The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 13, 2004 Page: 4 of 28
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TIUIS1AY13 HAY 2114
THE GANAIIAN RECORD
PO OK 12428
Austin, TK J87I1
It. Gov. David Bewhurst
PO 80X12088
Austin, TK 78711-2888
www.senate.state.tK.us
Graddick
mm 2318
Austin, 1K 78788-2810
wwwMuse.state.tK.us
State Senator District 31
PA Bm 3155
Amarillo, TK 78185
[512] 483-8131 [Austin]
[888] 374-8884
kel.seliger@senate.state.tx.us
House District 88
Warren Gtiisum
P.O. Box20B1
Pampa, TK 78088
[512] 483-0738 [Austin]
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An F for Leadership
By Jake Bernstein in The Texas Observer
ON YOUR PAYROLL:
IT'S EASY TO FORGET that there are chil-
dren involved in the ongoing special session on
School finance. Talk by the leadership at the
Capitol seems mostly focused on how to further
shift the tax burden from the wealthy to the poor.
It's clear the main priority for much of the Texas
GOP is property tax relief. In most speeches, it
comes first and the kids trail second like an af-
terthought. The party's suburban base and some
of its biggest campaign contributors bet on lower
property taxes back in the 2002 elec-
tion, and payday has finally come. For
the governor who called the session
without the consensus he declared a
prerequisite, this exercise appears to
be all about spin for the 2006 election.
But before you can give to Paul, you
have to rob Peter. The way it's practiced
in 2004, Texas school funding is like a
balloon. Want to lower property taxes
but can't afford politically or legally to
take money away from schools? Press
down, and out the difference comes as regres-
sive sales and gambling taxes. Aperfect example
of who could soon be paying for public education
in Texas can be found in a House proposal to tax
coin-operated laundry machines.
And what about those children? A July court
date looms for a lawsuit against the state by
property wealthy and poor school districts. They
demand an increase in state education funding'.
And yet, despite the deadline, GOP leaders lack
the will to provide more revenue to invest in the
future ofTexas.
Of course, they've been flunking that one for
months. During the regular session, this Legis-
lature slashed $350 million worth of education
funding out of the budget. The cuts included
money for at-risk third graders, the Reading/
Math/Science Initiative, and a program that
removes disruptive students from regular class-
rooms but still educates them
The problem with taking money from the
NHLINGS
"The problem with taking money from the
poor is that they don't have much of it."
poor is that they don't have much of it. That leaves
business taxes. But these days, Texas corpora-
tions occupy a rarefied perch far removed from
the GQP's tiny revenue-raising universe. If only
those working families justscraping by could col-
lectively scratch up enough to donate generously
to Gov. Rick Perry and hire a lobbyist like Buddy
Jones—maybe then they would have a chance.
And those children? Nearly half of their
teachers want to leave the classroom, according
to a recent study by Sam Houston State
University. Schools throughout the sys-
tem are already understaffed. Esti-
mates put teacher vacancies as high as
50,000. Add the stress of a single indica-
tor test that determines the fate of both
pupil and teacher. Throw in teaching to
the test which demolishes the creativity
in learning that makes the professions©
attractive in the first place. If all of that
wouldn't motivate a teacher to flee the
state, during the regular session this
Legislature hacked the health insurance pro-
gram for teachers too. It also helped push the
teacher retirement system toward insolvency
[See "First the Children, Then Their Teachers,"
Texas Observer, March 28,2003].
And those children? Well, when a proposal
to tax pollution that is sickening kids across the
state at this veiy moment is laughed off the stage,
need we ask that question anymore?
The 78th Legislature has shown itself to be a
lousy steward of the environment and to be par-
tial to a stacked system of justice. The Lege de-
clared war on low-income children, with 130,000
to date off the health insurance rolls. Now, it's
side-stepping a real crisis in education funding
to shift the tax burden away from the rich and
powerful.
That has to be at least a trifecta. If only it was
taxable under the new plan.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The school finance
mess in New Jersey
ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN NEW JERSEY, I am an
avid reader of the Canadian Record. I have been
especially intrigued by the various articles and
commentary regarding the state of school funding
in Texas. Here in the Garden State we have spent
years trying to come up with a good school funding
mechanism. The outcome is that we have a high in-
come tax, the highest property taxes in the nation,
and a series of property tax rebates that require a computer and an
advanced degree to figure out. Simply put, it's a mess and now Gover-
nor McGreevey wants to hold a constitutional convention to figure out
how to fix it.
It seems to me that Texas is about to go down the same road. The
stories sound remarkably like the history of New Jersey. There's talk
about imposing a state income tax or other levies dedicated to educa-
tion. There's debate over howto provide equity in funding to poor dis-
tricts. This was the topie of a lawsuit filed in 1981 that still continues^
And there appears to be major opposition to consolidating districts to
reduce overhead since doing so will result in a loss of local control.
I don't think there is any good way to fund the schools. Relying
on property taxes penalizes the small and poor districts. Imposing
an income tax has its problems as well. Although it may start out as a
tax to fund schools, over time it will be increased to fund other state
needs. In New Jersey an income tax was implemented to reduce the
property tax burden. As I said earlier, now we have both high prop-
erty and high income taxes,
There is another reason why funding education is so difficult. No
matter how much money is available, the districts will always want
more. There is always another program that could be started or ex-
panded. Teachers could always use higher salaries. There are always
kids who could use more individual attention. I don't mean to say
these things are bad. It's just that nobody wants to tell a parent that
there isn't enough money for their child to get what he or she needs.
It also seems to me that people may lose sight that more money
doesn't necessarily mean a better education. For example, in the city
where I live we spent $ 12,409 per pupil in 2003. The average teacher
salary was $ 70,514. Our student/faculty ratio is 8.7 vs. a state aver-
age of 11.5. We have 127 students per administrator vs. a state aver-
age of 158. With these resources you would think our schools would
be top notch. However, the average SAT school was 858 vs. the state
average of 1018. On state exams in mathematics just under 40% of
our high Sehool students were deemed "proficient" vs. a state: average
of 66%. Language arts was even worse. Our Congressman, Mayor,
State Senator, all members of the City Council and even some mem-
bers of the Board of Education send their own children to private
schools.
I wish I could offer some words of encouragement. I wish I could
offer some formula that will give every child a first class education at
a reasonable price and still allow every small town to retain local con-
trol. But I can't. All I can do is wish Texas well, encourage you to not
make the same mistakes that New Jersey has made, and suggest that
you buckle your seat belt. It's going to be a wild ride.
JON GORDON, Hoboken, New Jersey
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Gordon is a frequent visitor to Canadian
and served on the Hoboken Board of Education from 1991 to 199%.
J hanks in Order
512-483-5888 [fax]
mrrdn.chism@hmss.state.tH.iis
JAKE BERNSTEIN, THE TEXAS OBSERVER, MAY 2004
WE WANT TO LET everyone know how much we appreciate Laurie
(and The Canadian Record) for the support of the tennis team. Laurie
even followed us to Regionals in Abilene to cover our matches, some of
which weren't always pretty!
We do appreciate the coverage, pictures and especially the sup-
port from the stands that Laurie gives us. We hope we have provided
her with some exciting matches and occasional entertainment this
year and look forward to nextyeai-.
Thanks a bunch for all you do.
CHS TENNIS TEAM
Record#20.indd
5/13/2004, 9:41 PM
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Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 13, 2004, newspaper, May 13, 2004; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth220629/m1/4/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.