Thousands Protest Education Cuts at Texas Capitol
Want to get the attention of 11,000 Texans? Propose a $10 billion spending cut to public education.
Parents, educators and students from across the state marched to the Capitol Saturday for the Save Texas Schools rally to express their concern over what could amount to a $10 billion reduction in state funding for schools.
Initial estimates put attendance around 4,000. But during the event, organizers said they had to stop counting — they had volunteers marking people with stickers — at 11,000. Capitol police were more conservative, putting the number at around 8,000. Representatives from over 300 school ...
Comments (38)
Laura Watts Kinnison via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Flunk Perry! Love it!
Lee Dunkelberg via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The lede is that way to back up the press release attacks later in the article . . . just sayin'.
Not too sure about this TT outfit yet.
Steve Munday via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I wish it would rain!
John Lyon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
"Bill Hammond, the president of the Texas Association of Business, was also slated to speak, but sent a text message Saturday morning saying he would be unable to because he had sprained his ankle"
What? Did he trip on a case of teabags?
Tim Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Why would that make it partisan? The majority of Republicans dislike Perry too. He has one of the lowest approval ratings going regardless of political affiliation.
Margaret Metcalf via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The attention should be on the sad state of our schools, in spite of all the money that has been poured into education! Have you visited your child's classroom lately?
Jaime Salinas Aguaristi via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I wish people were as eager and willing to pay taxes as they are to protest. I believe in public disagreement when public policy hurts the people, especially our young.But the money that is taken from tax payers can only go so far, we must be willing not just to demand our privileges but also to fulfill our responsibilities as citizens. Everyone is willing and ready to take but few are willing to pay.We are Texans people, stop whining and start providing.
Suzanne Hardie Lander via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Most of the people unwilling to pay taxes aren't interested in protesting for better schools. They're the ones saying their tax money shouldn't be going to school others' kids at all.
Laura Watts Kinnison via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Perry passed on the Race to the Stars opportunity and lost millions of education dollars for the state! @Tim Thomas--apparently not enough republicans dislike him, he was reelected for another term!
Kathi Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Perry is the reason we've got the huge deficit, so yes, it was anti Perry.
Melissa Cubria via Texas Tribune on Facebook
there are a lot of conservatives, independents and Republicans who do not like Perry. characterizing a rally as partisan b/c people are protesting Perry is an inaccurate generalization.
Rebecca Warnick
I'm conservative and I support approriate and effective levels of funding for public education. I lost any respect I had for Rick Perry when he wanted to require all Texas girls to take the HPV vaccine. His position, attitude and posturing regarding education funding is embarrassing to me and depressing.
Patrick Fortner via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The last sentence troubles me. "She said she’ll be on one of the seven buses HISD is sending to the Capitol on Monday for the Texas American Federation of Teachers Rally day." Why is HISD sending ANY buses to a political rally? Who is paying for them?
David F Parmenter via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I took some pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/parmo/sets/72157626252720736/
David Smith via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So when Peggy Venable suggests that school districts can absorb these levels of cuts without hurting instructions or teachers, are these numbers based on reality or ideology? As AFP issued anything more substantive than sound bites? Why are none of the "educrats" making the same statements? Please, more reporting on this claim.
Texan 2011
"She said she’ll be on one of the seven buses HISD is sending to the Capitol on Monday for the Texas American Federation of Teachers Rally day."
Are taxpayers paying for the HISD buses, drivers and gas to take union teachers on a personal trip to a union rally? Is this an efficient (or proper) use of school funds (aka taxpayer dollars)?
Texans are willing to pay a fair amount of taxes for quality education - they are NOT willing to pay ever-increasing taxes for WASTEFUL spending and POOR-quality education.
Reality check - all the rallies, speeches and sign-waving can't change the fact that the money is NOT THERE! You could raid the entire Rainy Day Fund and you'd be broke again next year. Spending must be cut - but that doesn't mean cutting teachers first.
Please find out what YOUR school district is spending YOUR money on (remember, teachers and other school employees work for the School District, not the state). You can start with TT's database of school Superintendent salaries - the highest-paid bureaucrat makes about 10 times the average teacher's salary.
