Jeff Wentworth
Guest Commentary

It wasn’t too many years ago that the first full week in March was set aside annually as “Texas Public School Week.”

Special programs were scheduled during the week, and parents were urged to visit their children’s classrooms. Parents would leave schools proudly displaying a lapel ribbon or a sticker, declaring that they had “visited a public school.”

Times and classrooms have changed. The annual Texas Public Schools Week has moved not only to any week in March, but to any week in the school year. TAKS tests and other school activities dictated the change.

The changes in the classroom are even more significant. The days of teaching straight from a textbook, writing problems on a blackboard and using an overhead projector have gone the way of the single, designated week for recognition of our public schools.

Computers line the walls, computer-driven PowerPoint presentations have replaced overhead projectors, and students may be watching an educational program on television or participating in a distance learning class.

Not only have Texas public schools gone hi-tech, they are offering a variety of different classes. Students may receive college credit while still in high school, fine-tune their skills in vocational/technical trade schools or opt to attend career magnet schools; they also may take classes online.

Public schools, however, are more than places of learning. The quality of education being delivered in a school system reaches into the community. Good schools help attract new families and businesses to an area, giving stability to local economies and contributing to the quality of life.

A district’s public schools and the property taxes that support them are an investment in both education and the property values of a neighborhood. Good schools make good neighborhoods.

During the time between legislative sessions, the Senate Committee on Education has been charged with reviewing current property tax rates at school districts, particularly those in fast growth districts.

Studying property tax rates is only one of the many charges issued to the Senate Committee on Education by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Those charges range in scope from studying the effectiveness of public school programs serving special education students to reviewing the state’s Adult Basic Education programs.

The Senate Committee on Education will be meeting the rest of this year to study and review various aspects of the state’s public school system. I urge you to do your own review by visiting a public school sometime this month to see for yourself how teaching has evolved since the days of blackboards and Big Chief tablets.

You may be surprised to see just how much education has changed since the Masonic Lodges of Texas established Texas Public Schools Week in 1950.

Currently, the Texas Schools Public Relations Association sponsors the week, which continues to be a meaningful way to showcase the educational opportunities given to the more than 4 million Texas public school students.

Texas State Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) represents District 25, which includes part of Bexar County. He can be reached via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .