MAKE AN IMPACT. VOLUNTEER. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Uncategorized

Flair and Fashion of Texas YG

The Texas YMCA Youth and Government program has a long and sophisticated history, extending over 7 decades prior to today and including thousands of students. Because of its highly respected past and the professional environment of the organization, a strict dress code is required for all students to follow. Through the artistic lens of the YMCA guidelines, many students take the opportunity to express their unique, creative styles and aesthetics through the way they dress. 

The dress code, called for by the YMCA, describes a professional, neutral outfit meant to portray the sincerity and professionalism of the Youth and Government conferences. Despite the supposed similarities of dress between students, they actually tend to differentiate often. 

Many suits are specially tailored in their own way, and jackets often show as a dark blue, green, red, or more. Shirts worn under blazers and coats are typically very different in their designs, showing threaded motifs and patterns, buttons and pockets, and all in every color of the rainbow. Students wear shiny or suede shoes and classy loafers, along with all kinds of heels, flats, or pumps. 

And not only outfits influence the radiant confidence these students manifest; hair and makeup, accessories, even the bags and briefcases holding propositions and notes accentuate each and every student’s individual ensembles. Here are a few Youth and Government participants explaining their choice of outfit and what it means to them. 

Ryder Trent, of Broadcast Media, is wearing gray pants, a classy purple button-up dress shirt, and unique diamond-patterned socks. He asserts, “(This outfit) makes me feel confident in myself and my ability to do my job.” Confidence in yourself is essential to Youth and Government as a whole, especially at the Texas Capitol, in which every student is challenged to present multiple projects, pieces or presentations over a few days. Being optimistic and secure in the way you represent yourself, your faction, and your school will always help your skills for Youth and Government organizations. 

Pictured above is freshman broadcast media delegate Ryder Trent.

Evan Lee, the Social Media Editor in Chief, wears a deep indigo-blue suit which stands out against the black-suited crowd. He explains, ¨Being a part of Youth and Government for 7 years makes outfits seem repetitive… I wear different clothes to stand out.¨ Lee spoke of how he once wore an outfit combining baby blue and pale pink, which made him recognizable to others.  This expression combines composure and confidence, two necessary mindsets to have at Youth and Government conferences. Being able to be easily distinguishable from within a large group can help with the way others perceive you. Along with implementing the style you enjoy into your professional way of dress, your confidence at Youth and Government, and your recognizable look can immensely help the way you conduct yourself and the image you project in trial, debate, or interviews. 

Social Media State Officer Evan Lee showing off his Sean John indigo-blue suit. 

 

Zoe Costanza, a House of Representative Delegate, wears a lightly checkered black-and-white blazer over a sharp black minidress and platform block heels. She says, “How’s a delegate supposed to girlboss without heels?” Her outfits show her creativity in her professional appearance by applying the clothes and aesthetics she likes into the diligent courthouse dress code. This kind of expression combines personal interests with public rule. What many people find beneficial in Youth and Government conferences is assimilating familiar aesthetics into the YMCA dress code, which, especially to newcomers, can seem stressful, strict, or plain. Being able to wear something you enjoy wearing, while still adhering to the proper dress code guidelines, is a fantastic source of self-assurance, comfort, and certainty of one’s own abilities in a court setting.

No matter what you choose to wear at Youth and Government, your ever-present unique and artistic touches to your outfits and appearance can all help your overall productivity, confidence, and happiness. Always have fun with your style in Youth and Government!

Written by: Abigail Adams

2022-04-23T14:53:26-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Commotion in State Affairs General Assembly

As day two of the Texas Youth and Government Conference (YG) commenced, State Affairs (SAF) delegates Joshua Lee and Raphael Caballes found themselves on the proposal docket for General Assembly (GA).Prior to their opening remarks, proposal number 43 entitled Sex Education Reform stirred mixed feelings, but for the wrong reasons. While the attention should’ve been on the general debate of the proposal, a memorable argument was centered towards the amendment period. 

Previous to Lee and Caballes’ proposal, a motion was passed to limit the number of amendments to four speakers. The commotion commenced when a delegate trying to get their amendment heard, asked for a motion to shuffle amendments, which was recognized by appointed proposal Chair Shmeis. As the motion was getting voted on, another delegate suggested a motion to shuffle amendments for every proposal, including the current one. 

