Spartan budget plan calls for broad cuts

[coyotes_geek]

CG: Texans get their first look at what type of cuts can be expected to balance the state budget. Not a very pretty picture.

**************

A sobering reality settled over the Texas Capitol late Tuesday as the state's budget challenge emerged in black and white.

The multivolume Legislative Budget Board publication provides the first real picture of what it will take for Texas to dig itself out of a deep budget hole without raising taxes or using the $9.4 billion rainy day fund.

It is apparent that very little escaped the knife in this first draft of the budget, including previously untouched public school funding and money for higher education and Medicaid reimbursements.

The release of the documents had been pushed into the night to avoid overshadowing the day's inauguration of Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. The information was delivered in hard-copy form to legislators, many of whom were out enjoying the inaugural festivities, and will be posted on the budget board's website this morning.

Today, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, will take questions from members on the House floor, and more details will emerge as legislative staffers, advocates, lobbyists and others dig into the details.

Pitts set out to balance the budget with the $72 billion in taxes and fees that will be available for the 2012-13, two-year budget. That amount is $15 billion less than the current budget and $27 billion less than what agencies say they need to continue the current level of services.

Public education

Direct state aid to school districts, which has been untouched in previous rounds of cuts, was trimmed by $953 million in the proposed budget.

But school districts will also forgo $9.8 billion owed to them under current school finance laws, such as money to cover growth in student enrollment.

Grants for teacher incentive pay, pre-kindergarten and classroom technology were also eliminated.

Higher education

Student financial aid, including the main Texas Grants program, and funding for public universities would take substantial hits.

Financial aid was slashed by half, closing off assistance for new students.

Governor's office

Perry's largest economic development fund remains largely unchanged, but the governor's programs that promote film production in Texas and foster research and development of new technologies were hammered in this first draft of the budget. The Emerging Technology Fund was cut 85 percent.

Criminal justice

In public safety and corrections programs, the budget report recommends shutting down a unit in Sugar Land, three Texas Youth Commission lockups and 2,000 private prison beds, a move that could close at least two additional lockups. About 1,562 prison jobs were also chopped.

Probation programs would see funding cut by 20 percent, parole supervision would be cut by almost 9 percent, and the agency's construction and maintenance funding could be cut by 83 percent, along with 90 jobs. The Victims Services Division would be eliminated.

Health care, other cuts

Medicaid reimbursement rates for doctors, nursing homes and other health care providers were whacked by 10 percent.

The proposal also includes closing at least one of Texas' state supported living centers, facilities that serve Texans with mental disabilities.

Overall, about 9,600 state positions would be eliminated from the payroll.

The state will also drop its contribution to the pension systems for teachers and state workers to 6 percent, the minimum allowed by the state constitution.

Some small entities, such as the State Law Library, were eliminated. Others, including the Historical Commission, are still standing but had much of their funding cut.

Earlier Tuesday, a group of conservative legislators laid out suggestions for reducing spending by $18 billion withouttouching transportation, public safety or criminal justice.

Representatives of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute said education bore the brunt of the cuts - $12 billion - because federal health care laws prevent states from reducing eligibility for people covered through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Neither Pitts nor his counterpart in the Senate, Steve Ogden, was involved in developing the conservatives' budget blueprint.

But the recommendation could provide a good indication of the will of the two chambers given the conservative bent of the Texas Legislature.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/spartan-budget-plan-calls-for-broad-cuts-1194464.html

[The Reckoning]

ive posted this a million times the past couple of days, but average texans dont give a shit about public and/or higher education. they just want to watch football and not pay taxes.

[George Gervin's Afro]

ive posted this a million times the past couple of days, but average texans dont give a shit about public and/or higher education. they just want to watch football and not pay taxes.

Perry's base won't feel anything from these cuts..

[clambake]

why don't you guys go ahead and eliminate all science studies?

[MannyIsGod]

Damn, Schools are getting bent over hard.

[Yonivore]

Damn, Schools are getting bent over hard.
'bout fucking time. In some districts, public schools spend 4 to 5 times as much, per student, as do private schools.

[George Gervin's Afro]

'bout fucking time. In some districts, public schools spend 4 to 5 times as much, per student, as do private schools.

Yes a few more teachers get to lose thier jobs through no fault of their own... but there is a positive for conservatives becaquse they get to blame obama for the lost teacher jobs!

