Public Schools Turn to Parents' Dollars for Support
The space used to be a vacant field, sandwiched between Casis Elementary School and a parking lot.
Now, thanks to diligent fundraising and an architect parent, it is a state-of-the-art outdoor classroom, where young students take lessons in every subject from math to creative writing. There is an open-air “room” with long green tables and benches, rosemary filled garden beds and a lily pad-studded pond. A small stone amphitheater nearby also serves as a large scale sun dial.
The outpouring of support that produced the classroom is a pattern in well-heeled West Austin, where community members also pooled their resources ...
Comments (19)
Frank Austin
There are other perks also, not just money. In one of the wealthier Houston elementary schools, the participation of parents, mainly non-working mothers, makes a huge difference in the number of volunteers to help with the school process and this alone makes a huge difference in the quality of the school.
Marnie Tunay via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I'm sorry that you all have lost 5 billion in funding. I don't get the sense that Americans can afford to downgrade their educational system any more than it already is.
gypsy314 ne
This is why we need school vouchers so parent and teachers only can educate the children remove government and unions from all schools NOW.
gypsy314 ne
Remove dead beats from our school system like illegal aliens and we would have plenty of money for our kids. Face it we can not pay for the whole world education on our dime. The unions and illegal aliens supported by democrats and Obama are weakening our school system with a third of our school tax dollars going to illegal aliens and the unions are inflating cost for schools with there over head and pension plans Americans can no longer afford. Americans must demand unions and illegal aliens must go.
Joseph Lippert via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What's worse is that the social science and science curriculums have been screwed up so badly by the SBOE that the students won't qualify for anything much, anyway.
Texas Parents Opt Out of State Tests via Texas Tribune on Facebook
High-stakes/standardized testing has ruined our schools and destroyed the teaching profession. Neat photo of children engaged in outdoor learning...too bad that represents just a tiny fraction of the instructional day where students are primarily shackled to worksheets, practice tests and other forms of test-prep.
Haas Policy Consulting, Inc. via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I appreciate and sympathize with the position of the Texas Civil Rights Project - but this issue is not so much about what happens at any given school, as it is the $5B (and more probably more in the upcoming session) that the Legislature has cut from state support for public education.
Christine Lund
Will those non-working mothers please give their time and money and energy to help out the poor schools instead of giving even more to the already pampered children of the wealthy? The mothers in the poor schools must work night and day to just keep food on the table. Great idea, Frank!
Christine Lund
Gypsy, union employees helped build this country. How dare you take all the sacrifices of our ancestors to get a safe environment to work in, decent pay and benefits? I can see the education you received was lacking but that doesn't mean Texans have to put up with it. Your ignorance about vouchers is the best example of what happens when people don't get a proper education or moral education.
Christine Lund
Our Governor doesn't care a bit about our childrens education. All his friends need hard working minimum wage workers to do work that well-salaried people used to do. The dumbing down of America is a good plan if you own a corporation. Not so great for small businesses that need smart, multi-talented, educated employees. If Romney is elected, we won't even have minimum wage laws.
As the babyboomers are reaching retirement age and find that they will be getting half of what it takes to barely exist with Social Security, the country is going to need a lot higher taxes to care of us. For decades I fought for a 'living wage' and benefits and now I find that the years I thought I had left to pay off my bills and save money for retirement is over. Disabled and constantly on the verge of homelessness, I can't even get but $16 a month in food stamps. Believe it or not, if you receive $0 on up to $954 a month, the most you can get is $16 a month. Ever try to eat on $16 a month?
I could have told my Mother, with Alzheimers, to just get over it but instead I spent over ten years caring for her. I could have NOT gone back to college and saved years of wasted time and money, only to be told that the salary I requested was too high. Those same people hired a man at a much higher CASH salary than I requested. It's a mans' world, now. Where is all the help I was told that would be available? First, they try to kill us with a lack of real healthcare and then they starve us to death. Thanks Texas. The fastest way to keep us quiet is to make sure our children are educated to know only what they want them to know.
Sonora Hartley via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So if parents at one school band together to do something special for the students they should be on the hook to do the same thing at a school across town? It's always been a two-(or more)tiered system. Better educated more financially successful parents always do more, provide more, for their children.
mark schoenfeld
Gypsy--I'm sorry the illegal aliens and unions kept you from getting the grammar instruction you deserve. To show how truly sorry I am, I've edited your post for proper punctuation. Unfortunately I couldn't revise the crazy out of it, but this is a start.
Remove dead beats from our school system like illegal aliens and we would have plenty of money for our kids. Face it, we can not pay for the whole world education on our dime. The unions and illegal aliens, supported by democrats and Obama, are weakening our school system with a third of our school tax dollars going to illegal aliens, and the unions are inflating costs for schools with their overhead and pension plans Americans can no longer afford. Americans must demand unions and illegal aliens must go.
Adele Roberson
http://progresstexas.org/tags/virtual-schools
The virtual school movement is a $24 billion industry with zero accountability.
With the support of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) – which serves as a home away from home for ALEC here in Texas – for-profit education companies are attacking Texas public schools, promoting virtual schools, and putting profits ahead of the education needs of Texas children. These virtual schools are largely unaccountable to Texas taxpayers, despite the fact that their students receive the exact same amount of funding as students who attend traditional public schools. In fact, virtual school students are funded at the same level of traditional public school students thanks to a law passed by Republican Senate Education Chair Florence Shapiro, who sits on ALEC's Education Task Force which is Co-chaired by employees of private companies that own and operate virtual schools in Texas.
The virtual school movement is a $24 billion industry with zero accountability .... if you think this will not happen or is not already happening in other states... you are not paying attention.
