On Monday morning, the Legislative Study Group, a Texas House Caucus issued the Sixth Edition of “Texas on the Brink,” a periodic report collating state rankings on public policy issues from education to environment. [POST UPDATED TO INCLUDE LINK TO REPORT]

The report is largely a cautionary tale, and over the years the Texas numbers – compared against the 50 other states – are generally not inspiring. Here’s how the LSG begins:

“In Texas today, the American dream is distant. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured adults in the nation. Texas is dead last in percentage of high school graduates. Our state generates more hazardous waste and carbon dioxide emissions than any other state in our nation. If we do not change course, for the first time in our history, the Texas generation of tomorrow will be less prosperous than the generation of today.”

A handful of highlights/lowlights:

Education

• Elementary and Secondary Public School Enrollment: 2nd

• Average Salary of Public School Teachers: 31st

• Percentage of Population Graduated from High School: 50th

State of the Child

• Percent of Uninsured Children : 2nd

• Percent of Children Living in Poverty: 7th(tied)

• Percent of Children (19-35 months), Fully immunized: 23rd(tied)

Health Care

• Percent of Population Uninsured: 1st

• Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured: 1st

• Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid: 48th

Environment

• Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions: 1st

• Total Amount of Toxic Releases into Water: 4th

• Amount of Carcinogens Released into Air: 4th

• Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated: 1st

• Industrial Toxic Air Pollution: 10th

Democracy

• Percent of Voting-Age Population Registered to Vote: 47th

• Percent of Voting-Age Population that Votes: 51st

We’ll have more on Texas on the Brink after the official Monday morning release at the Texas House.

Read the entire “Texas on the Brink” report (PDF format).

This article appears in April 12 • 2013.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Contributing writer and former news editor Michael King has reported on city and state politics for the Chronicle since 2000. He was educated at Indiana University and Yale, and from 1977 to 1985 taught at UT-Austin. He has been the editor of the Houston Press and The Texas Observer, and has reported and written widely on education, politics, and cultural subjects.