Education Reform—Geren’s 25 Years of Failure Over

Charlie Geren’s 25 years of wrong choices have crushed District 99 high school graduates with a $24.3 million annual remedial college tab—$2 million for our 1,722 freshmen alone—because he’s let our schools rot. Across Texas, it’s $840 million total, $120 to $180 million for freshmen; Tarrant County eats $5 to $6 million yearly, with 6,800 freshmen—5,200 at Tarrant County College (TCC) dropping $384 for two courses at $64 per credit, and 1,600 at UT Arlington (UTA) forking over $1,998 for six credits at $333 each (THECB, 2019; TCC, 2023; UTA, 2023; Center for American Progress, 2016, adjusted). Geren’s Straus cronyism and donor greed—he’s pocketed $1.2 million-plus while pulling that CPS stunt on Bo French in 2016—kept him too busy in Austin to fix failing schools like Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, leaving District 99 grads to pay for his mess.

The Goal: Slash Remedial Costs in Half

I’ll cut District 99’s remedial costs by 50%—saving our families $12 million a year, including $1 million for freshmen, by 2029, no tax hikes needed. Geren’s wrong priorities let 41% of Texas freshmen—245,500 kids—stagger into college unprepared, a crisis that’s spiked since COVID (THECB, 2019; ACT, 2024). Texas has hemorrhaged $5 to $6 billion in remedial costs over Geren’s watch while he pandered to Straus insiders (Center for American Progress, 2016, adjusted). My plan stops this waste—Geren’s corrupt reign ends with real reform.

The Plan: Fix K-12, Free Students—No Tax Hike

I’ll overhaul this disaster without touching your wallet—redirecting $80 million from Geren’s wasteful handouts to make K-12 work. Demand 80% proficiency in math and English by 8th grade—shift $50 million from corporate welfare, like the $100 million in film credits Geren never fought, to train teachers and test kids early (Comptroller, 2022). Double TCC’s dual-credit enrollment from 5,000 to 10,000—$25 million from bureaucratic fat, like the 3% staff cuts that saved $1.5 billion in 2011, puts free college courses in District 99 high schools, cutting remedial needs by 15% (LBB, 2011; THECB, 2022). Partner TCC and UTA with Fort Worth giants like Lockheed Martin to raise $10 million privately for bootcamps—Houston Community College halved math gaps this way, no tax dollars spent (HCC, 2023). Audit K-12 yearly with $5 million from Geren’s donor perks—failing districts lose grants, boosting proficiency 10-15% (TEA, 2023). Geren’s CPS sleaze proves he’s corrupt—I’ll deliver results.

Conclusion: Geren’s Failure Ends with Jack

Geren’s 25 years of wrong choices—his CPS lies, Straus ties, and $1.2 million donor haul—stuck District 99 with $24.3 million in remedial costs, including $2 million for our 1,722 freshmen, a tax on his failure while he lounged in Austin (THECB, 2019; Ethics Commission, 2022). I’m Jack Reynolds, and my “More Freedoms, Less Government” plan slashes that in half—$12 million back to District 99 wallets—through K-12 accountability and lean funding, no tax hikes anywhere. Join me at Jack4TX.org to bury Geren’s corrupt legacy and free our students from his mess.

Citations

Center for American Progress. (2016). Remedial Education Costs. Adjusted for Texas freshmen.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). (2019). 2019 Accountability Report. 41% remedial rate, 245,500 freshmen.

Tarrant County College (TCC). (2023). 2023 Tuition Rates. $64/credit in-district.

TCC. (2023). 2023 Enrollment Data. 5,200 of 13,000 freshmen remedial.

University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). (2023). 2023 Tuition Rates. $333/credit in-state.

UTA. (2023). 2023 Freshman Profile. 1,600 of 8,000 freshmen remedial.

ACT. (2024). 2024 College Readiness Report. 40% below benchmarks.

Texas Comptroller. (2022). Tax Exemptions. $100M film credits.

Legislative Budget Board (LBB). (2011). Fiscal Size-Up 2010-11. $1.5B cut precedent.

THECB. (2022). Dual Credit Outcomes. 15% remediation drop.

Houston Community College (HCC). (2023). 2023 Bootcamp Report. 50% math gap cut.

Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2023). 2023 Audit Impact. 10-15% proficiency boost.

Texas Ethics Commission. (2022). Campaign Finance Reports, Charlie Geren. $1.2M+ total.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram. (2016). Public Record, CPS Stunt. Geren vs. Bo French.