If you're lucky, your school district is one of the smart ones that planned ahead, spent wisely, and doesn't have to lay off any teachers. If not, complain to your SCHOOL BOARD, not the Governor.
Michael B Openshaw
Forgive me, but I have sized several crowds at the Capitol and there was no way the crowd there was not half of that. Not an insignificant number by any means, but 11,000? Hardly.
As I walked through the crowd I found the vast majority of the crowd were teachers and other education workers, mixed in with local college student and a local contingent of 20-30 fullblown socialist worker members. Also about 25 to 30 of us Tea Party members who came to observe, discuss and pass out fliers.
One of the more amusing groups was the LeRouche crew trying to recruit for their political cult- the same ones, with the same Hitler-moustached Obama posters that have showed up at larger Tea Party events. They were generally shunned and reviled here as they were at tea party efforts.
A good event, even though I would point out that the general issue of covering shortfalls with cuts vs new taxation was thoroughly commented on by the results in November. As for draining the entire Rainy Day fund; the 'rain' hasn't stopped yet, and, should there be a natural disaster, having nothing to work from would be catastrophic.
Gregory S Windham via Texas Tribune on Facebook
There was an attempt by the left to hijack the rally. It failed. It was a bi-partisan rally. I was there and although there was much more organization by the left (even the Socialists were loud and proud), Conservative Texans were represented.
Mike Openshaw via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Gregory: 'Conservative? Really??? Try telling us that after watching this brief clip where EVERYBODY is participating in the chant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiUbXVNM4nk
What I saw was that the vast majority of the crowd was made up of teachers and other public employees with their kids, intermixed with college-aged liberals (most of whom have never paid significantly into the system). The people who primarily 'slop the public trough' were in short supply.
Glenda Hawthorne
Excuse me, but doesn't anyone remember Bill Hammond being involved with Tom DeLay and the Texans for a Republican Majority back in 2002? Hammond is NO FRIEND TO PUBLIC EDUCATION! He is directly responsible for the take over of the Texas House in 2002. Since that time public education has been under attack in Texas. I was so glad to see he did NOT SPEAK! "sprained his ankle"? Yeah, right! He was probably warned to stay away. The only reason he would have been there is to encourage the Legislature to use the rainy day fund so they won't raise the franchise tax on business. "Texas, Wide Open for Business", is one of Perry's slogans. I say, "Texas, Wide Open for Raping and Pillaging by Business". Businesses only relocate to this state because they are given outrageous tax breaks. When the tax breaks are ready to expire, they pull up stakes and freeload somewhere else. BUSINESSES NEED TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE TOO!
Donald Dickson
It's always sad-funny to watch competing interests play the estimate-the-crowd game. My all-time-fave was the Fox News reporter attending a John McCain campaign rally who was seen on raw videotape being told by a McCain aide that the crowd was estimated at 5,000, and only moments later went live on camera and estimated the crowd at 15,000.
On this occasion, we've got 4,000, 11,000 from organizers, and 8,000 from DPS. Why DPS would even hazard a guess except for inappropriately partisan political purposes is beyond me.
Let's just say it was a really big crowd, the largest gathering seen at the Capitol this year. How about we say that?
Michael B Openshaw
Glenda, possibly Bill found out how left-wing the groups were who organized the event, something many of the ISDs did not realize themselves until they arrived. The central placement of the Socialist Workers table and their 20-30 members was something that I doubt most people were expecting.
Glenda Hawthorne
Mike, Democracy is messy. This was an open rally and to my knowledge, anyone could attend. I saw their table too and thought, "what the hey?" But, as I said anyone could attend. I was handed literature from different groups and stuck in all in my back pocket. Haven't even read it yet. If people were attracted to their table, fine, if not, fine. They had a right to be there.
Kenneth Flippin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The crowd was diverse as far as age. It was mostly white and parent age. I would say 70% of the crowd was parents with their kids. I didn't see many college age kids there so Mike is just full of crap there when he says vast majority was college age. Look at the pictures Mike and you will have to admit the vast majority was not college age. Mike O is clearly blind to age but can see people's ideology - what a gift.
