Royce West on Education

Offer debt relief & free tuition for low income students

Investing in public schools a top priority

Free community college, not sure about student debt

A: One of the things I will be doing is working on figuring out how students can at least get a community college degree without having to pay for it.

Q: Do you support calls to completely eliminate student debt for everyone and make college free for all?

A: If we can do it in a realistic manner, and tie that into the other priorities we have like health care. The question becomes if you only have a finite amount of money, then which one do you prioritize?

Oppose evaluation of schools with A-F grades

When the measure originally passed the House, both Democrats and Republicans rose to oppose the change. State Rep. Sylvester Turner, said moving to the letter grades would be a "horrendous mistake. That places more of a stigma on kids who are trying to rise above their circumstances," he said.

In a particularly fiery speech, state Rep. Larry Phillips (R) urged his colleagues to "stand up for sanity in schools" & vote for his amendment to strip the A-through-F ratings from the bill. "You think just because you rate someone A through F they are going to do a better job? No," Phillips said.

Legislative outcome: Passed Senate 30-1-0 on May/29/15; Sen. West voted NO; passed House 119-17-2 on May/31/15; signed by Governor Greg Abbott Jun/19/15.