A concerned delegate questioned this motive, “Point of Inquiry! Wasn’t there a motion passed already regarding the amendment period?”.

Left and right, Point of Inquiries were heard throughout the Trinity room as confused students questioned the integrity of the recent motion and time restrictions. One delegate argued that they couldn’t shuffle amendments, while another quickly countered that by stating it would be at the discretion of the chair. 

Chair Shmeis decided to recognize the motion as delegates shouted their disapproval in apparent ‘BOO’s’. Shmeis, under pressure, stated that this would be the last proposal she chairs, presumably due to the disapproval. Ultimately, Shemis called for ‘I’s’ in approval and ‘Nay’s’ in disapproval to be heard, concluding the ‘I’s’ as the majority. 

While all thought this disagreement ended, division was called by most “Nay’s’ in an attempt to set a recount. Quickly, Point of Order was called in an attempt to question the chair’s counting motives. “Point of Order! Isn’t the chair supposed to count division according to the handbook?’ questioned Madison Irvin. The chair called the room to order and concluded her final decision of a recount. 

After the long-awaited recount, the result was final: amendments will NOT be shuffled.

Written by: Jacqueline Chavez

2022-04-23T13:43:34-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Youth and Government 101, a Guide to State Conference

Joining Youth and Government as a rookie is intimidating and a surplus of questions comes with it. What’s the difference between Business Professional and Business Casual? How does everyone seem to know everyone? What is going on? All of these are valid, common questions and some are answered through time and experience. Some, on the other hand, the senior participants and I can give you a jumpstart on, to make your first Youth and Government State Conference, the best it can be. 

In the easiest terms, there are five sections: Trial Court, Legislative, State Affairs, Appellate, and Media. Trial Court and Appellate’s sections are based on real world court cases, either depicting these cases through their own personalization or diving deep into the court’s decision, making sure it’s the right one. The Legislative and State Affairs section spend time discussing and amending different bills and proposals, general bills and proposals significant to real world problems. The Media section serves as reporters during this conference, informing everyone of the ins and outs of this competition through multiple forms of media. 

Looking at the social aspects of this conference, it seems like everyone is familiar with each other. This familiarity of many of the delegates isn’t a conspiracy, just experience! Through every section, participants are exposed to a variety of people every year, and we get the chance to talk to a lot of people, even making friends along the way. 

It’s important to remember though, there’s etiquette for every section to keep the submersion smooth with respect, being the most significant. Section etiquette isn’t only social, but physical too, through the clothes you wear, whether business attire or casual. Business attire is used for the main portion of our competition, and usually consists of pantsuits, skirts, button ups and slacks, or suit and ties so you can formally look your best for each other and at the areas you go. With Business attire out of the way, Business casual is easier to understand as a more comfortable version of the former. A lot of times here at competition you’ll see sweaters, slacks, khakis, nice blouses, and comfortable shoes for Business casual. You still want to look nice, but more comfortable while we do it! 

In an interview with Angelyna Huag, 3 year participant and Judge, she gives some advice for Trial court newbies. “Fake it til’ you make it. Even if you don’t know what you’re saying exactly, just say it with confidence!” explains Huag. Not only for trial court, but for newbies in many of the sections, “Don’t be too worried about what’s going on because it’s very hectic” says Eowng Barbosa, an interviewee from Photojournalism Media, “There’s always people you can ask for help!” Everyone’s first time is scary and confusing, but the best way to overcome that is to jump in and learn along the way through the experience. 

State conference isn’t just all work, but a time to enjoy yourself too! After a long day of taking buses, working through trials and bills, or writing pieces, all participants get the chance to eat out and have fun in some social activities with other kids. At the mixer there’s multiple activities like karaoke, board games, arcade games, painting, and photos with friends! It’s a great time to socialize with other participants and make friends. On the second night, there’s a banquet where a delicious meal is provided for all of the participants. These off-times are a wonderful period to relax from the long day. 

However many questions one has, the most important thing to remember here at the state conference is to have fun! After participating for 2 years, my favorite aspects here are always the people I meet and the fun social activities Youth and Government has for us to do. It’s an exciting contrast in anyone’s normal routine and is worth the experience.

Written by: LeeAnn Partin

2022-04-23T13:32:27-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Face-to-Face, Computer-to-Computer

Setbacks of Running in an Online Election

Pandemic Overview 

     After the immense spread of the viral respiratory infection, COVID-19, the world promptly went into a lockdown mandate. The use of technology skyrocketed to rates that have never been seen before. The closure of education systems such as public, private, and non-profit, impacted the way we, as a society, intercommunicated and executed our social and communication performances. 