[The Reckoning]

maybe im under the wrong impression, but aren't smokers covering the Children's Health Insurance program?

[TeyshaBlue]

'bout fucking time. In some districts, public schools spend 4 to 5 times as much, per student, as do private schools.

Yeah, and they provide services private schools don't. And don't fucking cut funds until you have a way to cope with the fucking cuts. Fucking retarded.:bang

[TeyshaBlue]

Damn, Schools are getting bent over hard.

The Kiss of Death for some community colleges, I'm afraid.

[coyotes_geek]

ive posted this a million times the past couple of days, but average texans dont give a shit about public and/or higher education. they just want to watch football and not pay taxes.

Pretty much. Sadly.

[coyotes_geek]

Damn, Schools are getting bent over hard.

Yep. Some districts will be able to recoup some of that by raising their property tax rate. But there's a state cap on how high those rates can be so any district that is already charging that is S.O.L.

That being said, I did read somewhere that something like 45% of a school district's budget is going to administration, so I do think there is some fat that can be trimmed there.


maybe im under the wrong impression, but aren't smokers covering the Children's Health Insurance program?

Partially, IIRC.

[BlairForceDejuan]

texans...just want to watch football and not pay taxes.

Hey man. Two Rights in the Constitution. Texans just trying to live the Dream.

[Bartleby]

Damn, Schools are getting bent over hard.

Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too

[Vici]

I wonder how this affects charter schools.

Not a smoker but we really should legalize pot. Just makes too much sense not to which means Texas will be the last state to do it.

[MannyIsGod]

Dude Texas won't even legalize gambling so forget pot.

[boutons_deux]

Well over half of TX counties, the Baptist Bible belt, make Al Cohol illegal.

[boutons_deux]

the Wall St Bankerster running the Fed are making sure taxpayers continue to pay for the Banksters Great Depression:

The Fed Has Spoken: No Bailout for Main Street

The Federal Reserve was set up by bankers for bankers, and it has served them well. Out of the blue, it came up with $12.3 trillion in nearly interest-free credit to bail the banks out of a credit crunch they created. That same credit crisis has plunged state and local governments into insolvency, but the Fed has now delivered its ultimatum: there will be no "quantitative easing" for municipal governments.

On January 7, according to the Wall Street Journal, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced that the Fed had ruled out a central bank bailout of state and local governments. "We have no expectation or intention to get involved in state and local finance," he said in testimony before the Senate Budget Committee. The states "should not expect loans from the Fed."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-brown/the-fed-has-spoken-no-bai_b_808094.html?view=print

===========

And the Repugs killed the Buy America Bonds program that was a low-cost cash lifeline for state/local govts.

[Yonivore]

Yes a few more teachers get to lose thier jobs through no fault of their own... but there is a positive for conservatives becaquse they get to blame obama for the lost teacher jobs!
Why does it have to be teachers? Most public school districts are top-loaded with administrators, "specialists," and other dead wood.

[Yonivore]

Yeah, and they provide services private schools don't. And don't fucking cut funds until you have a way to cope with the fucking cuts. Fucking retarded.:bang
If it were a necessary service -- in the pursuit of education -- private schools would offer it. And, they'd do so more inexpensively.

You want to cope with cuts. Allow vouchers. I'm already paying for school twice, as it is. Let me redirect all those fucking school taxes to my private school tuitions.

[TeyshaBlue]

Why does it have to be teachers? Most public school districts are top-loaded with administrators, "specialists," and other dead wood.

There's some truth here....do we really need 3 assistant superintendents? A curriculum quality coordinator? There's alot of job programs in the public schools.

[TeyshaBlue]

If it were a necessary service -- in the pursuit of education -- private schools would offer it. And, they'd do so more inexpensively.

You want to cope with cuts. Allow vouchers. I'm already paying for school twice, as it is. Let me redirect all those fucking school taxes to my private school tuitions.

Dan and I had this discussion a couple of weeks ago and I learned a bit about the way public schools and private schools handle disabled or learning challenged kids. The private schools have the easy road, which was not what I had expected or understood.

[Yonivore]

Dan and I had this discussion a couple of weeks ago and I learned a bit about the way public schools and private schools handle disabled or learning challenged kids. The private schools have the easy road, which was not what I had expected or understood.
Accommodating the handicapped is not a large percentage of the budget.

And, accommodating the profoundly handicapped is a whole other discussion. I'm not sure some are even well-served by being placed in a classroom setting.

