Bill Flores already had panned Texas-specific language in a bill passed early last week intended in part to prevent state layoffs of teachers. On Tuesday, the GOP House hopeful said he opposes the overall bill.

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards supported the bill, which includes about $830 million for Texas schools and passed on a party-line vote. The Waco Democrat also had criticized Flores for taking shots at the Texas provision in the bill while not stating how he would have voted.

Flores came out forcefully against the $26 billion spending bill, calling it a “bailout.”

Bill Flores has come out forcefully against the $26 billion spending bill, calling it a “bailout.”

“I agree with the governor, lieutenant governor, the entire Texas Republican Congressional delegation and the Texas Education Agency and would have opposed the $26 billion bailout bill because it spends more money our country does not have and forces another Washington, D.C., mandate on our school districts,” Flores said in an e-mailed statement.

In earlier press releases, Flores had said the Texas-specific provision in the bill jeopardized the state’s allotment and “threatens to cut funding for Texas schools by over $800 million.”

The provision was put in the bill by Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett.

It seeks an assurance from the governor that Texas’ allotment will be used for education purposes as opposed to being used to free up existing education dollars to plug other holes in the budget.

The provision has drawn harsh criticism from Texas Republicans who have argued that it unconstitutionally asks the governor to tie the legislature’s hands and requires the use of a federal funding formula that favors urban over rural and suburban school districts.

Edwards called Flores hypocritical for opposing the bill as profligate after earlier describing it as a cut, pointing specifically to a press release where Flores said “Edwards endangered over Texas schools, teachers and the education of our children” by not fighting the Texas-specific provision.

By coming out against the overall legislation, Edwards said, “Mr. Flores would have, in his own words, ‘endangered Texas schools, teachers and the education of our children.’ ”

“This was about adding funding for Texas schools,” Edwards said, pointing to Department of Education estimates that the bill will cover the salaries of 14,500 teachers in Texas and more than 400 teachers in the congressional district.

Megan Jacobs, Edwards’ campaign spokeswoman, said “if Mr. Flores had read the bill, he would have known it was not only paid for, but it will reduce the federal deficit by $1.4 billion over 10 years.”

Mackowiak said that Flores’ wife is a teacher and the retired businessman has donated generously to his alma mater, Texas A&M University.

“The idea that Bill could be anti-education is absurd.”

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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