April 1, 2025
To: Senate Committee on Education K–16
Re: Testimony FOR Senate Bill 2252
Good afternoon, Chairman Creighton, Vice Chair Campbell, and Members:
My name is Kelle Kieschnick, Vice President of Policy with Texas Business Leadership Council testifying in support of SB 2252. TBLC is a non-partisan, statewide network of CEOs and senior executives. We believe that investing in early education is crucial for developing a skilled workforce and maintaining a globally competitive Texas.
Early literacy and numeracy are foundational to a child’s academic and future career success. For example, students who are not on grade-level for reading by 3rd grade are four times more likely to not graduate from high school on time and significantly less likely to complete a two-or four-year college degree…