Michael B Openshaw
Glenda, Sorry; the Socialist Workers party didn't just 'show up'. Their placement in a prime spot on the central walkway made it obvious that they were there with the full prior knowledge and acceptance of the event organizers. The LeRouchies who weren't, were appropriately shoved over to one side. (Amusingly, the LeRouche cult also shows up at Tea Party events and get the same treatment).
Glenda Hawthorne
Mike: "Their placement in a prime spot on the central walkway made it obvious that they were there with the full prior knowledge and acceptance of the event organizers." And you know this because? Do you have some special inside knowledge of the event organizers, or are you just making your own assumptions based on your own particular political/world view? Maybe those people arrived at 5:00 a.m. to set up their table in "a prime spot on the central walkway". So what if they were there? Who really cares? I certainly don't.
Michael B Openshaw
Glenda, unlike a lot of the participants of the event, some people DID some research on who was holding it : http://northtexasteaparty.org/2011/03/10/who-is-behind-the-save-our-schools-rally/
Glenda Hawthorne
Oakley dokley, Mike. Now we all know where you're coming from.
John Reiser via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Actually, if one reads his comment more carefully, one learns that Mr. Openshaw did not say the majority was college-aged kids. He said the majority was teachers and other public employees INTERMIXED with college-aged Liberals. His characterization is correct. I was there and I do not fall into his majority, but when one speaker asked the teachers present to raise their hands, I was stunned at what a high percentage of the crowd raised theirs. A couple of weeks ago, I also attended a rally in support of my brothers and sisters on the line in Wisconsin and it didn't draw a crowd anywhere near this size. Teachers show up when the issue is teachers. Those of us who showed up because we thought the issue was education were just bit players at a teachers' rally.
Tulia Swisher
I'm disgusted by the cynical attacks on teachers. I'm a parent, and I brought my kids and my parents to the rally. None of us are teachers, but with two kids in elementary school, you can bet that we are interested in the quality of public education offered in Texas. I am proud to stand by our teachers and school employees that make their jobs possible. "Teachers show up when the issue is teachers" you say? How about showing up when the issue is EDUCATION? Shouldn't they? The teachers are in a key position to help solve problems in public schools - they are the ones in the classrooms, working long hours, expected to inspire, teach to the test, keep order in the classroom, etc. The teachers I know (and those who taught me) certainly aren't in it to make big bucks and lead a cushy lifestyle. They also shouldn't have to take a vow of poverty.
I saw lots of parents, teachers, and kids at the rally (and teachers have kids, too). I wouldn't even guess the percentage of each; anyone who thinks they could "eyeball It" by walking through the crowd (who cares how many - it was a lot) is trying to distract you from the message of the rally. The legislature and governor broke the funding system, and now we have a systemic failure because believe or not, taxes are not high enough. I would gladly pay an income tax to prevent us from having to return to this slash and burn ordeal every two years.
barnettde
Texas 2011 is right about one thing. Thanks to more than a decade of Governor Perry's slash and burn budget policies, our state revenue is far below what it should be. Texas and Texans have plenty of capital on hand, but those who have benefited the most from previous good ecnomomic times have been allowed to pay far less than their fair share. It's time for fair and equitable business and income taxes in this state. When the people I know run into tough economic times, they tighten their belts AND look for new ways to raise money.
Michael Openshaw must live in a parallel Tea Party universe. Everyone in Texas who buys or rents a home, shops for clothes and groceries, or buys just about anything helps "slop the public trough" through sales and property taxes.
The truth is that folks like these don't care about education and never have. They also generally don't know much about modern education, which is why they throw around vague arguments about cutting so-calleed excess administrative positions.
The Texas constitution REQUIRES the state to provide a quality publicly funded educational system. It's time to start talking about consequences for the politicians who won't honor their public duty.
Ted Melina Raab via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Patrick Fortner asked: "Why is HISD sending ANY buses to a political rally? Who is paying for them?"
Get a grip. HISD isn't sending any buses. The members of Texas AFT, including the Houston Federation of Teachers and Houston Education Support Personnel, are paying for them with our own hard-earned money.
