BELTON — Gov. Rick Perry and Shirley Neely, the newly appointed Texas Commissioner of Education, visited Belton High School on Tuesday as part of an 11-city trip meant to tout the seven education excellence initiatives he proposed last week.

Perry held what he billed as a “round table discussion of school issues,” with school administrators, teachers and students, but what participants said really amounted to a reiteration to them of his education initiatives, with just enough time left afterwards for him to take two questions. The “round table discussion” was closed to reporters, but open to photo journalists.

School administrators said instead of them asking questions, they allowed the school’s student participants to ask them.

“I asked him where specifically, the money would come from (for the initiatives),” said Anna Finn, a senior at Belton High School. Miss Finn said the governor responded; ‘You must want to be a journalist.’ But, she said he did not specifically answer her question.