   One of the matters affected by the spread of COVID-19 was the Youth and Government program (YG). Something, which was once in-person, was quickly shifted to a virtual setting, which to some, was deemed almost impossible. Regardless of the setback, most delegates made it their mission to prosper. 

Online Election

    Despite the sections’ accommodations, candidates running for office had a much more challenging task at hand. 

   When Evan Lee decided to participate as a candidate, he couldn’t fathom how the online process would affect his second-to-last year in YG. As a Social Media Editor-in-Chief candidate, Lee experienced the online election firsthand. “I’m a big talker, and I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t talk to people,” stated Lee. “It made me feel like I had less of a chance of connecting with delegates.”  Although Lee won his election unopposed, his feelings for the election process remain mixed. “I don’t think I wouldn’t run again in an online setting, but I’m not going to necessarily opt for it,” Lee said.

   The current YG Governor has thoughts on this too. “Not being in-person kind of deflected the connections that the State Conference was supposed to establish,” Youth Governor Jaalen Robinson remarked regarding his candidate election. “Campaigning was both easy and hard. On the easy aspect, I can use different social media platforms to get my name across, such as Instagram and Twitter, and on the difficult aspect, it was hard making that connection and getting people to remember my name.”

    When asked if he would ever run in another online election, Robinson responded with a firm ‘NO’. “I would never run in another online election because I believe that you just lose a lot of supporters if you do it online,” said Youth Governor Robinson. “I don’t feel like you’re getting the raw motion of the candidates and seeing what their true intentions are with their campaign.” Despite Robinson winning the Youth Governor election, he expressed his preference to only ever run in an in-person campaign setting.    

 Although each candidate experienced their own complications during their online election, the Youth and Government election prospects came back stronger than ever for the 75th-anniversary conference. 

 

Written by: Jacqueline Chavez

2022-04-23T13:13:09-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Sue Six: 30 Years of Service

Dedicating 30 years of her life to the Youth and Government program, Sue Six has seen many students succeed in this program. Since the year 2000, she’s been the Program Section Leader for the Senate, supervising the Senate and advising the current officials. She works alongside Robert Burger, the Section Leader for the House. “We prepare them, because we want the Senate and all of our programs to be student led,” she explained. “We’re the chief parliamentarians, so if any other parliamentary questions come up, we answer them. And if we don’t know them, we look them up,” she lightheartedly admitted. Her involvement with the program started back in 1992, when she was working as a government and economics teacher in a small, private school.

Out of the school’s 125 students, 20 of them were already in the club. After three years, the club had a total of 50 students. After five years, there were over 100 students in the club. She claimed that the reason why the club was growing significantly was because students “would come back from the conference and tell other students about it.” In such a small school, word and encouragement (or pressure) from friends was bound to spread and form an even bigger club. I loved it because of what it offered our students in leadership training, and they loved it,” she said. During her time as an advisor, 7 youth governors were elected from her club.“ That was so much fun,” she admitted, “to watch them really push for that, get out of their comfort zone, to give a speech in front of a thousand kids.” She loved seeing her students put effort into their work and succeed.

In 2008, she quit teaching. A year later, however, she was asked to be the District 4 Director. Although she enjoyed seeing students from her district succeed, she also enjoyed seeing students from other districts excel. “I’ve met so many students that weren’t from my school, that weren’t from my district, and they’ve blessed me in so many ways, too,” she confessed. She still keeps in touch with the students that she’s met over the years, seeing their lives unfold and how the program has impacted them. She has relished many aspects of Youth and Government, but most importantly, she loved getting to know every student that she would come across. 

Written by: Alanis Rodriguez

2022-04-23T13:07:24-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The True Rundown of YG

Youth and Government, is a competition meant to bestow experience through a mock representation of the ins and outs of the Texas government. The statewide organization is split into sections inside both the Judicial and Legislative branches of government: Trial court, State Affairs Forum, Appellate Court, the Legislative Sector, and our very own Media team. Often coming into Youth and Government as a new delegate, it gets confusing and it is important that we know how each of the sections work. 