Kimberly Thompson Burkett via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Mike, were you there or do you live vicariously through YouTube? The chant was for "funding" - meaning replacing the funds that were slashed in 2006 by 33%. I was at this rally and it was diverse - young, old, all ethnicities, and all professions. This is not a teacher rally and don't let biased publications mislead you. This is not a teacher issue. This is a taxpayer issue. Do you like your taxes being misappropriated? I don't - that's why I was there. I pay taxes for public services like education and the state of Texas isn't delivering. I would think that would be an issue that transcends all groups. Why don't you see that?
Michael B Openshaw
IEveryone DOES 'Slop the public trough': but some feed from it more than they slop it. Some people don't recognize the difference in perspective that generates. Assuming we know nothing about 'modern education' is a big assumption. A couple of our key leaders ARE teachers in the public system, ones that know there are administrative areas that definitely can be improved.
Article 7, Section 1 states "...it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make SUITABLE provision for the support and maintenance of an EFFICIENT system of public free schools"
One may wonder if the efficiency is there, since funding has grown 95%, while enrollment grew at 20%. The administration expansion has been significant and those non-teachers average WAY higher salaries than the teachers themselves. At the same time, endpoint scores have dropped slightly: more importantly, American performance against kids around the world is far from competitive these days. Increased overal education dollars has NOT translated into better performance.
I've seen education from Ivy League down to 76 orphan and dirt-poor pre-schoolers crammed into a 400 square foot room, doing their English drills for a single teacher by 7am every morning in Uganda (and with better discipline than the average American classroom) Appreciate education? You bet I do; I'm paying for enough of it both here AND in Africa. My 'universe' extends WELL past the state's borders.
Also, the 'universe' I currently live in is the private sector, 13% cuts over a two year period in hard economic time is NOT that uncommon. My wife's company is cutting 30% in two weeks, including her job . The economy has a LONG way to go yet. Yet, last year, while every one of the employees of the company I worked for was- like many other firms- taking a 5% cut (upper management 10%), Plano ISD was giving a 2.5% raise. My family will gut it up as needed, because a LOT of our friends and neighbors are in worse shape (and I've seen WAY worse in the world)
As for the funding system being broken, it certainly is. Robin Hood has proven- long-term- to be a disaster, one easily predicted. Much of the money transferred from richer districts essentially was used in ways that allowed poorer districts to invest- in things like astroturfed football stadiums. The use of lottery money was another highly predictable disaster- Lottery income is WAY too variable for this purpose and ALWAYS falls off. Putting all the blame on Perry and and the last few years is asinine; the overall mishmash of funding models has been at least a generation in the making and massively complicated by Washington unfunded mandates and meddling.
New ways to raise money? Like California and New York has practiced? Has ever increasing taxation cleared any of those deficits? The lack of an income tax is what brings business here and why we're not in nearly their situations. It's amazing the number of people who claim they are 'willing to pay an income tax'. Those people are welcome to calculate the amount for themselves from the high-tax state of their choice, write a check and send it into the school system directly. They have that freedom. Mandating that as a tax takes away that freedom from those who wish to apply their money elsewhere (and I do- to needs most of you can't fathom). I also realize all this talk of 'taxing corporations' can get pretty silly; corporations just pass on those costs onto their customers. We all still pay.
Personally, I can see covering the current $4.3 billion deficit with the Rainy Day Fund; in that, I may be in disagreement with many in the Tea Party. But the rest needs to be held for future disasters and unanticipated situations. The 'rain' has not stopped yet and we cannot assume miracle solutions before the next cycle. I also think the 'economic development' fund, which gave millions for the billionaire's Super Bowl, needs to be gutted, for what it's worth.
Now, several of you here will try to parse bits and pieces of this to put me in some sort of simplified political box for your mental comfort. Have fun doing so; but if you do, just know it shows a philosophical inflexibility. Feel comfortable though that I know it to be the opinion of one political activist and carries no more weight than that of anyone who has done a fair amount of effective political work of the years.
Tulia Swisher
Robin Hood and over-reliance on the lottery are only partially to blame for the funding gap in the state school budget. What about the property tax cuts from several years back, and the inadequate method of compensating for them? That's the elephant in the room. We can only cut so much - where do we raise the additional revenue? The legislature and the governor have offered NO solutions on the revenue end.
