A Letter to the House and Senate Members of the HB3 Conference Committee:
Currently only 20% of eighth graders in Texas are completing a postsecondary degree within 6 years of scheduled high school graduation vs. our state’s goal of 60% by 2030.
We are supportive and appreciative of the proposed $6.3 Billion increase in funding to our schools, which represents a 5% increase in state investment. However, we can’t triple student achievement to meet this critical goal, unless increased investments are systemic and strategically focused on improving student achievement.
We support a final school finance bill that provides enough discretionary dollars to districts, net of any mandated pay raise, that allows them to fully fund the key Texas Commission on Public School Finance reforms that will improve outcomes:
o High quality, full day prekindergarten o Additional resources for low income students o Paying our best teachers substantially more and sooner in their career -- true strategic teacher compensation based on fair but robust multiple-measure evaluations o Providing incentives to teachers to teach in our most challenged schools - schools in need of a dramatic turnaround in student outcomes o Rewarding districts for graduating students postsecondary ready and supporting them in accessing college, career or the military.
We commend your focus and commitment to school finance reform this session. We know these are tough decisions, but we believe that this student-focused approach will ensure Texas’ economy remains vibrant for years to come. Thank you in advance for your leadership.
Sincerely,
Billy Addy Elaine Agather Executive Chairman Chairwoman ISN JPMorgan Chase, Dallas
Eduardo Aguirre Steve Van Amburgh Fmr. U.S. Ambassador to Chief Executive Officer Spain and Andorra KDC Real Estate Development
Susan Ansel Ralph. W. Babb, Jr. Chief Executive Officer Executive Chairman Gables Residential Comerica Bank
Anna Babin Norm Bagwell President & CEO Chief Executive Officer United Way of Greater Houston Bank of Texas Edward P. Bass Peter Beck Chairman & CEO Executive Chairman The Fine Line Group The Beck Group
Steve Becker Laura Bellows Chief Executive Officer CEO & Chairman of the Board Tuesday Morning W.S. Bellows Construction Corporation
Tom Bené Kyndel W. Bennett Chairman, President & CEO Chief Executive Officer Sysco Corporation Cayetano Development
Bruce Bilger Lucy Billingsley Managing Partner Partner 4B Capital, LLC Billingsley Company
Angela Blanchard J.W. “Brook” Brookshire President Emerita Chief Executive Officer BakerRipley S & B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd.
Rafael Bustillo Susan M. Byrne Chief Operating Officer Founder, Vice Chairwoman BBVA Compass Westwood Holdings Group
Tim Byrne Deborah Cannon President and CEO Former Chair Lincoln Property Company Greater Houston Partnership
Stan Chapman Amy Chronis Executive Vice President & President Houston Managing Partner US Natural Gas Pipelines, TC Energy Deloitte, LLP
Cynthia Comparin David Corrigan Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer Animato Corrigan Investments, Inc.
Mark Cuban Michael Dardick Owner Chief Executive Officer Dallas Mavericks Granite Properties
George A. DeMontrond, III R. Scott Dennis President Chief Executive Officer DeMontrond Automotive Group Invesco Real Estate
Joe DePinto Leslie Duke President & CEO President 7-Eleven, Inc. Burns & McDonnell
Gary S. Farmer Charles Foster President Chairman Heritage Title Company of Austin, Inc. Foster LLP
L. Frederick “Rick” Francis Brad Freels Chairman & CEO Chairman WestStar Midway Companies
Kelly Frels Mark Gibson Of Counsel Chief Executive Officer Bracewell LLP HFF, Inc.
Ivan Giraldo Greg Goff President Executive Vice Chairman CleanScapes Marathon Petroleum
John Goff Rex Gore Chairman, Goff Capital, Inc. President Chairman, Crescent Real Estate Professional Janitorial Services
Mary Hager Linda W. Hart Co-Founder Vice-Chairman, President & CEO Thackeray Partners Hart Group, Inc.
