Representative Olivo Fights to Reform Education in Texas

SOUTHWEST

State Representative Dora Olivo of Texas (Flemming Fellow `97), an attorney and former teacher, advocated educational initiatives for two groups in 1999: students in alternative education programs and low-income parents moving from welfare to work.

Olivo successfully added an amendment to the school finance bill (SB 4) requiring greater accountability for disciplinary alternative education programs. Amendment 85 requires the state education commissioner to adopt evaluation benchmarks—one of which must be the state’s standard test of skills—for alternative programs annually. Before Olivo’s legislation, these alternative programs did not have to report the progress of their students in any of the standard ways used by public schools.

Requiring greater accountability for these programs is especially important to Olivo. "There is a significant overrepresentation of minorities in these alternative schools," she says. "Rigorous educational environments will help ensure these students have opportunities for a brighter future."

Olivo also introduced HB 1820 to establish a Parents as Scholars program to help TANF recipients pursue a college degree. Olivo learned about the Parents as Scholars model from Maine Senator Chellie Pingree (Flemming Fellow `96) at a CPA event.

As it was enacted, the bill contains Olivo’s compromise with the governor not to use TANF to fund the program but instead put it under the Toward Excellence, Access and Success (TEXAS) grant program.