But, considering all publicly accessible facilities, including private schools, must be ADA Compliant and accessible, it's an equitable share of the respective budgets.

[Crookshanks]

I think they should eliminate lots of school districts and consolidate them into bigger districts. For instance, divide San Antonio into 4 districts and use I-10 and 410 as the dividing lines. You could cut out lots of administration salaries and cut the costs of running all those offices. It would also help small, poor districts by consolidating them into a large district where the tax base is better.

[johnsmith]

Gosh, I hope my property taxes go up.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Gosh, I hope my property taxes go up.

Nah we all need more uneducated young folk running around with nothing to do... recipe for societal success..

[Yonivore]

They could also quit building $100 Million dollar palaces and $30 Million Dollar Sports Complexes.

The nicest, most modern buildings in my town, are city facilities and schools. My tax dollars at work.

[Yonivore]

Here's an idea...

c4TSOHtQoW8

[johnsmith]

Nah we all need more uneducated young folk running around with nothing to do... recipe for societal success..

I'm not really sure what you are implying by quoting me and following it up with this, but I agree, stupid young people is a bad idea.

[Yonivore]

Nah we all need more uneducated young folk running around with nothing to do... recipe for societal success..
As if the current education system with its bloated budgets isn't kicking them out in record numbers.

Money isn't the answer. Accountability is.

[George Gervin's Afro]

I'm not really sure what you are implying by quoting me and following it up with this, but I agree, stupid young people is a bad idea.

I was responding to your post regarding your property taxes. Something has to give because either the state wants to have a literate work force or they don't. The cost of living is increasing yet TX wants to use 2008 dollars to fix 2011 problems.


I think more people are concerned about paying 100.00 extra a year in property taxes than the long term affects of under funding public education.

[George Gervin's Afro]

As if the current education system with its bloated budgets isn't kicking them out in record numbers.

Money isn't the answer. Accountability is.

And you know this how? Specifically what do you base this statement on? Do you know any teachers?

Does the cost of living go up every year? So everyone needs more money to keep up.. including schools.

[johnsmith]

I was responding to your post regarding your property taxes. Something has to give because either the state wants to have a literate work force or they don't. The cost of living is increasing yet TX wants to use 2008 dollars to fix 2011 problems.


I think more people are concerned about paying 100.00 extra a year in property taxes than the long term affects of under funding public education.

So right away you think that raising property taxes should be the soluion to the budget cuts? I don't get it. Please explain.

[George Gervin's Afro]

So right away you think that raising property taxes should be the soluion to the budget cuts? I don't get it. Please explain.

We need to fund public education.

[Yonivore]

We need to fund public education.
Fine. Books, buildings, and teachers can't cost as much as we're being charged in taxes.

How do I know. Because the private school to which I send my children are able to educate them -- and have a 99% graduation rate -- with books, teachers, and classrooms and for a hell of a lot less than the public school, per student, costs. There is a principal and an assistant principal - they share a secretary. Everyone else teaches...oh wait, the assistant principal teaches too.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Fine. Books, buildings, and teachers can't cost as much as we're being charged in taxes.

How do I know. Because the private school to which I send my children are able to educate them -- and have a 99% graduation rate -- with books, teachers, and classrooms and for a hell of a lot less than the public school, per student, costs. There is a principal and an assistant principal - they share a secretary. Everyone else teaches...oh wait, the assistant principal teaches too.


So you don't know..

[johnsmith]

We need to fund public education.

And raising property taxes is your best solution?

[George Gervin's Afro]

And raising property taxes is your best solution?

More revenue is the solution amd property tax is one a very ways of doing it in Texas.

[MannyIsGod]

Fine. Books, buildings, and teachers can't cost as much as we're being charged in taxes.

How do I know. Because the private school to which I send my children are able to educate them -- and have a 99% graduation rate -- with books, teachers, and classrooms and for a hell of a lot less than the public school, per student, costs. There is a principal and an assistant principal - they share a secretary. Everyone else teaches...oh wait, the assistant principal teaches too.

Is everything the same at public and private schools? Do they serve the same amount of students and the same kind of students? If we closed public schools tomorrow would private school costs go up or stay the same and would they be able to handle all the students and comply with all applicable laws?

[George Gervin's Afro]

Is everything the same at public and private schools? Do they serve the same amount of students and the same kind of students? If we closed public schools tomorrow would private school costs go up or stay the same and would they be able to handle all the students and comply with all applicable laws?

