Texas State Representative, Ken King was in Littlefield Wednesday, September 11, 2024 to hold a Town released by his office; “Before beginning another legislative session, it is important that I receive input and ideas from the constituents of District 88 to help me effectively represent and advocate for our community,” stated King. Representative King is seeking input from district residents to update where the state stands currently and assess what needs to be done to see that his district is better served. He covered vital subjects such as wildfire prevention, equipment, and public school funding, Property tax rate assessments, private school vouchers, as well as seeking input in the district’s communities.
Representative King discussed the need to establish more fair, regionally based property tax rate assessment practices. He strongly criticized Governor Abbott’s private school voucher measure which would move state funding from the public schools in the more rural districts to private schools located predominately in the largest cities such as Dallas, Austin, and Houston. He stated that there is no real advantage in outcome shown in private school systems over the public school system. Sixty-eight percent of Texas public schools are currently operating with a deficit budget according to Representative King.
Representative King also addressed the problems in law enforcement and the current emergency disaster management in the state citing the need for contracting within the state rather than through the federal government agencies for his district. Also, he cited the state’s inadequate funding for emergency equipment and the lack of preventative measures in the state.
Following his presentation Representative King took comments and questions from those attending.