Raise Your Hand Texas

With Texas ranking 44th out of 50 states in student spending, how can we consider making cuts? Tommy Lee Jones, actor and fellow Texan, calls for all of us to unite and take action to support quality Texas public education for all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyYl9GJkikw&feature=share

Success Starts Young

Huffington Post - Early Childhood Education is At Risk

The recently proposed budget cuts would eliminate Head Start programs around the state and decrease the number of children receiving Early Childhood Education/Intervention. As a previous post shows, early education leads to later scholastic success and even influences rates of future poverty (Duncan, Ludwig, & Magnuson, 2006).

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernake stated in a speech this month, "The payoffs of early childhood programs can be especially high. For instance, preschool programs for disadvantaged children have been shown to increase high school graduation rates. Because high school graduates have higher earnings, pay more taxes, and are less likely to use public health programs, investing in such programs can pay off even from the narrow perspective of state budgets; of course, the returns to the overall economy and to the individuals themselves are much greater." (Huffington Post)

According to Bernake, investing in Texas children's education is not only investing in their individual futures, but also our collective future as a State - particularly in areas of financial security and stability. Instead, we are creating a future of isolation, insecurity, and limited mobility and competitiveness for the those living in Texas. Eliminating these early childhood education program and opportunities is a failure on our part to think ahead and think about long-term solutions to our current economic issues.

Higher Education: Budget a Barrier for Success?

Brock, T. (2010). Young Adults and Higher Education: Barriers and Breakthroughs to Success. Future of Children, 20(1), 109-132.

As common sense might dictate, higher education contributes to one's future in multiple areas, not just financially (Brock, 2010). With increased levels of education, one obtains correlating increases in lifetime incomes, health, and civic engagement (Brock, 2010). Participating in higher education also fosters personal and intellectual growth, establishment of deep friendships, and preparation of becoming and contributing member of society (Brock, 2010).

Brock (2010) discusses in his article a recent phenomenon among college and higher-education seekers. Greater numbers of students considered "at-risk" are achieving entrance and access into higher education programs, but those students experiencing "success" are few (Brock, 2010).

Various intervention efforts to overcome barriers to success that proven beneficial have been implemented across higher education programs. These efforts include:

• Enhanced student services
• Offering remedial courses with progressive teaching methods instead of repetition and memorization
• Student success courses
• Teaching time management, effective study habits, etc.
• Learning Communities
• Small student groups much like study groups with the addition of faculty support
• Establishes student/faculty relationships
• Summer Bridge Programs
• Additional summer courses prior to the freshman year to prepare students for college
• (Brock, 2010)

The sad reality? These additional programs and services that aid in keeping at-risk students in higher education and achieving success are also at-risk...of being cut due to budget restraints. Students at higher education institutes receive $88.6 billion yearly in federal assistance in the form of grants and student loans (Brock, 2010). Senate Bill 1 would decrease the amount of assistance received by students as well as possibly eliminate many of these programs and services that contribute to their success.

Read more about Senate Bill 1 and it's effects in an article found in the Star-Telegram: "Texas' Top University Officials Bristle at Cuts to Higher Education".

Lone Star State's Public Education Financial Crisis

Source: https://www.texasobserver.org/cover-story/school-daze

In response to the “Save the Texas Rally” held on March 11, 2011 at the Texas State Capitol, journalist Abby Rapoport, from the Texas Observer discusses the need for a complete state-wide overhaul on how Texas allocates money to school districts.

Rapoport implies the Save Texas Education Rally, should consider switching its focus towards addressing the financial inequities in “how” Texas allocates funding to school districts. Which will require much more the $3.2 billion band aid, Perry hesitantly agreed to utilize from present Rainy Day funds, days after the Save Texas Schools Rally.

The inequities found within educational funding in Texas are in desperate need of reform. Rapport alludes to vast discrepancies between the funding breakdown between wealthier and poorer school districts. One example given is of Alamo Heights ISD in San Antonio which is made up of predominately Caucasian and wealthy families, and given nearly $1,000 more per student than nearby East Central ISD, a predominately Hispanic district found in a lower income neighborhood. Another example, given cites overt discrepancies within rural school funding. In Cochran County, the Morton ISD despite having almost double the amount of students than neighboring Whiteface Consolidated ISD receives half of what their comparable neighbor receives in state funding.

A brief explanation, of the esoteric and “infamously hard to comprehend” Texas systems of public education is given in the article. Rapoport discusses that the gross inequities which currently exist in Texas school funding are attributed to poor-planning and short-term gains implemented in 2006. After the 2005 regular session, ongoing constituent complaints about rising local property taxes accompanying re-election year served as an impetus for Perry to quickly and carelessly re-vamp school finance reform in Texas. Comptroller John Sharp was appointed to develop a system that would reduce property taxes and develop "other ways" to make up for lost revenue.

Rapport writes, “Sharp proposed a “tax swap”: compress local property taxes by one-third, and replace

the lost revenue with income from a new business tax and hike in cigarette taxes. By the time Perry called a special session in April 2006, he’d garnered widespread support for the tax-swap plan among business groups and school districts. Most lawmakers were happy to support what sounded like an appealing compromise."

Additionally, in 2006 the "formula" used to determine how Texas would now allocate school funding became “frozen” based upon the Cost of Education Index Formula (comprised of the costs of teacher salaries and additional expenses) on file from fiscal year 1989. This Cost of Educational Index Formula measure was paired with the amount districts could raise in their own tax bases. The disparate tax base rates schools could generate on their own resulted in the pervasive and systemic inequity which now runs rampant within Texas school systems.

“Sense went out the window in 2006...rather than go for a systemic solution, the Legislature opted for what they said would be a temporary quick fix. They would add money and freeze district funding at a certain amount per average daily numbers of students.”

Despite warning from the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), that “swapping-taxes “would leave Texas in a $5 billion deficit each passing year, the plan passed almost unanimously. Five years later, it turns out the LBB was literally right on the money, and here we sit with a $27 billion deficit looming over Texas.

One must consider which school districts will truly bear the blow of the reduced school financing measures. The present inefficient and esoteric educational funding system now implemented in Texas allocates more money to wealthier districts which are comparable in size to other school districts located in poorer areas. The fear which accompanies the catastrophic budget deficit in Texas public education is whether districts in poorer areas will be held to the same budget cuts effecting their wealthier counterparts. Unfortunately, the fear has already become realized as alternative, charter, and lower-income schools tend to be first in line on the guillotine for school closure. Thus, the full brunt of the budget deficits and inequitable funding system presented within the 82^nd legislatures seems to fall upon the disadvantaged students once again.

Federal Government to Save Texas Teachers?

The Statesman: Texas May Get $830 Million in Federal Education Money

A possible $830 million infusion into Texas' budget meant to save educator's jobs may have come a little too late. Already, thousands of Texas teachers have been laid off by school districts who have seen radical budget cuts by the State's passage of HB 1. This federal money was supposed to be contributed to the State's budget last year as part of an education job bill. 

 

Granted, $830 million is nothing to sneeze at - however, it is a proverbial drop in the bucket in light of the budget shortfalls experienced by this state. Also, there is the question of whether or not legislators will actually use that money as additional appropriations in the education budget or if it will replace what has been allotted. If the federal money is added to education funding, it is possible that we will not see as many negative effects to the children of this State as previously thought. If replaced, State educators have the right to be outraged and concerned at the gross irresponsibility our legislators have displayed toward Texas children's future.

Relevant Bills

Provided is a link to a pdf. file of recently proposed Texas Legislative Bills pertaining to Educational Funding

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3015040/Policy_Blog_RelevantBills.docx%283%29.pdf

Houston Have Your Say- PBS Special on Education Reform

Houston Have Your Say Town Hall Forum, is a PBS series which focuses on issues negatively impacting public school children in the greater Houston area.

Topics include dropout rate, quality education, and funding inequities.

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPKJ_RrE_EY&feature=relmfu
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDg7dsEQyGk
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6d1jtp4zhk&feature=relmfu