What? Yoni's explanation shows that public schools and private schools are exactly the same.. dealing with the same probelms. I assume that Yoni's private school has poor kids that go there. The one's who need the free lunch and breakfast programs. Yoni pays out of pockets for those costs.

it's exactly the same comparison

[johnsmith]

More revenue is the solution amd property tax is one a very ways of doing it in Texas.

What are the other ways of doing it?

[MannyIsGod]

What are the other ways of doing it?

Legalize gambling.

[johnsmith]

^^^Well played Manny.

Also, how fucking cool would that be? I'd support the hell out of public education.

[George Gervin's Afro]

What are the other ways of doing it?

increase state sales tax

[johnsmith]

increase state sales tax

That one I don't mind as much......but see, thinking outside the box, you are now putting the burden of responsibility on everyone, and I think that's a good thing.

Having said that, Manny's idea is way fucking better.

[George Gervin's Afro]

That one I don't mind as much......but see, thinking outside the box, you are now putting the burden of responsibility on everyone, and I think that's a good thing.

Having said that, Manny's idea is way fucking better.

I worked in a couple of casinos back in the day... I love me some blackjack.. and watered down bloody marys at 4 am...:toast

[johnsmith]

I worked in a couple of casinos back in the day... I love me some blackjack.. and watered down bloody marys at 4 am...:toast

The bloody mary part just convinced me to do the following in order: Log off, shut down, leave office, go drinking, go watch UT whip some Aggie ass live and in person.


Good day.

[coyotes_geek]

I think they should eliminate lots of school districts and consolidate them into bigger districts. For instance, divide San Antonio into 4 districts and use I-10 and 410 as the dividing lines. You could cut out lots of administration salaries and cut the costs of running all those offices. It would also help small, poor districts by consolidating them into a large district where the tax base is better.


They could also quit building $100 Million dollar palaces and $30 Million Dollar Sports Complexes.


Legalize gambling.

Three very good ideas IMO.

[The Reckoning]

legalize pot and gambling

[RandomGuy]

'bout fucking time. In some districts, public schools spend 4 to 5 times as much, per student, as do private schools.

Link?

Speculated cause?

[RandomGuy]

Fine. Books, buildings, and teachers can't cost as much as we're being charged in taxes.

How do I know. Because the private school to which I send my children are able to educate them -- and have a 99% graduation rate -- with books, teachers, and classrooms and for a hell of a lot less than the public school, per student, costs. There is a principal and an assistant principal - they share a secretary. Everyone else teaches...oh wait, the assistant principal teaches too.

Man, see this orange is soooo much juicier than this apple.

You can even see how much oranger it is. That apple is all red and stuff, but the orange I ate was definitely NOT red.

:rolleyes

Comparing cost structures at small, private schools, and large public schools is, at best, not really useful, and at worst, actively disleading.

Were you trying to be purposefully misleading, or do you not really have any real data on the difference and don't know any better?

[CosmicCowboy]

Man, see this orange is soooo much juicier than this apple.

You can even see how much oranger it is. That apple is all red and stuff, but the orange I ate was definitely NOT red.

:rolleyes

Comparing cost structures at small, private schools, and large public schools is, at best, not really useful, and at worst, actively disleading.

Were you trying to be purposefully misleading, or do you not really have any real data on the difference and don't know any better?

There is no verifiable cause/effect between dollars spent on education and better educated students.

[ChumpDumper]

There is no verifiable cause/effect between dollars spent on education and better educated students.Then the rich shouldn't have been so against the Robin Hood plan.

[CosmicCowboy]

Then the rich shouldn't have been so against the Robin Hood plan.

Pretty broad generalization there Chump.

And you know this how?

[ChumpDumper]

Pretty broad generalization there Chump.

And you know this how?Um, because they were against it.

That was fairly well documented.

I'm sure not all of them -- I can reword it to say "the rich who were against the Robin Hood plan" if it helps.

[CosmicCowboy]

Um, because they were against it.

That was fairly well documented.

I'm sure not all of them -- I can reword it to say "the rich who were against the Robin Hood plan" if it helps.

It's pretty much common sense to resist a plan that takes your taxes generated at the local level (previously managed and dispersed at the local level) and sends them off to a distant "agency" to redistribute the funds as they see fit.

