In Light of Budget Gap, Public Education Faces Cuts
The biennial budget shortfall you’ve heard so much about — estimated to be anywhere from $13 billion to $28 billion — will require the Legislature to take a paring knife and possibly a machete to government agencies and programs. The largest single consumer of state dollars is public education, so it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which funding for teacher salaries, curricular materials and the like isn’t on the chopping block, especially if state lawmakers want to make good on their promises of no new taxes.
Nobody knows for sure how drastic the cuts will be until January ...
Comments (10)
Dave Sowders via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Everyone, and I do mean everyone, should be paying close attention. We are being told by teachers and administrators in my daughters' district to expect cuts in programs we think are vital to their education. It's important that the lege and school districts make the best of this mess.
Annie Martinez Vieyra via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Teachers are told that every year. Meanwhile, we see administrators salaries balloon up every year, and we watch administrators hire their boot-licker cronies to cushy jobs at the district office. This is old news.
Truth Hurts
Don't forget to consider what parents already pay out of pocket: school supplies, memberships, field trip fees, fundraisers, necessities for special in-class events ... and the sweat equity they put into folding and stapling booklets, gluing, etc. ... and that's just for kindergarten.
I am all for parent participation; it's a great thing ... but some of these costs add up and cumulatively make up a hidden school tax. At some point -- I'm not saying we're quite there yet, but we're on our way -- a public school stops being a public school.
(Texas colleges and universities are much closer to that line -- when the "public" has been funded right out of a public school).
Keep Eanes Informed
Steep rise in Central Administrative salaries since Nola Wellman was hired as Eanes ISD superintendent in January 2004:
LINK:
http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/eanes_isd_administrative_salaries_increase_-_nola_wellman.htm
More on the increase in Eanes ISD administrative positions here:
LINK:
http://www.keepeanesinformed.com/admin_positions.htm
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The Superintendent of the FWISD MAKES OVER $300,000 per year. I know where I would start cutting.
paul phillips
We need to put a peso in the pockets of the illeagal aliens and deport them up north then maybe all the transplanted yankee texans will take their liberal ideas and go back the north and try to tax the peons for their pesos
Truth Hurts
@ Paul Phillips, I appreciate your unvarnished and irrational racism in the Trib comment section. With your permission, I'd like to quote you when Republicans feign that their fight against immigration reform is only based on concerns over the rule-of-law. And when Republicans feign that resource appropriation decisions are based without any consideration of race or ethnicity (re: Southern Strategy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Atwater.)
I know you don't speak for your political leaders, but the truly sad truth is that you are the base, and your leaders know their base.
To the Trib: An interesting study would be of comments made in various sections of stories regarding budgeting, immigration, ethnicity and race. It begs credulity when those who point out racism are accused of "pulling the race card" when, in fact, a person is merely pointing to the card on the table. Mr. Phillips' comment is a card on the table. And there are many more. The out-of-control racism in this country, thinly veiled behind legitimate discussions on security and migration and economics, should be addressed. To date, it had not -- not really -- not in our state.
Happy Confederate Heroes' Day!
paul phillips
This is to truth hurts: Truth is i never singled out any ethnic group, i said illeagal aliens, they come in different shapes sizes and ethnicity just like people. Also my flag of choice is the LONE STAR flag.Im a independant and not associated with either party so if your gonna Quote me tell the people who are independant thinkers and not ELEPHANTS and DONKEYS. I dont believe calling people from up north Yankees is racial.Also i dont care who immigrates to texas, but if you do become a TEXAN FIRST AND A AMERICAN SECOND. HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO
Truth Hurts
Paul Phillips said "We need to put a peso in the pockets of the illeagal aliens and deport them up north then maybe all the transplanted yankee texans will take their liberal ideas and go back the north and try to tax the peons for their pesos."
@ Mr. Phillips, you write about "pesos" and write about deporting immigrants to the "north" with the Yankees and I'm supposed to think you're talking about undocumented Irish immigrants and Canadian visa over-stayers? I am sorry, but you'll have to do better coding your sense of racial superiority and your references to Mexican nationals.
The truth is, you're playing a blame game. If it weren't Mexicans, it'd be Blacks, or Jews, or Muslims, or non-Christians, or non-Texans or non-Americans. When Christ walked the earth, he didn't preach a message of blame. He never blamed the Romans or the Gentiles or other tribes for the suffering of his followers. Instead, he preached compassion and said, "Follow me." And he instructed us to obey his commandments and those of his Father, one of the most important of which is this:
"Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Mark 12:31
So, love yourself man. Love your neighbor. And only good will follow.
paul phillips
Guess it was a slip of the finger that you put immigrant and not what i said "ILLEAGAL IMMiRGRANT". Also pesos are used in PUERTO RICO and the PHILIPINES . Was the 9/11 conspiritors illeagal immigrants? If there is a racist on here it is you, because you can tell my thoughts by what i write. Why cant you admit that your a HISPANIC and i am a GRINGO and there in lies the problem. And i have lots of hispanic friends but they arent illeagal. Also my HISPANIC FRIENDS WASNT IN DALLAS WITH LULAC FLYING THE MEXICAN FLAG. The 9/11 criminals were MUSLIM VISA OVER STAYERS and not IRISH or CANADIANS.