http://www.texastribune.org/texas-taxes/2011-budget-shortfall/about/
The question is...where should they cut to balance the budget???? We've all heard the talk of education taking a heavy hit. It's fully understandable facing such a shortfall in a budget that cuts must be made someplace, but is cutting our kids and their futures the answer?
I don't know about you, but when the budget is tight, our family makes lots of cuts. We cut expenses on eating out, entertainment, travel, clothing, unnecessary projects that can wait a while longer, and even by making adjustments to our energy usage so the bills aren't quite as high. We drive our older cars a little longer, and make things work before running out and buying new. One thing we don't cut is providing opportunity for our children. Our children are our future. Cliche, but so true. If we don't educate our children to the best of our ability, what is the future workforce of our state going to look like? Here are some statistics from the Texas Comptroller's website. It appears these are from 2006, which may seem fairly outdated, but the most recent I could find. If you know of more recent statistics, please forward them.
- Texas is #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502).
- Texas is #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%).
- Texas is #33 in the nation in teacher salaries. Teacher salaries in Texas are not keeping pace with the national average. The gains realized from the last state-funded across-the-board pay raise authorized in 1999, which moved the ranking from 33 to as high as 26th in the nation, have disappeared over the last five years.
- Texas was the only state in the nation to cut average per pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2005, resulting in a ranking of #40 nationally; down from #25 in fiscal year 1999.
- Texas is #6 in the nation in student growth. The general student population in Texas public schools grew by 11.1% between school years 1999 and 2005, with the largest percent of growth seen among low income and minority children.
- Between school years 1999 and 2005, the number of central administrators employed by Texas public schools grew by 32.5%, overall staffing in public schools grew by 15.6%, while the number of teachers grew only 13.3%.
This is already a bleak picture, but what happens when we cut education further and our kids end up in a system where the student/teacher ratio is so large, that none get the attention they deserve.
I've heard news reports of Dallas ISD proposing to cut nearly 1/4 of their education staff, Granbury is proposing to cut music educators, art teachers, school nurses and librarians, Amarillo has a hiring freeze, and those in Lubbock are worried about cuts to their jobs, just to name a few. Districts all over the state are looking at losing millions in funding. The Districts are being forced to cut positions, therefore increasing class sizes and devastating the educational potential of each child. When teachers lose their jobs, our kids suffer-- period.
If you've never been in a classroom other than being a student to witness the job teachers accomplish on a daily basis, I encourage you to do so. Teachers are not only educators, they're managers. They manage and educate children from all socioeconomic levels, varying backgrounds and ethnicities, children with learning and physical disabilities, children within normal learning levels, as well as children performing at high levels. They have the task to bring each child to his or her potential all the while making sure they perform highly on the state's coveted TAKS test, all the while being paid at low levels compared to those across the country.
From a former teacher and a mommy of two amazing little girls with bright futures, this is a fight I'm willing to take on...your children deserve better and so do mine. The question becomes~"What can we do?" Please visit the following link from Make Education a Priority.
http://www.schoolpriority.com/additonal_info_2.html
www.SchoolPriority.com is an excellent site telling what we, as parents, can do to fight the school funding cuts that are looming. It's my project this week to let the legislators know that we won't tolerate cuts to our children's education. There is a link on the website above showing the contact information for legislators in your area. Please pass this on to other friends and acquaintances. This is not a political party issue, it's an issue for the future of our children. No matter if you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Tea Partier, this affects us all. As citizens, mommies, daddies, and grandparents, we need to find our voices. My kids deserve better than to be stuck in an state funded system that doesn't put them first. Saving our funding and our teachers should be our top priority to ensure that their future is as bright and wide open as the Texas plains.
Please post if you agree and let me know what you'll be doing as well, forward on, and help me with this project to fight for our kids.