There are plenty of valid examples at the State and Federal level to justify this mis-trust.

[DarkReign]

Complain all you like, at least your state's legislature has the guts to actually put together a balanced budget.

Michigan's legislature cant even start a conversation about it.

[ChumpDumper]

It's pretty much common sense to resist a plan that takes your taxes generated at the local level (previously managed and dispersed at the local level) and sends them off to a distant "agency" to redistribute the funds as they see fit.

There are plenty of valid examples at the State and Federal level to justify this mis-trust.But since it's spent on education, it doesn't actually matter how it is spent at all according to you. It has no effect whatsoever.

[CosmicCowboy]

Um, because they were against it.

That was fairly well documented.

I'm sure not all of them -- I can reword it to say "the rich who were against the Robin Hood plan" if it helps.

Also, I thought you were too smart to play that "rich envy" game like Boutons and Parker.

The rich didn't give a shit because their kids were usually in private school.

It was the lower middle class and middle class parents who saved and struggled to move from shitty inner city schools (with shitty kids born to shitty parents) and paid the higher property costs/taxes to move their kids to the "good" school districts that really felt betrayed by Robin Hood.

[coyotes_geek]

Complain all you like, at least your state's legislature has the guts to actually put together a balanced budget.

Michigan's legislature cant even start a conversation about it.

It's constitutionally required, so I wouldn't exactly call it guts on behalf of our legislators.

[ChumpDumper]

Also, I thought you were too smart to play that "rich envy" game like Boutons and Parker.

The rich didn't give a shit because their kids were in private school.

It was the lower middle class and middle class parents who saved and struggled to move from shitty inner city schools (with shitty kids born to shitty parents) and paid the higher property costs/taxes to move their kids to the "good" school districts that really felt betrayed by Robin Hood.Ok, let's say it's lower and middle class people only -- why, then?

You said it makes no difference what is spent, so there can be no betrayal when there is less spent.

[boutons_deux]

I know CC is too dumb not to play the elitist "I-got-mine-so-fuck the poor".

[CosmicCowboy]

But since it's spent on education, it doesn't actually matter how it is spent at all according to you. It has no effect whatsoever.

Damn Chump...did you take a stupid pill today?

The primary cause/effect element of student success is parental involvement.

Do you REALLY wan't to argue that dollars spent per student is more important?

[ChumpDumper]

Damn Chump...did you take a stupid pill today?

The primary cause/effect element of student success is parental involvement.

Do you REALLY wan't to argue that dollars spent per student is more important?You REALLY want to argue that the amount of money spent doesn't matter at all.

This is your argument.

If it doesn't matter at all, then no one should be upset about Robin Hood and just play up parental involvement.

And the rich have to pay property taxes too, so saying they didn't care at all is probably disingenuous.

[CosmicCowboy]

Fact:

A 2000 sf house on the west side of SA in the SAISD sells for a lot less (and consequently pays lower taxes) than a 2000 sf house in Stone Oak and NEISD.

Those parents that scrimped and saved (and paid more taxes) to move to the "good" school districts felt betrayed when the taxes they paid to educate their kids were taken from them and sent somewhere else.

[CosmicCowboy]

And yeah, I pay about $15,000 in school taxes every year and have no kids in school.

[LnGrrrR]

CG: Texans get their first look at what type of cuts can be expected to balance the state budget. Not a very pretty picture.

**************

A sobering reality settled over the Texas Capitol late Tuesday as the state's budget challenge emerged in black and white.

The multivolume Legislative Budget Board publication provides the first real picture of what it will take for Texas to dig itself out of a deep budget hole without raising taxes or using the $9.4 billion rainy day fund.

It is apparent that very little escaped the knife in this first draft of the budget, including previously untouched public school funding and money for higher education and Medicaid reimbursements.

The release of the documents had been pushed into the night to avoid overshadowing the day's inauguration of Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. The information was delivered in hard-copy form to legislators, many of whom were out enjoying the inaugural festivities, and will be posted on the budget board's website this morning.

Today, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, will take questions from members on the House floor, and more details will emerge as legislative staffers, advocates, lobbyists and others dig into the details.

Pitts set out to balance the budget with the $72 billion in taxes and fees that will be available for the 2012-13, two-year budget. That amount is $15 billion less than the current budget and $27 billion less than what agencies say they need to continue the current level of services.

Public education

Direct state aid to school districts, which has been untouched in previous rounds of cuts, was trimmed by $953 million in the proposed budget.