Milledge A. Hart III Bob Harvey Chairman President & CEO Hart Group, Inc. Greater Houston Partnership
Katherine Hatcher Steve Head President & COO Chancellor NewQuest Properties Lone Star College
Fred Heldenfels IV Earl Hesterberg President & CEO President & CEO Heldenfels Enterprises Group 1 Automotive
Thad Hill Paul Hobby President & CEO Partner Calpine Corporation Genesis Park
Ray L. Hunt Woody L. Hunt Executive Chairman Senior Chairman Hunt Consolidated, Inc. Hunt Companies
Bobby Jenkins Renard U. Johnson President President & CEO ABC Home & Commercial Services METI, Inc.
Gary Kelly Ali Khataw Chairman of the Board & CEO President & CEO Southwest Airlines Encoteh Engineering Consultants
Elizabeth Richmond Killinger Nancy G. Kinder President President & CEO Reliant, an NRG Company Kinder Foundation
Richard D. Kinder Mary E. Kipp Executive Chairman President Kinder Morgan El Paso Electric
T. Douglas Lawson, PhD Gina Luna President, Baylor Saint Luke’s Medical Center Chief Executive Officer CEO, Catholic Health Initiative, Texas Division Luna Strategies
Bobby B. Lyle Justin MacDonald Founder & Chairman President Lyco Holdings, Inc. MacDonald Companies, Inc.
Harold MacDowell David Marquardt Chief Executive Officer President TDIndustries Steam Team, Inc.
Schuyler Marshall Ralph Martinez Chairman of the Board Regional Senior Vice President The Rosewood Corp. Comcast
Preston McAfee David McClanahan Chairman Fmr. President & CEO Rogers-O’Brien Construction CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
Scott McClelland John McKeon President Publisher H-E-B Food and Drug Houston Chronicle Media Group
William F. McKeon Linda McMahon President & CEO President and CEO Texas Medical Center TREC Dallas
Reba Cardenas McNair David Michel President President & CEO Cardenas Development Catapult Health
Frank Mihalopoulos David Miller Chief Executive Officer Managing Director, Founder Corinth Properties EnCap Investments L.P.
Jeff Miller Jay Mincks Chairman, President & CEO Executive VP, Sales and Marketing Halliburton Company Insperity
Shea B. Morenz Patrick Oxford Chief Executive Officer Chairman Morenz Group Bracewell LLP
Carrin Patman Marshall Payne Chair Founder and Chairman METRO of Harris County CIC Partners
Rick Perdue Fred Perpall President Chairman Rosewood Property Company Dallas Citizens Council
Jim Postl Tim Powell Owner President & CEO James J. Postl Interests STP Nuclear Operating Company
Scott Prochazka Mike Rawlings President & CEO Vice Chairman, CIC Partners CenterPoint Energy Mayor, City of Dallas
Wyman Roberts Mark Rohr CEO & President, Brinker Intl. Chairman & CEO President, Chili’s Grill & Bar Celanese
Matthew K. Rose Jason Schenker Executive Chairman & CEO President BNSF Railway Prestige Economics
John Scovell Tom Segesta Chairman General Manager Woodbine Development Corp. Four Seasons Hotel Houston
Nick Serafy, Jr. Carl Sewell Chief Executive Officer Chairman Proficiency Testing Service Sewell Automotive Companies
Ruth Simmons, PhD David A. Spencer President President Prairie View A&M University Texas Intrepid Ventures
Roger Staubach Steve Stephens Chairman & CEO Chief Executive Officer 15 Partners Amegy Bank
Chuck Stokes Bill Strait President & CEO Houston Managing Partner Memorial Hermann Health System Ernst & Young
Tym Tombar Steve Trauber Managing Director Vice Chairman and Global Head of Energy Arcadius Capital Partners Citigroup
Bobby Tudor Massey Villarreal Chairman President & CEO Tudor, Pickering, Holt Co. LLC Precision Task Group
Andy Waite Timothy R. Wallace Co-President Chairman, CEO & President SCF Partners Trinity Industries, Inc.
George Watson Marc Watts President President SteelCreek Management, LLC The Friedkin Group
Richard Weekley Rich Wells Chairman Vice President Operations USGC, Dow Weekley Development Company Site Director Texas Operations, Dow
Jason Wolfe Dan Wolterman President & CEO Fmr. President & CEO NovaLink, Inc. Memorial Hermann Health System
Ed Wulfe Christopher Zook Chairman & CEO Chairman & Chief Investment Officer Wulfe Co. CAZ Investments, LP