100 Black Men of Austin call for public school funding, higher teacher pay

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - Dressed in black and gold, numerous Texas chapters of the 100 Black Men organization gathered at the capitol Thursday morning.

The hot topic, House Bill 3. “When you look at the African-American community, a lot of the majority of the kids that are African-American are in public schools."

The non-profit members came to tell lawmakers that they support this bill.

They believe in funding public education and raising pay for some teachers.

“When you look at the grand scheme of things it's going to give them ability to not be as stressed and give them the opportunity to be more effective in their teaching,” said Karl Spencer, president of 100 Black Men of Austin.

HB 3 is still in limbo. If passed, it would drop property tax rates in the state, and provide more money and resources for low income students.

“If we aren't putting forth the right effort to make sure those kids have the best environment to be successful, then we are setting off a great opportunity of a future for a lot of kids in the African-American community,” said Freeman.

They are also eyeing some other bills that could bring some changes. “We're looking at several of the bills within education. The emphasis on Pre-K is another one of the important bills out there,” said Freeman.

The 100 black Men of America organization focuses on mentorship, access to internships, and setting examples for young men. The Austin chapter works closely with Huston-Tillotson University, their motto is "What they see is what they'll be."

They believe supporting these bills, further shows their dedication to equal access to a great education. “What's the purpose of us mentoring if we don't understand what's actually going on with our education system?” said Spencer.