Barbara Madera via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Yes, it's true that some schools have always been better supported by the parents of the kids at that school. But the cuts are going deeper every year.
David Spratt
Parent participation is low. Now parents who take initiative are being hammered. The answer to this perceived problem,,,,,,,, FILE A LAWSUIT.
How dare they get involved and spend time, money and effort to improve their children's educational experience,,,,, THE NERVE OF THEM " RICH FOLKS !!! " FILE A LAWSUIT AND FORCE THEM TO PAY TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AND THEIR SELFISH ACTIONS TO BETTER THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN.
I would bet they read to their children , help them with homework and set standards in their homes. Many of them are taking responsibility for their lives and their children's lives without relying on big brother to raise their children for them or ask others to take their places or assume their responsibility.They are involved and will do anything for THEIR CHILDREN. They are sacrificing for the sake of their children,, and there are those who moan about it and expect them to make the same effort on behalf of other peoples children who will not make the same sacrifices to whatever capacity or degree they are capable of .
So you would have them sit by and do nothing,,,,,,, or better yet give you half of what they are spending $ wise. So what about the donated materials, sweat equity, and organizing efforts? I would suppose the argument would be that if they give the money first,,,,,,, then you will get off your butts and do the rest???? Probably not going to happen. All the complainers would rather everyone be reduced to the lowest common denominator .
Envy is a sin,,, at the least it is very unbecoming to complain someone else does or has something you do not have or will not do.
Many folks sit around and complain constantly someone else has more then they do and make excuses as to why they cannot do something. Can't never did nothin.
"Along with more volunteers on the weekend, in August Baldridge left his office every day at 4 p.m. to labor over the structure with a team of three others, sometimes working until late at night. Parents managed to raise about $30,000, and a local business kicked in a little bit more than that to cover the rest of the expenses. Baldridge said that figure represents just a fraction of the structure’s total value when accounting for the donated services, materials and time."
They did it and so can you,, if you just quit saying and believing you can do nothing. They have shown you the way. Your efforts may produce results on a smaller scale but at least you have made a start and taken a first step. Maybe they are smarter and work harder after all.
David Spratt
Christine ,,, I think you miss Frank's point. These non-working mothers he is talking about are helping in their schools to better the lives of their children.
It sounds like you would rather they disregard their own children and go to " poorer schools" to help other peoples children?
I was under the impression that the majority of people on sec.8 housing,, food stamps, wic, snap, chip, utility assistance, disability, and all the rest,,,,,,,,,,, what we would normally consider " Poor" people,,,, do not have jobs and do not work. In areas where unemployment is highest and incomes are the lowest,,,, people do very little but wait by the mailbox.
There is no shortage of people anywhere that could volunteer ,, if they just chose to do so. One would think in the poorest areas there would be a larger number of potential volunteers that have time on their hands.
David Spratt
"If Romney is elected, we won't even have minimum wage laws."
"Where is all the help I was told that would be available? First, they try to kill us with a lack of real health care and then they starve us to death. Thanks Texas. The fastest way to keep us quiet is to make sure our children are educated to know only what they want them to know. "
Romney has not claimed he will do away with minimum wage laws,,, I have not heard it even mentioned.
Second ,, the help you you were counting on has been used up by quite a few people abusing the system. Kinda like the teachers unions and the like. They are accepting deals for public sector workers working NOW,,,,,, that will be paid 20 and 30 years from now. The people on both sides making these deals know that they will not have to honor those deals when they come due.
These union members cheer their victories but they are hollow. There are trillions of unfunded pensions and the like that will NEVER BE PAID. How can you end up with 15 , 20 or more retired police officers, teachers, or city workers drawing retirement pay for every single person actually working when they come due??? Want to see into the future,,,, look to the cities in California going bankrupt and Europe. This is your children and grandchildren's future.
If the food stamp program,,,, costing 80 billion per year were ended tomorrow would we have 46 million people starve to death within the next 30 days???
Nobody wants truly needful people to go without,,,,,, but every time anyone suggests reform , means testing or any type of accountability the outcry that those people are unfeeling barbarians is deafening. So as a result the status quo is maintained ,,, people not really needing help continue to ride the system ,,, more join in ,,, and the ones that really deserve the help make due with less and less.
V Marshall
Every time I read an article on Texas education funding I can't help but think it is time for Texas to amend its constitution to allow for a statewide tax to fund public schools. Every Texas student should receive the same amount of funding. Every Texas resident should expect to contribute to education through taxes, and no one but the elderly should get exemptions. Currently in Texas, high density rental housing is not taxed at the same rate as single family residences. That should change. Any residential building should be taxed at a residential rate, not a business rate. Valuation reductions should not be applied to public education formulas. If counties want to give abatement to taxpayers for other public services great, but education should be everyone's priority.
I've lived in several different states. Most had a state property tax for schools and it was distributed equally. My home state, WA, also has no state income tax and yet they still fund K-12 at the state level. Only school construction/expansion is funded locally through bond levies.
Burton Baldridge
It was a true blessing to have been able to have assisted this community in creating the facility. Yes, my child is fortunate to go to this school. But it is remarkable that the community worked with us to create this prototype.
What the article does not mention is that most of the donated services came from sources outside of the school's community. These were people who believed in me and in the mission of what we were doing -- regardless of its location. Our intention has always been to pay this forward -- to create an armature to export this type of facility to other, less fortunate, districts. My hope is that the belief this school showed in me might eventually pay off for the entire public school community. And if that happens -- does it matter where it started?
Most of the comments here miss the point to some extent. No one is suggesting that we, as parents and citizens, do nothing. Rather, the question is how we work to share it.