Democrat Bill White hammered Republican Gov. Rick Perry on the state’s dropout rate as he brought his gubernatorial campaign through Waco on Tuesday.

White began the day at an education-themed breakfast at Lake Brazos Steakhouse.

White, the son of San Antonio schoolteachers, covered a range of education policy topics, including the high cost of textbooks, early education and the dropout rate.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White shakes hands with supporter Drenda Dunbar, of Waco, during a stop here Tuesday.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

“I will work hard every week, every day, every month on the job to make sure that Texans are prepared for a better future, (and have) a better education, an improved education and job training in our state,” he said.

White and Perry have clashed over the dropout rate, and White reiterated his argument that Perry has used a misleading calculation to make the state’s dropout rate look rosier than it is.

He also took questions from the audience, made up of about 45 teachers, former teachers and area Democrats.

Asked by retired public schoolteacher and administrator Bonnie Lesley about funding disparities between wealthy and poor school districts, he said a student’s “horizon should not be limited by their ZIP code.”

White acknowledged there was “no perfect solution” to the problem but promised to begin a dialogue on the issue. White argued during his Democratic Primary campaign that he doesn’t oppose local communities putting money into school districts in the form of local taxes.

But he has maintained that the state must ensure all children have access to a base-line level of educational quality regardless of their background.

White answered questions about the state’s budget deficit, which is projected to reach $18 billion or more, during a later meeting with the Trib editorial board.

The former Houston mayor said he had found significant efficiency savings after taking the helm there, and he said he would similarly look at improving the efficiency and productivity of Texas’ state government.

“That’s the first place you look,” White said.

He didn’t lay out details of program cuts he would recommend if the efficiency efforts didn’t wipe out the entire deficit. But he said he would prioritize education — which makes up the bulk of the state’s budget — public safety and transportation.

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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