School Finance

[GreenMonster]

Are there any others out there that are wondering just why in the world the politicians think that they have to entirely rework the school finance system??? I have an easier idea. Kill Robin Hood. Go back to each district keeping what they bring in. Add on a 1 or 2 cent statewide sales tax. Put all of that money into a special fund to be distributed out to the districts to "Level the playing field." The old system that is based on property taxes has worked for years. Robin Hood Plan is what got us all out of kilter. Do away with Robin Hood and find a new solution to the problem Robin Hood was supposed to fix. Seems to make more sense to me and it would cost us, the Tax Payers, less money to implement. The infrastructure costs alone on a complete overhaul of the system makes this new proposition a failure. I think I can handle paying an extra 10 cents for my Big Mac Combo Meal at Mc Donlad's, how bout you?

[Phil C]

The only trouble is that it wouldn't be fair to the counties that played Robin Hood for years but now need the help while those that got Robin Hood Money but don't need it now and want to stop it so they don't have to have payback. It is sort of like having refs call the game one way in basketball. Now if the Robin Hood States are for it then that is different but for some of them payback time is needed. A fair way might be to make those that benefited from it but don't need it now pay back the counties that paid.

This needs to be looked over carefully in my opinion.

[Phil C]

What I mean is that several counties that had oil boom money had to play Robin Hood and now that the oil boom money is gone and they need the help there is talk about ending it before they get help when they need it.

[GreenMonster]

No one has any thoughts on this matter?? It is only your kids and grandkids educations that they are putting in jeopardy as well as your tax dollars. Think about it, the current state sales tax is 6.25%. That pays for almost all of the state budget. How much money would another 1 or 2 percent sales tax raise??? It would raise a ton of money.

[GreenMonster]

Good point Phil. But, some bad calls are irreversible. It's better to move past it and make the system work for everyone. Would you be happy if your grandkids school district had the same income as say the Southlake Carroll School district?? I think that all Robin Hood accomplished was to raise tax rates. The so called poor districts had to raise tax rates to qualify for state aid and the so called rich districts had to raise rates to continue to provide the same quality of education they were providing prior to Robin Hood. In my opinion this sucks for everyone. I believe that we should forget about yesterday and take care of today and tommorrow. What happened in the past has already happened. We can't change it. But we can make sure it doesn't happen again. I am a pro-education minded person. I do not care what it costs me personally. I want my kids to get the same quality of education no matter where I choose to live in the state of Texas. I want all kids to have the same opportunities.

[LH Panther Mom]

I've been out of pocket for a bit. GM, I know it's quite out of character for me, but I do have an opinion.

Robin Hood was sorely needed at the time, but has long outlived its usefulness. In 1991, a piece of legislation was introduced that, according to our esteemed governor, would help solve public education funding problems. The legislation passed and the Texas Lottery was born....the first lotto tickets being sold in May, 1992. However, it was not until September, 1997 that any revenue was set aside for the Foundation School Fund. Does anyone besides me wonder what happened with the 5 1/3 years worth of monies that were NOT set aside for public education? If, since 1997, $7 billion has been contributed, then the missing funds should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.5 billion.

[JasperDog94]

Why does every solution always seem to involve more taxes?

[big daddy russ]

Just call me the Sherriff of Nottingham because I hate Robin Hood.

Ingleside ISD, a "rich" school district, was once one of the richest districts in the state. On top of that, they managed their money well, saved for future expansion and didn't waste their money. But after Robin Hood, we were depleted of most of our resources and actually have a smaller income than most school districts throughout the state... all because the Robin Hood Act does not distribute money evenly.

Ingleside has since had to cut it's athletic program to almost nothing, has very outdated facilities, and the student-teacher ratio has blown up... especially in the last three years. Our weightroom is the oldest and the smallest in the district and that's the least of our problems. I know that $1 billion a year (lotto money) spread evenly throughout the state's 1,000+ schools will help a little, but most of that would probably just go to getting some teachers back in here.

[Gilmer Buckeye]

The Republican Party will be in charge of this state for the rest of your lives and will only grow stronger.

Them that has gets. Them that ain't got will have what little they had taken away.

If you can spot my grammatical errors, thank a teacher. Just don't raise my taxes anymore.

If all these teachers are on the verge of leaving for the private sector, I say "make my day" and "good luck with that." The GOP will respect you more if you are a taxpayer rather than a tax recipient. If you are still young enough, I hear the military is hiring. These wars are supposed to last for the next 100 years or until the rest of the world stops financing our debt, whichever comes first.

In this county, the seven school districts together are the No. 1 employer we have. Those seven different districts serve about 5,500 students with seven different superintendents making six-figure salaries. That small a number of students could be overseen by one guy making a six-figure salary, it would seem to me.

The private sector (and there wasn't much of one to begin with) except for "services" is all moving to the slave-labor markets of Mexico and the Far East. Even many of the service jobs are being outsourced.