But school districts will also forgo $9.8 billion owed to them under current school finance laws, such as money to cover growth in student enrollment.

Grants for teacher incentive pay, pre-kindergarten and classroom technology were also eliminated.

Higher education

Student financial aid, including the main Texas Grants program, and funding for public universities would take substantial hits.

Financial aid was slashed by half, closing off assistance for new students.

Governor's office

Perry's largest economic development fund remains largely unchanged, but the governor's programs that promote film production in Texas and foster research and development of new technologies were hammered in this first draft of the budget. The Emerging Technology Fund was cut 85 percent.

Criminal justice

In public safety and corrections programs, the budget report recommends shutting down a unit in Sugar Land, three Texas Youth Commission lockups and 2,000 private prison beds, a move that could close at least two additional lockups. About 1,562 prison jobs were also chopped.

Probation programs would see funding cut by 20 percent, parole supervision would be cut by almost 9 percent, and the agency's construction and maintenance funding could be cut by 83 percent, along with 90 jobs. The Victims Services Division would be eliminated.

Health care, other cuts

Medicaid reimbursement rates for doctors, nursing homes and other health care providers were whacked by 10 percent.

The proposal also includes closing at least one of Texas' state supported living centers, facilities that serve Texans with mental disabilities.

Overall, about 9,600 state positions would be eliminated from the payroll.

The state will also drop its contribution to the pension systems for teachers and state workers to 6 percent, the minimum allowed by the state constitution.

Some small entities, such as the State Law Library, were eliminated. Others, including the Historical Commission, are still standing but had much of their funding cut.

Earlier Tuesday, a group of conservative legislators laid out suggestions for reducing spending by $18 billion withouttouching transportation, public safety or criminal justice.

Representatives of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute said education bore the brunt of the cuts - $12 billion - because federal health care laws prevent states from reducing eligibility for people covered through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Neither Pitts nor his counterpart in the Senate, Steve Ogden, was involved in developing the conservatives' budget blueprint.

But the recommendation could provide a good indication of the will of the two chambers given the conservative bent of the Texas Legislature.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/spartan-budget-plan-calls-for-broad-cuts-1194464.html

I thought that Texas was a model for conservatives on how to run a state budget? (As opposed to say, California.)

Amazing to see calls for a cut in prison jobs, especially in Texas.

[Trainwreck2100]

I thought that Texas was a model for conservatives on how to run a state budget? (As opposed to say, California.)

Amazing to see calls for a cut in prison jobs, especially in Texas.

its in the state constitution that you can't have a budget plan in the red

[ChumpDumper]

Fact:

A 2000 sf house on the west side of SA in the SAISD sells for a lot less (and consequently pays lower taxes) than a 2000 sf house in Stone Oak and NEISD.

Those parents that scrimped and saved (and paid more taxes) to move to the "good" school districts felt betrayed when the taxes they paid to educate their kids were taken from them and sent somewhere else.Fact:

You said the amount of money spent on education doesn't matter.

So according to you, they shouldn't feel betrayed.

[LnGrrrR]

Damn Chump...did you take a stupid pill today?

The primary cause/effect element of student success is parental involvement.

Do you REALLY wan't to argue that dollars spent per student is more important?

IIRC, the primary linked factor dealing with a child's success in school is wealth of the parents, not their involvement. (I read it in a study somewhere, I'll try to find it in a bit.)

[boutons_deux]

"wealth of the parents"

exactly. Social upward mobility is greatly decreased, the US has become essentially stratified, born/raised poor, you stay poor. born/raised rich, you stay rich.

Then add in all the 3rd and 4th quintile middle class people who are trending downward.

America is so fucked, compared to America's "promise", a myth?, and there's nothing anybody can do about it.

[coyotes_geek]

Amazing to see calls for a cut in prison jobs, especially in Texas.

No doubt. My hope is that the economic realities force enough legislators to rethink the time and money being spent on locking up nonviolent drug offenders.

[ChumpDumper]

No doubt. My hope is that the economic realities force enough legislators to rethink the time and money being spent on locking up nonviolent drug offenders.Amen to that.

[LnGrrrR]

its in the state constitution that you can't have a budget plan in the red

I know that, but the way conservatives were railing on Massachusetts and California and praising Texas, you'd think that Texas wouldn't need budget cuts. After all, they have less regulations than those states, and less regulations = more business = more money, right?