Media is our journalistic section that, through stories, videos, and posts, spreads out across the entire conference, presenting the opportunity to interact with many delegates of all sections. Broadcast media allows delegates to record interviews, report live news stories, and make videos about the conference. Social Media creates posts across social media platforms focusing on any angle they want to cover and write about from the conference. Print Media writes news stories and articles that are posted to a blog. Photo Media (Photojournalism), takes the most pictures for their stories, posting on social platforms and creating a photo essay that tells a story through a mixture of pictures and captions. All of Media works together in similar ways, whether reporting live or writing stories ahead of time. 

Trial court, one of Youth and Government’s most popular sections, is split between both District and County Court. District court follows a similar process to court cases we see outside of this competition. One of the court cases being used this weekend, “It’s All Guicci”, focuses on Dominico de Sole’s prosecution of Art Fraud against Ann Freedman, a real-world past case. The delegates in District court substitute each of the players in this case, and practice in their own interpretation and questions to the best of their ability. This involves witnesses, a bailiff, the prosecution and defense attorney, and the honorable Judge. County court is very similar to District court, and they are currently working on the same case! 

Vergara discusses his request for change in the Appellate court. From right to left see: Jessica Ibarra, Laila George, Victoria Cao, Julio Vergara, and Sofia Alaniz (Appellate Court).

In State Affairs, the delegates are focused on proposals. These proposals are suggested solutions or improvements that the delegates come up with for current problems that are happening in the real world. After a duo of delegates open with their proposal, anyone can stand to ask clarification and questions regarding the proposal. These help delegates decide whether or not to vote in favor of these proposals. After the time allotted for questions and answers, selected delegates from the committee speak as either proponents or opponents for the proposal being discussed. This is when the selected speakers attempt to convince the committee to support the proposal or speak against it. 

Appellate court, or the appeals court, is sent the decisions made by the trial court about their cases. In this court, the delegates standing in as Appellants, Appellees, and the Judge review the official decisions and have the opportunity here to request changes to the decision. These requests are discussed between the Appellants and Appellees until final adjustments to the decision are approved. In an interview with Jessica Ibarra, an attorney on the appellate court, she explains that, “after a case from trial court that has gone through completely, we argue specifics.” They deep dive into the ins and outs of the court’s decision. Ibarra loves appellate, mentioning that, “it’s actually very intellectual and you have to make up arguments…and understand case law in a  deeper sense.” Despite it being her first year participating in appellate court, she has a true understanding for what it takes to perform the best she can.

Similarly to Trial Court, the legislative section is also split into two sections: the House and the Senate, just like the system in the U.S. In the legislative section, the teams focus on proposing and amending bills to pass. Both the Senate and the House take bills that have been passed by the committee, and are heard by the two chambers. They are then assessed and adjusted to either be blocked or passed on to the Governor. Delegates have the opportunity to debate the bill, propose amendments, check for clarification, and speak for or against the bill. 

All of these sections are unique to themselves, and interwork with each other in an amazing way. Even with these explanations, the best way to understand even better is through seeing and experiencing it yourself. It’s an unforgettable experience, and is a straightforward representation of our government today.

Written by: LeeAnn Martin

2022-04-23T12:48:33-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Why YG?

The halls of the Renaissance Hotel echo with the war cries of legislators locked in verbal battle. The River Bend Church and State Capital  now house courts of justice determined to ensure that righteousness prevails, and the State Affairs section is in the midst of finding solutions to the world’s challenges through intensive research and contemplation. After months of anticipation and tedious preparation, the annual Youth and Government Texas State Conference (YG) is finally in motion. Why? Obviously YG, its sponsors, and its coordinators are responsible for organizing this program and for providing the opportunity to participate, to youths across the nation for nearly a century now. However, how is YG impacting our society, how is it contributing to the communities it has reached?

Cathryn Aguilar, advisor of a judicial county court team,  sees YG as nothing but an exemplary organization cultivating the proactivity and boldness of America’s youth, ensuring that the future will have active and responsible civic leaders – “This program fosters their willingness to get involved and their ability to understand what’s at stake and also understand that they have the capability to bring about change”. Mrs. Aguilar is confident that the empowerment of the youth will lead to a more engaged and active society and, by extension, will solve many modern day political issues. To exemplify her faith in YG, she presented one of her students, Aubreana, a judicial lawyer that became inspired by her YG experiences and will now be attending Yale university this fall in pursuit of a political career.

