March 16, 2007

Speaker Puts Branch in Driver's Seat
for Select Education Committee Study

By Mike Hailey
Capitol Inside Editor

Speaker Tom Craddick created a special House committee Friday to explore ways of getting public and higher education finance in sync so that Texas students will be better prepared for college and the job market when they graduate from high school.

Craddick tapped State Rep. Dan Branch to lead the House Select Committee on Higher and Public Education Finance as its chairman while naming State Rep. Scott Hochberg as vice-chairman. Branch is a Dallas Republican whose district includes the Highland Park School District. Hochberg is a Houston Democrat.

The special panel contains five Republicans and four Democrats. Its members include Republican State Reps. Rob Eissler of The Woodlands, Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham, Geanie Morrison of Victoria and John Otto of Dayton. The remaining Democrats on the select committee are State Reps. Harold Dutton of Houston, Helen Giddings of Dallas and Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City.

The selection of Branch as the special panel's chairman comes as no surprise considering the high-profile role he's had in the debate on school finance since joining the lower chamber in 2003. Branch, an attorney, took the lead in the House's campaign to harness the Robin Hood system that forces the state's wealthier school districts to send some of the taxes they raise to poorer counterparts with taxable property that's not as valuable. Limits on recapture were a key part of the school tax and funding package that legislators approved in special session last year. Branch has been a member of the Public Education Committee and the Appropriations Committee since his first regular session four years ago - and he was appointed to the powerful Calendars Committee this year as well. He's served on previous select panels and conference committees that focused on school finance - and he was a lead co-sponsor on both the school finance and tax bills that were integral parts of the plan that the Legislature approved under the gun of a court order a year ago.

From a purely political standpoint, Hochberg's appointment to the number two slot on the special panel was probably the most surprising piece of news within the speaker's announcement about the new study he'd initiated. Hochberg, a member of the House for the past 14 years, is the only select committee appointee who'd sided with a bipartisan group of colleagues in an attempt to overthrow the Republican speaker when he was up for re-election to a third term at the start of the regular session in January. From a practical perspective, Hochberg's selection as vice-chair makes sense considering the fact that he's widely regarded as the House's most knowledgeable member on public education issues. That hasn't stopped Republicans from trying to knock him off at the polls in recent years with candidates who tried to accomplish that and didn't come that close. Hochberg is also a member of the Public Education Committee and serves as the Corrections Committee vice-chair.

The select committee's other Democrats all backed the incumbent House leader in the speaker's race. Dutton and Giddings have been Craddick supporters and committee chairs since he won the speaker's post initially in 2003. Guillen played a key role in Craddick's successful bid for re-election this year and was named vice-chairman of Appropriations in the wake of the speaker's race.

Eissler is the new chairman of the Public Education Committee while Morrison has chaired the Higher Education Committee ever since the GOP took control of the lower chamber in 2003. A certified public accountant, Otto emerged in his first regular session two years ago as one of the House's leading experts on taxes. Kolkhorst has been a key play on public schools and the state budget during the past two years.

Based on the select committee's charge, its members will face a delicate balancing act while dealing with some funds that are formula-driven and some that are not in an attempt to see how they can be better aligned and coordinated to facilitate the goal of improvements in student achievement.

"In the face of rising expectations, improving college and workforce readiness for our students is immensely important for increasing Texas' competitiveness in the global market," Speaker Craddick said.