Fees for Students Redefine "Free" Public School
As cash-strapped public schools attempt to squeeze every possible dollar out of their budgets, an unpleasant reality awaits parents: They will most likely have to pay for programs and services that schools once provided for free.
Consider Keller Independent School District just north of Fort Worth, where students who ride the bus will now pay $185 each per semester. Rather than scrap busing altogether after voters rejected a property tax hike in June to make up for lost state revenue, the district opted to institute fares.
The $4 billion cut in education financing at the state level for 2012-13 means ...
Comments (21)
Dion Miller
The Texas Tea Party is abolishing public education. This is just the beginning.
Tucano Fulano
No school ever provided anything at all "for free" - taxpayers paid for everything, and now taxpaying parents are being asked to pay twice...
T D
This is an embarrassment and disgrace to Texas.
Luisa Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is so incredibly sad. Sacrificing the needs of kids in a state that rewards oil companies
Robert Courtemanche via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Texas has always underfunded education, even in good times. Now we can see just how bad we will underfund education in bad times.
Steve Coyle via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It is essentially raising taxes as a surcharge targeting families with children in public schools that allows the politicos making that decision to disingenuously claim "We did not raise taxes." It is a dishonest and cowardly action.
Barbara Durso via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Steve Coyle -you are correct. It is a user fee.
Autumn Williams Keiser via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Doesn't it always seem these fees target the least-fortunate first? Even when they lower fees for kids on reduced lunch plans, the burden is still astonishingly disproportionate for poor folks. Single moms will face paying for their kids to ride the bus vs. paying their rent. PLUS by making education less-accessible, particularly to at-risk kids, we increase the burden on ALL tax-payers as those kids drop out of school and rely on government assistance as they grow up. Stupid and mean.
Steve Coyle via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The less likely you are to vote the more likely you are to get ripped off. I'm not a fan of being taxed-but I would like to know that revenue being collected is being used for priorities that I consider important (and I express those personal preferences in my vote.) If people believe funding education in Texas is important then they need to make the effort to find out who their reps are and how they voted on the Texas budget and make their concerns known at the ballot box otherwise they will increasingly pay more for less.
Vicki Rawlins McCuistion via Texas Tribune on Facebook
so the Wimberley ISD junior high school list mentions a fee for a science workbook, is that illegal?
Autumn Williams Keiser via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Steve wise words from you as always. @Vicki your point is also good. The legality of MANY of these fees will no doubt be contested in the courts - MORE costs the tax-payers will foot to fight policies many of us disagree with in the first place.
Frances Demps via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If a student gets free lunch, how the heck is the family supposed to afford a $100 bus fare? The poor will always be among us. It's extremely backward thinking to impose these fees. As Autumn posted above, this will do nothing but lead to increased dropout rates and MORE dependence on government, not less, including higher incarceration rates. Trust me, the last thing you want is a bunch of idle teenagers and adolescents wondering around all day because they can't afford the bus ride to school.
James Williams
When are people going to start questioning the administrative costs for the ISD's? Less focus on the teachers and their salaries and more on the superintendents and their staff's would be a real good start to fixing the budget constraints that these districts face.
David Spratt
Welcome to the New World Order. Expect more of the same. Tax and spend Liberal Ideology has put us in this position. Where are the jobs and the tax revenue to sustain the way we used to do things? Millions of underpaid , poor illegal immigrants have created a new underclass which we must all pay for now since they cannot be asked to leave the country or be forced to. That would be unkind. Drilling for oil and natural gas is under attack from the EPA and other federal government organizations perpetuating energy dependence on foreign sources. Coal fired generation plants are being shut down reducing available electricity and putting thousands of people out of work and ultimately raising electricity costs. Mexican trucks will soon roll on our highways again putting American truck drivers out of work. The federal government spends trillions it does not have on useless programs , foreign aid, and further regulations that stifle free enterprise and the economy. Do not blame the Tea Party or Repubics/RINOS for lack of funds. They do not have them to give either. This is the result of the HOPE AND CHANGE that was voted for in 2008.Since close to 50% of Americans pay no federal income taxes at all, if you are one of the ones that does pay them , expect to begin to pay more. Do not fall for the line that only billionaires and millionaire's are going to be the ones footing the bills from now on. Anyone with any money at all will be a target.