[LnGrrrR]

No doubt. My hope is that the economic realities force enough legislators to rethink the time and money being spent on locking up nonviolent drug offenders.

I'm not too surprised that later in the article there was an alternate plan with no cuts to the prison jobs. :lol Like I said, it's Texas.

[Drachen]

If it were a necessary service -- in the pursuit of education -- private schools would offer it. And, they'd do so more inexpensively.

You want to cope with cuts. Allow vouchers. I'm already paying for school twice, as it is. Let me redirect all those fucking school taxes to my private school tuitions.


Not so, as we said in another thread the avg cost per student in public school is 11k, while the cost of a private school which specializes in students with disabilities (the winston school) costs 15k per year. Necessary services, but at almost a 50% premium to public schools.

[Drachen]

They could also quit building $100 Million dollar palaces and $30 Million Dollar Sports Complexes.

The nicest, most modern buildings in my town, are city facilities and schools. My tax dollars at work.

I agree, I mean Johnson looks like a castle as you are driving up and when you walk up to it and inside of it, it looks like something from Dead Poets society.

[LnGrrrR]

I agree, I mean Johnson looks like a castle as you are driving up and when you walk up to it and inside of it, it looks like something from Dead Poets society.

I agree that pbulic schools should be serviceable and not "palacial". I mean, I don't want some run-down ghetto school, but leave the trimmings to the private schools.

[Wild Cobra]

I thought that Texas was a model for conservatives on how to run a state budget? (As opposed to say, California.)

Amazing to see calls for a cut in prison jobs, especially in Texas.
Was?

How long ago was that?

Oregon used to be many things so much better than today, until it started getting californicated a few decades back.

[Drachen]

I agree that pbulic schools should be serviceable and not "palacial". I mean, I don't want some run-down ghetto school, but leave the trimmings to the private schools.

Not ghetto, but very VERY simple and clean. New doesn't have to equal fancy.

[coyotes_geek]

I'm not too surprised that later in the article there was an alternate plan with no cuts to the prison jobs. :lol Like I said, it's Texas.

Yep. I'm sure there's a significant number of legislators out there who are afraid that if they vote to cut prison jobs they'll earn the dreaded "soft on crime" label which in this state essentially means the end of your political career.

[z0sa]

The last thing TX, prison rape capital of the universe, needs is less prison jobs.

[Winehole23]

You should check out the other Marc Levin over at TPPF (http://www.texaspolicy.com/pdf/2010-12-ALECPowerpointLevin.pdf), CG.

[Winehole23]

And Scott Henson over at Grits for Breakfast (http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2011/01/texas-corrections-budget-at-second.html). (If you haven't already.)

[coyotes_geek]

You should check out the other Marc Levin over at TPPF (http://www.texaspolicy.com/pdf/2010-12-ALECPowerpointLevin.pdf), CG.


And Scott Henson over at Grits for Breakfast (http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2011/01/texas-corrections-budget-at-second.html). (If you haven't already.)

:tu Interesting reads. I had heard about grits for breakfast, but never actually wandered over there.

[RandomGuy]

Complain all you like, at least your state's legislature has the guts to actually put together a balanced budget.

Michigan's legislature cant even start a conversation about it.

New York's is even worse from what I hear. Erk. The phrases "total partisan gridlock" and "one off gimmicks while not addressing underlying problems" seem to come up a lot when talking about Albany.

[RandomGuy]

And yeah, I pay about $15,000 in school taxes every year and have no kids in school.

I assume that when you hire/contract with people, they get an education somewhere.

At some point, you are going to buy some service from someone with an education, and if that education was not provided, you would not be benefitting from that.

I think a lot of people just see the outflow, but forget how that outflow affects and/or benefits them.

The problem is that the benefits tend to be indirect, so people have a hard time getting their minds around that.

[boutons_deux]

Let CC and Warren Buffet setup in Bangladesh and see how well that under-educated, infrastructure-poor country allows them to make money.

[LnGrrrR]

Not ghetto, but very VERY simple and clean. New doesn't have to equal fancy.

That's pretty much what I said. :lol



I mean, I don't want some run-down ghetto school, but leave the trimmings to the private schools.



:toast

[Drachen]

That's pretty much what I said. :lol



:toast

No I got that, I was just agreeing with you in such a way that it looked like the statement was a completely new idea formulated by me.

:lol