Wu Says Education System Contributes To Youth Crime

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   Rep. Gene Wu represents Texas House District 137.

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   Rep. Gene Wu serves as vice chair of the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.

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   Rep. Gene Wu previously served as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

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   Rep. Gene Wu spoke at a Houston Community Media news briefing focused on challenges facing children and teenagers.

5. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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   "I would say one of the biggest issues right now, bar none, is our education system."

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   Rep. Gene Wu stated that Texas schools are not equipped to serve students who come from troubled homes, experience poverty, or struggle with mental health and behavioral issues.

7. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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   "Every year we defund our schools more and more."

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   Rep. Gene Wu stated that during the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers were told Texas public schools faced a $16 billion funding shortfall.

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   Rep. Gene Wu stated that lawmakers allocated about half of the $16 billion funding shortfall reported during the 2025 legislative session.

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    Rep. Gene Wu stated that the result of the funding allocation has been school closures, larger class sizes, and increasing pressure on teachers across the state.

11. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "Classroom sizes are getting bigger and bigger. Teachers are getting more and more frustrated."

12. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "The system right now is only geared toward testing."

13. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "It does not actually care whether students learn or not."

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    Rep. Gene Wu stated that law enforcement is increasingly becoming involved in student behavior situations that were once handled by administrators.

15. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "Back when I was in school, there were no cops in school."

16. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "If you got into a fight, you went to the principal’s office."

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    Rep. Gene Wu stated that students are more likely to be arrested for behavior that previously resulted in disciplinary action.

18. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "When we deal with things like school shootings, our response is not to provide mental health care, our response is not to provide social services."

19. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "Instead, what we say is, ‘Let’s just put cops in every classroom. Let’s give teachers guns.’"

20. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "Those don’t actually solve anything."

21. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "A lot of the problems that we see in society, that we see in the criminal justice system, that we see in delinquent children, are problems that we created."

22. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "And we put no resources into fixing these problems."

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    Rep. Gene Wu stated that Texas has made progress in juvenile justice reform.

24. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "What we’ve discovered is simply beating kids harder doesn’t actually change bad behavior."

25. Gene Wu, Texas State Representative

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    "It makes kids more violent."

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    Rep. Gene Wu stated that improving education, expanding mental health resources, and investing in children before they enter the justice system are essential to reducing youth crime.