David Spratt
Steve Coyle, You hit the nail on the head. Too many people do not vote and many of those who do are not fully informed on the issues, having no idea of the consequences of their vote. Add to that 20 million or more illegal Aliens who ride the system , who cannot vote , but who's concerns are considered now days on equal footing just as if they were Citizens entitled to all privileges and benefits taxpaying voting Citizens are. Probably there are 100 million people or more who's interests are being controlled , who never say anything about it. Some choose to serve our Nation in our armed services, some serve as elected officials and many serve in numerous other ways. It is EVERY CITIZENS CIVIC DUTY to cast a vote and try to make it an informed decision. Indifference to political affairs is the surest way to invite tyranny.
Honor Kirk
If it isn't my friend David spouting his party idealogy. What does Obama have to do with public school funding?
This is Perry's mess straight up. Even his comptroller warned him when he was rolling back property taxes that this was going to hit the school districts and leave them preciptiously underfunded. He hid the deficits with federal stimulus money but now that it is no longer available.
Also, your beef with mexican trucks- thats NAFTA plain and simple, another REPUBLICAN trade agreement.
This school finding mess has NOTHING to do with the current administration, but like all repiglicans, you like to twist the facts and obscure the truth to push an agenda.
harmony seeker
James-Teachers are already underpaid in comparison to similarly trained and educated individuals in the private sector. Where is the rational in asking teachers to foot the bill rather than charge fees for extracurricular activities? They already foot the bill to supply students with materials, who are not coming to school with supplies out of the kindness of their hearts.
Do you think that Texas will continue to attract the best teachers to teach children if they are continuously underpaid in comparison to other states. Many teachers are raising families as well. Would you work such a high pressured job without appropriate compensation?
James Williams
@Harmony - I reread my post and cannot find where I stated that teachers should suffer pay reductions. Instead, my post offered to change the focus of the salary discussion from the teachers to the administrators. When the Dallas ISD Supt makes >$330k and the Dallas ISD Chief of Staff makes >$205k and no one has asked them to justify their salaries in the face of teacher cuts, I am a little suspicious.
I am not going to argue that the teachers are underpaid...what I will debate are the salaries for their bosses. Especially, when I have yet to see one Supt offer to cut their administrative costs instead of allowing it to occur in the classroom.
If my post conveyed anything other than that then I will try to be clearer in the future.
harmony seeker
I apologize James for misreading your your post. I have read a bit too much lately demonizing teachers and misrepresenting them as having lavish salaries and benefits. I would just like to do my job as a teacher, and perhaps too many cooks are spoiling the meal when it comes to education public policy. I do wish administration, parents, teachers, and elected officials would get their heads straight on the best way to educate our children.
James Williams
No problem, Harmony. It's a very emotional issue. I also hope we can straighten out these issues - ensuring that the teachers get the tools and pay they need and that our children get the education they deserve.
Thanks for the reply.
David Spratt
Texas has created 35% or more of the total jobs nationwide since 2008. People continue to move in from other states because of this. If teachers got a raise of any kind , they would be the only group other than the politicians that have gotten one in my recent memory. I make less , and pay more for everything than I have ever before in my life. Revenue is down in all forms and home values have declined resulting in less revenue from property taxes. If you want to ignore the overall state of the economy and the resulting revenue decline due to the policies of the current administration in Washington , then I would agree they have noting to do with our fiscal problems. Amnesty for all illegals , another million or so unneeded immigrants, legal or illegal, and another couple of trillion in spending should put us all back into recovery. I am a Conservative Constitutionalist , not a republican. Both parties are to blame for our current situation. It is a shame some cannot let go of their party affiliations and failed ideology's to do the right thing for the survival of us all. I am as ashamed of Rick Perry as I am of the idiot I have to admit is my President. It is obvious my welfare and that of my fellow Americans is second to their own interests.