Report: Texas One of 10 Worst States to Be a Kid

A new report has come out - and Texas ranks as one of the 10 worst for kids.

"The report also found that 59 percent of young Texans don't have access to preschool, though that was an improvement from 61 percent previously. Some 60 percent of eighth graders weren't proficient in math in 2011, a nine percentage-point improvement from 2005 tallies.
The state also saw 21 percent of its high school students fail to graduate on-time in 2009-10, down from 28 percent in the 2005-2006 academic year, the report found.
Texas' results were hurt by $5.4 billion in cuts to public education approved by lawmakers scrambling to plug budget shortfalls in 2011. The Legislature in May approved a new state budget that restores about $3.4 billion of that — but Deviney said that won't be enough.
"The question for me is, 'Do the people have the will to demand that we prioritize children in the coming years?,'" she said.

Full report and Details at:

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/education/report-texas-among-10-worst-states-to-be-a-kid/nYP7c/