To YG Parents, Maria Puente and Araceli Coral, Youth and Government is all about nurturing communication skills. Mrs. Coral, concerned that social media has stunted the youth’s proper development of human communication skills, commends YG for its emphasis on teaching its delegates to speak and convey ideas in an articulate manner – “You want your kids to be able to interact with those around them, and not feel like they can’t participate just because of a lack of articulation,” said Coral. Not only does YG produce vocal students but also provides a community, something that proved valuable during the Covid-19 pandemic to the Puente family – “Knowing that even in a virtual setting my daughter still had a community to interact with and learn from, helped the family maintain a sense of stability and normalcy,” stated Mrs. Puente.

So what is the purpose of YG? Families have been reinforced, and the young are being instilled the virtues of courage and justice. YG suggests their goal is the development of “ young men and women who will be better citizens by being both knowledgeable and active in determining the future of our democracy”. Despite this, there is one principle at the core of YG, a central concept that can be found in all aspects of Youth and Government. Every branch is fighting for intellectual diversity, whether it be for justice, new policy, proposals, or for the spread of information. Everything YG does is for the sake of fearless advocacy.

Mrs.Aguilar’s team on the left  during mock trial deciding what responsibility art dealer Ann Freedman had in the selling of illegitimate art before judge Furino.

 

Written by: Luis Fuentes

2022-04-23T11:49:33-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Lt. Governor Finds Her Balance in the Legislative Section

Zoe Klein, the 2022 Youth and Government (YG) Lieutenant Governor, had only taken one step into the senate chamber when she let out a squeal of excitement. This conference is Klein’s first year working in the Legislative branch of YG, as well as her first time in a senate chamber. 

“I can’t believe we’re here,” Klein said, “This is amazing.”

For the last two years, Klein has been on a mock trial team, but after her team placed first in nationals, she began her duties as Lieutenant Governor. According to Klein, being Lieutenant Governor involves a lot of new responsibilities.

“I would say that the most difficult part of my job right now is figuring out what the process is. All of the legislative procedures are very complicated and new to me, and it is really impressive that every one of us in government knows how to do it.” 

Just like Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Klein spends many of her working hours in the senate chamber hearing bills. Klein’s role as Lieutenant Governor involves presiding over the senate and determining the docket. 

“I get to sit in Dan Patrick’s chair and hear everyone’s testimony on their bills, which is really exciting,” Klein said. “I get to hear debate and lead that whole process, and I make a lot of decisions relating to which bills get to be heard.” 

 While she figures out all the new procedures, Klein explained that she is relying on those around her to help her better understand the legislative process. According to Klein, everyone at YG has been very supportive and willing to help.

“The YMCA provides a lot of resources, which is great,” Klein said, “I’ve been getting a lot of guidance from people in the program, like the President Pro Tempore, Nikola Martanovic, and Ms. Six, who is our section leader.”

Klein admits that YG can sometimes be stressful, but says that the experience and friendships make it worth it. From her very first time testifying as a witness in 2020, Klein said it was something she knew she wanted to keep doing. By knowing about the delta 8 gummies effects, it is very easy to deal with any kind of tough and stressful situations in life.  

Every time I got on the witness stand, there was just joy that came over me and this exhilaration that I had really not felt before,” Klein said, “And at first I thought it was just being a witness. But the next year, I was an attorney. And it was the exact same feeling– maybe even more.” 

“I still love mock trial, but I feel so grateful that I’ve had the chance to explore a new section,” Klein said. “Especially in my last year in YG, diversifying my knowledge feels like exactly what I want to be doing.”

Even though Klein is new to the legislative section, she says she is having fun and has no doubts that she will be able to manage her new responsibilities. 

“It’s a learning curve,” Klein said, “but I’m figuring it out and I feel confident in my abilities.”

Lieutenant Governor Zoe Klein prepares the docket in the calendar committee with President Pro Tempore Nikola Martanovic (left) and Senator Garrett Mantzey (right). Calendar committee decides the order of bills that will be presented to the senate.

Written by: Delia Rune

2022-08-12T01:39:52-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Courage in the County Court

This year, the YMCA’s Texas Youth and Government State County Court Mock Trial took place at Riverbend Church. Trials are a formal examination of evidence before a judge, and typically before a jury, in order to decide guilt in a case of criminal or civil proceedings, according to Lexico. The judicial courts place limitations on the government and protect against extreme government power. Trials defend minorities, of all kinds, from the majority, as well as the rights of those who are unable to defend themselves. 

