Sign this Petition for Texas and its Kids

Our schools and health services for kids can't afford to go back in time, so a petition circulating this back-to-school season tells Texas leaders to move forward instead.  You probably know by now that in 2011, the state of Texas made severe cuts to public education, matched with deep reductions in other services, including health care. The state, which already was among those investing the least in children, started spending billions less on education, health, and other vital services. With another legislative session around the corner and talk already coming from state leaders about still more squeezes on our schools and health systems, we need your help.

The organizations behind Texas Well and Healthy also help lead Texas Forward, and our campaign supports the coalition's position that Texas needs better than what has come before. Our state needs to support the vital public structures--like our schools and hospitals--that underpin our communities, and we as Texans all need to stand up for the people who perhaps count on these things most: our children.

Health care and schools are both essential parts of our economy, our communities, and our children's lives. Yet some Texas leaders have been pitting health care and education against one another, indicating Medicaid could "squeeze" public education in the state budget.

As Texas grows, we need to pay attention to whether Texans have a safe, secure, and healthy future. Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of children, as well as their grandparents in nursing homes and family members with a lifelong disability. And quality public education is the key to our state’s future prosperity. That's why we hope you will sign the petition today to tell state leaders not to drag schools OR health care backwards!

Your signature tells state leaders:

The problem is not Medicaid, public education, or any other essential public service; the problem is the priorities of state leadership. We need a real plan to meet the needs of Texans!

Fix the hole: We must fix the $10 billion hole in the budget that state leaders put there in 2006, leaving Texas without the revenue it needs for health care and education.

Use the Rainy Day Fund: Stop prioritizing tax giveaways over investments in our children's future. In the short run, use our Rainy Day Fund for its intended purpose, to maintain vital services in this Rainy Day economy. The fund replenishes on its own, and when matched with a fix for that $10 billion hole, we can give our schools and kids what they need.

Have the courage to lead: We need real solutions to our revenue crisis. Take an honest look at the challenges that our rapidly growing population faces, and stop using rhetoric that asks us to choose between quality education or quality health care for our children.

Please don't delay.  Sign on today!

Written by: Christine Sinatra, Texans Care for Children