Day 1: Thousands of Texas Teachers Losing Jobs
Throughout the month of August, The Texas Tribune will feature 31 ways Texans' lives will change come Sept. 1, the date most bills passed by the Legislature — including the dramatically reduced budget — take effect. Check out our story calendar here.
DAY 1: Thousands of Texas teachers will not have jobs to return to in the fall.
Just a month before the end of the school year, Bryan McClintock, a special education teacher with the Little Elm Independent School District, was told that his contract would not be renewed in the fall. McClintock had anticipated he might be laid off because ...
Comments (23)
T D
How can our legislators not have devoted themselves to fixing the tax code so that this doesn't happen again?
Marcus Cunningham via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Hopefully all TX voters will see exactly what was voted for in 2010.
Robert Courtemanche via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I like what the Bryan had to say about teachers strained and kicking in out of their own pockets. Time for teachers to stop doing that and let parents see just how bad this budget really is....
Adam Silva via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Shameful.
Dave Mundy via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Except when local school districts are frugal with their money: http://www.gonzalescannon.com/node/5898
Mary Lynn VanZandt Neill via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Might I suggest one of the "TEACHERS" at UTSan Antonio school of Nursing? Believe me,she wouldn't be missed!
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
wonder how many staff psychologist got laid off?
Carlyn Short via Texas Tribune on Facebook
To say nothing about the 1 route bus drivers the TRS is kicking out of membership; after 17 years of driving, and paying into the TRS - I am now losing my membership, (and health insurance) effective September 1, 2011. No grandfathering and if I don't take my accrued funds out before then, THEY KEEP IT UNTIL I AM ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT!! Who's dumb-a** idea was that, and exactly how much money are they going to save? Thanks, Perry and cronies :(
Donna Howard
It's important to note that, though some districts have reduced planned cuts and/or rehired staff, this is not because schools got the funding they needed. School fiscal years do not coincide with the legislative session, and staffing decisions had to be made before the state's budget was approved. Many districts made decisions based on a worst case scenario (and justifiably so since the House originally passed a budget with a $10 billion cut to public education)--so they ended up letting go fewer than anticipated. Also, the $830 million federal Edujobs funds came through and will be applied to the 2011/12 school year which lessened the impact of the state's reductions for at least the first year of the biennium.
Debra Haas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
...something about elections have consequences. I hope Texas voters understand what they have wrought.
Jose B. Gonzalez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I winded if the majority of those 12K teachers were highly performing teachers or were most of them under-performing educators? Sometimes a purge of the weakest links can be a boost for future potential...
Bambi Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The Texas Teabaggers could care less, except for what MQS/Texans For Fiscal Responsibility tells them. They Baaaahhhhhh as the house burns down.
Jose B. Gonzalez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I wonder if the majority of those 12k teachers were highly performing educators or were most of them under-performing educators?? Sometimes a purge of the weakest links can be a boost for future potential...
David
When will these teachers figure out that, per MQ Sullivan, we actually increased funding for public education this biennium?
Patricia Budak
On top of losing their jobs, teachers and other school employees have to worry about losing their lifelong defined benefit Teacher Retirement System annuity. Their TRS health care is in jeopardy also. Every two years TRS retirees hope and pray their retirement benefits will not be cut by the legislature. For this reason, we have formed a new group called Retired Employees of Schools in Texas. Visit our Facebook page and "like" to receive posts and communicate with other TRS retirees on topics which relate to our income and health care. Ninety % of teachers have no Social Security benefits. School districts save money by contributing to TRS and not Social Security.
Scott Specht
It would be interesting to see a comparison in school districts that laid off large #'s of teachers to see how much money is spent on administration costs, as well as how much their Superintendent makes...
Henry Potter via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Many Texas voters understand exactly what they wrought, and could not be more pleased.
Frances Demps via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Jose, you make a good point. However, I know of two excellent teachers who were laid off while one complete slacker was retained. Times like this make me think hard about tenure.
Ann Nunnally via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Unfortunately, this temporary solution will cause a long term problem. The teachers are being laid off by seniority, not ability. And larger class sizes have proven to cause a decrease in education quality. So the children being taught in the next few years will be less prepared to take on their responsibilities. A poor allocation of resources.
Wallis Parnelle
You get what you voted for. If you attracted to cllever negative ads, bashing everyone, and listening to the likes of Fox news, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, then you have to enjoy the downgrding of your lifestyle, future and income. Fox News, Glen beck, Rush Limbaugh are now fillty rich from you naive, and usage of limited brain power. Congradulations suckers.
Its really really sad, that many teachers have helped their students for years, by digging into their own pockets to support the teaching profession, only to be kicked to the curb, like a piece of trash.
Next we have the likes of a reinacted GWBush, running for Prez, Rick Perry. Suppose in the backs of Perry supporters minds, they are thinking, Death to America, It my country, not yours.
James Williams
Interesting that some believe that Republicans had more negative ads than their counterparts. According to UPI and The Wesleyan Media Project advertising group, the analysis indicated that Democratic candidates ran a greater percentage of negative ads and were more likely to attack their opponents' personal characteristics, not their policy positions during the 2010 elections.
Data indicated 29 percent of Democratic House and Senate candidates' ads are negative, up from 13 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, attack ads generated by Republican candidates dropped from 28 percent to 21 percent.
Thirty-five percent of the negative ads run by Democrats focused exclusively on policy, while Republicans were focused solely on policy 57 percent of the time.
I am sure that these numbers change based on many characteristics including current political climate, region/area, etc...and that there are locations or specific races would have the opposite data. But, as a whole, it appears that in 2010 the Dem's were more negative.
K.D. Thomas
I retired from teaching this year, knowing what a mess it will be in the future. My concern is for the kids who are now in college working to become teachers? My son graduated in May with a degree in music and put out over 200 resumes. He had 3 interviews. He is now looking to teach English in Korea this coming year.
K.D. Thomas
There is NO tenure in Texas, it makes it easier for the principal to retain his buddies while firing good teachers, and for people with the same "first" name to be kept.