80th Legislature: A Republican Actually Likes The Top Ten Percent Rule!

If you have dentures, you’d better squeeze in a little extra Fixodent, because this may cause your jaws to drop and your teeth to clatter unceremoniously to the floor:

Republicans could help save the top ten percent rule.

Yeah, I know. It sounds like a misprint or a cruel joke, but it seems that some GOP Senators including Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) might actually help save this one because (gasp!) it benefits their rural constituancies as much as it helps minorities:

Among his potential allies for keeping the 10-percent-rule intact, West is courting Republican Sens. Bob Deuell of Greenville, Kevin Eltife of Tyler and the powerful Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden of Bryan, the chamber’s lead budget writer.

“It’s a good rule for a lot of reasons,” Ogden said. “It’s good because it is a more objective standard than what’s been used in the past. It’s less subject to political manipulation.”

Eltife said the 10-percent-rule has greatly helped the rural schools he represents.

“I like 10 percent, actually,” he said. “I think it does give (rural students) a better shot. I like the fact that we’re giving them something to strive for.”

Wow. That’s pretty amazing. Just when you start to think that all of the GOP state senators have been sitting around drinking in Dan Patrick’s Kool-Aide, they actually appear to be on the correct side of an issue.

Of course, we should never count chickens before they hatch, for obvious reasons. But, it’s nice to know they seem to be on the correct side here.

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