   The Trial court case being argued this year is entitled, “It’s all Gucci” Domenico de Sole V. Ann Freedman. Ann Freeman is accused of selling a fake Roshko painting to Domenico de Sole for $8.5 million dollars. Haley Hillhouse, played the role of Ann Freedman for the case “It’s All Gucci” for the First Baptist Christian Academy’s judicial team. She gave a straightforward analysis of mock trials and their many benefits. “The trial is a good learning experience and for every trial, I feel like I can improve and I learn a lot from other teams and the judges.” Johnny Tran, also from First Baptist Christian Academy, filled the role of Plaintiff for the defense of Dominico de Sole. “The trial was really fun and competitive yet at the same time it was a good time for me to show and practice public speaking.” Addison Hobbs from First Baptist Chrisitan Academy enacted  Laley Nasik. “Mock Trial has helped me with public speaking because before I was really bad at it. when I first started I would be shaking, but honestly, this has really made me more outgoing and being able to talk in front of people.” As you can tell, mock trials definitely aid delegates in their personal growth and can prepare them for many things that  come their way. 

The defense team for Domenico De Sole, Jungho Lim, Haley Hillhouse, Addison Hobbs, Johnny Tran, and Jackson Hughes get ready for trial with a strong mindset.

 

Written by: Alexis Ruiz

2022-04-23T09:34:08-05:00April 23rd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Proposal: Technical and Skill-Based Courses Required in High Schools

Anna Lackner, a student from Frassati Catholic High School and author of the 21st proposal, claims that requiring high schoolers to take technical and skill-based courses would be highly beneficial to the futures of students. It would allow for the exercise of  their interests and exposing them to new concepts, activities, and possible careers. Presented to Committee B at the Texas Capitol YMCA Youth and Government Conference, this particular proposal would require all public, Texas high schools to provide trade and skill courses for their students. Lackner explained to the committee that while technical professions tend to be successful and are vital aspects of society, in recent years the number of skilled workers in America has dropped.

According to Lackner, 68% of tradespeople have struggled to hire skilled workers over the past year, and “27% of skilled workers are within 10 years of the social security age of retirement”, which is 62 years of age. Because of this, Lackner asserts that it is “crucial” for high school students to be introduced to trade and skill-based classes, in order to bring about a fresh and interested generation of skilled workers and tradespeople. 

Lackner then described how trade and skill courses can expand student’s mindsets and interests in careers, professions, and their futures. She states that students with well-rounded experience will graduate high school with a better preparation for their futures, and “the labor shortage in skilled trade jobs would be lessened and over time completely alleviated.” 

Lackner’s plan for executing her proposal is stated as requiring “every student in a Texas public high school to complete a minimum of one semester of a technical or skill based course in order to graduate”. These courses would be approved by the TEAC, or the Texas Education Agency’s Career, and would be included in the required 5 credits of electives in order to graduate. A minimum of 5 technical, or skill based, courses would be offered by each school. 

Lackner categorizes a few of these course subject examples as “agriculture, food, and natural resources; architecture and construction… business, marketing and finance… human services… law and public services…” and so on. 

Val Cabello, a supporter of the proposal, explained her personal reasoning for her views. She claims “much of the economy is built on skilled labor”, and without the presence of trade jobs and skilled workers, many economic and social factors would suffer, such as the development of new companies, employability, creativity, innovation, and productivity. 

Of course, not everyone agreed with Lackner’s proposal. Matthew Garcia, in opposition, explained that the proposal would impose unfair responsibilities on high school teachers. He claimed that “in the last 20 years, teachers’ salaries have degraded”, and asserted that the nationwide rising number of public school teachers leaving the profession, the declining salary, and the expectations teachers are already assumed to have achieved, are all factors against the intention of the proposal. 

In response, Lackner relented that the teacher shortage was a valid issue, but was “not covered in her proposal.” She instead believes that the concept of providing interesting and niche courses within high schools, more students, as well as teachers, will find more interest in the classroom, and school as a whole, creating “well-rounded individuals” and possibly renovating the teacher shortage. 

Currently, this proposal is pending its results from the committee.


Shown above: The Senate Committee schedule outside the State Affairs Forum committee conference at the Texas Capitol

Written by: Abby McAdams

2022-04-22T16:31:19-05:00April 22nd, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments
Go to Top