I think even Mexico is losing out to Asia at the rate their citizens are moving up here. A lot of the population growth in the Texas schools is coming from the maturation of the Mexican "anchor babies."

[Old Dog]

This is the state's way of keeping all schools average (real definition........abounding in mediocrity)

[PhiI C]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Just call me the Sherriff of Nottingham because I hate Robin Hood.

Ingleside ISD, a "rich" school district, was once one of the richest districts in the state. On top of that, they managed their money well, saved for future expansion and didn't waste their money. But after Robin Hood, we were depleted of most of our resources and actually have a smaller income than most school districts throughout the state... all because the Robin Hood Act does not distribute money evenly.

Ingleside has since had to cut it's athletic program to almost nothing, has very outdated facilities, and the student-teacher ratio has blown up... especially in the last three years. Our weightroom is the oldest and the smallest in the district and that's the least of our problems. I know that $1 billion a year (lotto money) spread evenly throughout the state's 1,000+ schools will help a little, but most of that would probably just go to getting some teachers back in here.

The real shame of it Big was that Ingleside had to cut out its' soccer program.

[HighSchool Fan]

Originally posted by Gilmer Buckeye
The Republican Party will be in charge of this state for the rest of your lives and will only grow stronger.

Thank God for that.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Gilmer Buckeye
...Them that has gets. Them that ain't got will have what little they had taken away...

...If all these teachers are on the verge of leaving for the private sector, I say "make my day" and "good luck with that." The GOP will respect you more if you are a taxpayer rather than a tax recipient. If you are still young enough, I hear the military is hiring. These wars are supposed to last for the next 100 years or until the rest of the world stops financing our debt, whichever comes first....

...The private sector (and there wasn't much of one to begin with) except for "services" is all moving to the slave-labor markets of Mexico and the Far East. Even many of the service jobs are being outsourced...

First of all, I have no idea what you are saying. Ingleside used to be a "have" school, and from what I can tell you're saying that they still get most of the money. Is that what you're saying? Because they don't.

And what in the world are you talking about by teachers moving to the private sector? Sure there are a few who want to make a little more money, but I have no idea where you were going with this argument. Will those teachers wind up in Mexico? The Far East?

If you're just talking about them taking jobs at private schools you can forget it. Private schools pay far less than just about any public school.

Please explain your post.

[scotty]

I served my time on the School Board and had many sleepless nights as a result. Today I continue to live in that district and it is a fast growing one. My taxes like all of my neighbors’ keep going up.
A new school has been built and will be occupied next year.
I don’t see much tax relief in sight as the monies have to come from somewhere and the legislators are surely not going to put too big of a burden on the rich. After all, they are the ones who finance their election campaigns.
So what we are about to gain in property tax relief will soon be taken away form us somewhere else. Added sales taxes are an example.
However, right on the other side, I see so much waste going on in school district that if I were a legislator I would have to take a good look at some of the things that are happening.
Just look at Monahans, they’ve re-assigned Coach Hanna and he is no longer head coach and athletic director, but as I understand it he has a year left on his contract and if he doesn’t find a new job that he likes he will be paid for the remaining year of his contract. How much do you suppose the district will get out of his services? I assume very little.
The same with T.J. Mills at La Porte, he was re-assigned and now may be the highest paid baby sitter in the state at something like $82,000. His contract runs to June 2006.
If I were a legislator, it would be pretty hard for me to stick my neck out while districts do crap like that. Those two are only examples how many more are out there, I have no idea.

[Old Cardinal]

I say give this TX legislation assembly a chance to respond appropriately! The people of TX have been sold a bill-of-goods on education for 50 years now. We finally have a group that are attempting a major over haul and that is good. It's not the same old hype as in the past--it's a whole new positive ballgame. I think we are going to get changes that will benefit education for a change. My pet peeve in overpaid school bureaucrates now sucking up the money that should be going to classroom teachers. It's a bunch of statewide greedy parasites; that is what it is!
If I may directly quote from a major study recently done, "Most education programs that train school administrators are deeply flawed, suffering from irrelevant curriculum, low standards, weak faculty and little clinical instruction. Many programs are doing little more than dishing out higher degrees to teachers who are trying to qualify for salary increases."
The principals and superintendents who run the nation's schools are unprepared for their jobs by education colleges, where training ranges from inadaquate to appalling, according to research by a leader in higher education.
Dr. Levine's extensive study found curriculum that amounted to a grab bag of survey classes, faculty with little experience in what they taught! Many classes are taught by scholars who have never--or have not recently--been in a classroom or a superintendent's office.

I personally think that all children in every class should be given an ole time "achievement test" upon entering the study the first day of class and that same "achievement test" be administered on the last day of the course and teachers evaluation should reflect what the students learn under their watch! Good teachers should them be rewarded and poor instructors should be on probation until results change.

Let's give this legislation group a chance to try to rectify an ole pork barrel system that has brought the TX education system to it's knees while pooping off taxpayers money statewide...