren’t held to the same standards as Texas public schools | Opinion

Charter schools no magic bullet

I disagree with Brian Byrd’s and Nicole Russell’s recent columns in support of using public tax money to support private or charter schools. (Jan. 15, 4C, “Rural lawmakers have stood in the way of school choice for Texas kids for too long”; Jan. 18, 11A, “Time for Abbott to deliver on school choice, property tax cuts”) Funding for public schools has always been less than it should be, and they want to exacerbate the problem.

Private and charter schools are not held to the same standard of public accountability or governance by local elected school boards. Many of these schools do not always follow the state or local school board-required curriculum. Compared with many public schools, there is actually little difference in achievement levels.

The Texas public school system has served the people well despite the Legislature’s failure to adequately fund schools. Before the state-ordered testing that forces teachers to “teach to the tests,” Texas high school graduates proved capable for work or college.

- Calvin Crider, Fort Worth

Not default by any other name

President Joe Biden refuses to join negotiations about raising the debt ceiling, declaring that any failure to raise the limit on America’s credit card would lead to economic destruction. He’s probably right — if the United States actually defaulted on its debt. But a default is not the same as not paying your bills. A default in this case specifically means a failure to pay the interest and redemptions on existing bonds.

If the debt limit prevents the Treasury Department from issuing new bonds, it has plenty of money to pay the interest due on old bonds. For 2022, the United States took in $4.9 trillion in revenue and paid out only $475 billion on servicing the debt. Defaulting on existing bonds and inviting financial chaos would be a deliberate choice by the administration.

- Jason Adams, Southlake

Protect what we worked for

The 118th Congress is in session, and Republicans may try to reduce Social Security and Medicare benefits. I’m going to watch closely what my U.S. representative, Kay Granger, does and says on the issue.

I will urge her to vote to protect and secure my Social Security and Medicare benefits. I worked hard for them. I know plenty of Fort Worth residents who would be angry if she doesn’t vote to secure our hard-earned benefits.

Please, Rep. Granger, be a champion for your constituents.

- Cary Clark, Fort Worth

DHS owes answers on migrants

The body count of Americans dying from fentanyl and other illicit drugs keeps rising. The southern border may not be “open,” according to Washington officials, but the flow of human beings and drugs certainly isn’t being stemmed.

I would like some individual in the Department of Homeland Security to finally just say: “We have no idea who these migrants are or what they intend to do here; we just want them here.” I won’t hold my breath for that amount of transparency, and I certainly wouldn’t expect an honest explanation of why those people are wanted here.

The 9/11 hijackers had no difficulty concealing their intentions from law enforcement and intelligence people.

- Bob Schultz, Haslet

Stop violence before it starts

I do not pretend to be a psychology expert. My common sense says COVID-19 restrictions hindered children’s emotional development by depriving them of social contact.

In school or society, we have to be in contact with others. When minor conflict comes up, we deal with it so that when bigger conflict arises, we can deal with it without violence. Now, such experience is limited, so violence is too often the result. (Jan. 23, Star-Telegram.com, “2 Fort Worth teens arrested in fatal shooting of Paschal High School junior at Whataburger”)

The answer may be for schools to give lessons in conflict resolution and anger management to provide students the tools to address conflicts without violence.

- Dan Moore, Fort Worth