Where does that leave us? At least we're not as bad off as Uganda?
Rudy Gonzales
Thanks to Ricky Perry Texas is:
— Tax expenditures per capita (47th)
— Percent of population 25 and older with a high school diploma (50th)
— Percent of poor people covered by Medicaid (49th)
— Percent of population with employer-based health insurance (48th)
— Per capita spending on mental health (50th)
— Per capita spending on Medicaid (49th)
— Percent of non-elderly women with health insurance (50th)
— Percent of women receiving prenatal care in first trimester (50th)
— Average credit score (49th)
— Workers' compensation coverage (50th)
— Number of executions (1st)
— Public school enrollment (2nd)
— Percent of uninsured children (1st)
— Percent of children living in poverty (4th)
— Percent of population uninsured (1st)
— Percent of population living below poverty (4th)
— Percent of population with food insecurity (2nd)
— Overall birth rate (2nd)
— Amount of carbon dioxide emissions (1st)
— Amount of toxic chemicals released into water (1st)
— Amount of hazardous waste generated (1st)
Rick Perry is a career politician with no real world experience, who forces his warped narrow-minded religious beliefs on Texas women instead of addressing the 16 billion dollar budget deficit! Restrict Abortion or cut expenses - That's the cry from the radical Republican "Wrongs".
GS Crispus
@ Openshaw
<"Everyone DOES 'Slop the public trough': but some feed from it more than they slop it. Some people don't recognize the difference in perspective that generates. Assuming we know nothing about 'modern education' is a big assumption. A couple of our key leaders ARE teachers in the public system, ones that know there are administrative areas that definitely can be improved.”>
http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2011/mar/14/paul-krugman/paul-krugman-says-poorest-40-percent-texans-pay-mo/
In Texas, due to our regressive tax structure, the bottom pay far more a share of the tax burden (to their income) than the top do. Although, lets be clear, the top certainly benefit more from our court systems, road and rail infrastructure, and legislature that does not bat an eye at corporate tax cuts and business concerns, but asks for "shared sacrifice" when it comes to health services and education for the bottom rung of society.
Why are we not using a progressive tax structure to fund our government, which ensures a more equitable burden among all citizens? Such tax systems have not impeded GDP growth, especially during time periods when top brackets paid 90%. Do the wealthy in this state deserve welfare and privilege just because? Why do they get to eat the trough while everyone else slops it for them?
Top Marginal Income Taxes Overlayed w/ GDP Growth
http://imgur.com/sSqYt.png
Tax Types and Percentages of Income by Tax Groups
http://imgur.com/C8hWY.png
Let us continue:
<"One may wonder if the efficiency is there, since funding has grown 95%, while enrollment grew at 20%. The administration expansion has been significant and those non-teachers average WAY higher salaries than the teachers themselves. At the same time, endpoint scores have dropped slightly: more importantly, American performance against kids around the world is far from competitive these days. Increased overal education dollars has NOT translated into better performance.">
Scores have improved, perhaps not to your liking, but they have improved. I don’t think you would be interested in the governmental policy needed to address the inequality to really bring up scores.
http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2011/feb/17/michelle-rhee/michelle-rhee-tells-florida-legislators-spending-e/
Your numbers are deceptive. Enrollment has grown by 20% or a million students in the last several years. Funding grew by large amounts because we were not adequately funding our system to begin with:
http://www.cppp.org/files/2/FAST%20FACTS%20ON%20PUBLIC%20EDUCATION.pdf (2004)
Who would have thought large increases in enrollment would require increased spending and increased expansion of infrastructure to facilitate those students?
While we did increase spending in 2006, in its context, we had been underfunding education long before those increases. Regardless, the Republicans (and you by proxy) are defending massive budget cuts following their poor math calculations with the property tax changes in 2006 (was it a malicious attempt to “starve the beast” at the middle and lower class’ expense? I know Grover Norquist is whispering in Rick Perry ear somewhere up in Austin).
