Texas lawmakers are considering historic improvements to the quality of education. However, right now in Austin, the teachers' unions and Republican State Sen. Kevin Eltife of Tyler, are happily obstructing a healthy debate on providing better teacher training, more pay for effective teachers, help for underperforming teachers to succeed and a better education for our children.

That's right - Senator Eltife, a Republican, is marching in lock-step with the teachers' unions that are more interested in self-preservation and saving jobs than improving the quality of education in Texas. Eltife, a Republican, is wearing the teachers' unions' colors and doing their bidding by blocking this bill because the teachers' unions do not want evaluations that consider classroom results.

Teachers are telling us they want evaluations based upon their efforts and their results. Teachers are telling us they want to be more professional, and we want to help them.

Act now to break the teachers' unions hold on Republican Senator Eltife. Call Senator Eltife at 512-463-0101 and tell him to allow a debate on Senate Bill 1643. Eltife needs to hear from you today. You may also visit to view Senator Eltife's official senate Web site and use the e-mail form to send him a message

Senate Bill 1643 provides better teacher training. It allows more pay for effective teachers. It provides help for underperforming teachers, and it helps our children perform better in the classroom.

Act now so Texas can reward the best teachers, recruit better teachers, improve teacher performance in our schools and provide a better education for our children.

Senator Eltife and his friends in the teachers unions are the only folks who want to keep our schoolchildren in classrooms with inadequate teachers. This Republican is hitched to the teachers unions, and today, you have a chance to break their hold on Eltife and allow the Texas Senate to debate historic reforms to education.