Furthermore, I hear CEOs average WAY higher salaries than the rest of the corporate hierarchy (like WAY more than any administrator compared to a teacher). Are they losing their job or is your wife? Are they making record profits for the shareholders by cutting your wife, and ensuring their bonus, or is that okay because that is the way you roll in the private sector? Did you know teachers and state workers have been getting cut consistently through this economic downturn? So much so that of the 12-13 months of straight private sector job growth, local/state government job loss has been dragging down recovery. Did you know that many districts have been feeling job loss and cutbacks for the last five years? I hear over at Cy-Fair ISD they did not have a pay raise for 6 years, and then only because state laws mandated it so. Which was then consumed by benefit cost increases. Were you out there demanding pay raises for government workers in the 90s, or do you only complain when you feel the invisible hand of the free market touching you in the wrong place?
Maybe crab mentality is not the way to be thinking about economic recovery? Especially when Republicans ran on job growth (or was it abortion? Union busting? Creating corporate fiefdoms? Obama’s birth certificate? Something "un-American" I am sure).
I am happy you acknowledge our poor practices at the state level with funding, but please do not blame the Feds for expecting state and local governments protect access to schools for minority and disabled students. The South has a tendancy to put a strangle hold on education funding whether its opposition to the creation of a public university system pre-Civil War or denying access and funding to public schools.
Its certainly not the Feds passing a state EoC test that will triple the amount of testing days next year, either. Those are neither free or easier when you keep cutting staff to administrate and prepare!
<“I've seen education from Ivy League down to 76 orphan and dirt-poor pre-schoolers crammed into a 400 square foot room, doing their English drills for a single teacher by 7am every morning in Uganda (and with better discipline than the average American classroom) Appreciate education? You bet I do; I'm paying for enough of it both here AND in Africa. My 'universe' extends WELL past the state's borders.”>
Have you worked in education? Did you go check up on the kids in the Lord’s Army raping, pillaging, and marauding across the country side in the name of Christ, over in Uganda? I don’t think those children were in class attendance that day (they don’t have very good government funding, much less mandatory attendance, in their education system over there). I’d like you to cite your evidence for the “average” American classroom. I begin to wonder what you’re really insinuating by that statement? Why would you make such a comparison?
Your universe does not extend beyond the beliefs and ideologies you’ve wrapped yourself around.
<“New ways to raise money? Like California and New York has practiced? Has ever increasing taxation cleared any of those deficits? The lack of an income tax is what brings business here and why we're not in nearly their situations. It's amazing the number of people who claim they are 'willing to pay an income tax'. Those people are welcome to calculate the amount for themselves from the high-tax state of their choice, write a check and send it into the school system directly. They have that freedom. Mandating that as a tax takes away that freedom from those who wish to apply their money elsewhere (and I do- to needs most of you can't fathom). I also realize all this talk of 'taxing corporations' can get pretty silly; corporations just pass on those costs onto their customers. We all still pay.”>
Top Federal Marginal Income Tax Rates:
http://imgur.com/gFu4S.png
US Debt Levels:
http://imgur.com/cn5UC.png
Who would have thought, lowering tax rates increases debt? Speaking of California, the Republicans pushed through a super majority requirement for any tax increase there, and its been a spend, and never increase taxes to fund that spending land ever since.
The lack of income tax brings PEOPLE here. That does not mean our property and sales tax funds those basic social services required of any modern nation when they get here. Income taxes do not affect business or GDP growth. Corporate taxes can, but that’s not your argument. You’ve already gone off the deep end in some fantasy land claiming that paying your fair share to the government that ensures your freedom is somehow inhibiting your freedom (in ways we can’t fathom, oh you Randian snow flake, you). I can’t help you with that. Its simply crazy. Then again, you could take a trip to Somalia and see how much you like your "freedom" there.
Stop asking future generations to make sacrifices now to pay for your privilege academically, socially, and economically. You're infringing on their "freedom" to one day be as privileged as you.
Kevin McCarthy
I don't get it. Austin ISD is proposing to lay off 1153 people, but the athletics budget of 12 million plus will only be reduced by $500,000 dollars.
So much for education being more important than football. Welcome to Texas