Major Texas School Budget Cuts in the Works

[spacejamz]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/educ...ut-plans-but-dont-yet-know-how-deep-to-go.ece

http://www.wfaa.com/news/DISD-may-eliminate-3100-teachers-115762799.html

Texas school are looking at their budgets to make drastic cuts...We all know that Texas is home to one of the largest illegal immigrant populations in the country and these additional costs for bilinqual teachers, books, free meals, etc is placing a severe burden on the system that is being paid for by the Texas taxpayers (the ones who pay thousands of dollars each year in school taxes - the school portion of my property tax bill is about $3500 a year for a nice middle class neighborhood)...

On the chopping block are thousands of teacher's jobs, including 3,100 teachers in Dallas alone. Once these jobs are cut, the ratio of students to teachers is greatly increased, diminishing the quality (or whats left of it, but that is for another thread) of education for the students. If I were a tax paying parent, I would be livid over this.

This is truly disgusting that the jobs of Americans are going to be terminated because we refuse to deal with the illegal immigration problem. Costs to educate, feed, provide hospital services, incarceration and legal costs are going to bleed this state and country dry.

Even more disgusting is the fact these costs are not even being mentioned in any of the articles dealing with this story....It is almost as if they don't even think it might be a cause of this problem. One of the articles states that for Dallas ISD, nothing is sacred. I beg to differ if they don't consider making cuts that reflect that costs of educating/feeding children of illegal immigrants is an issue.

 

[Darwin333]

I couldn't in good conscience put my daughters in our local public school system. The biggest hypocrisy of my life is being an atheist and sending my daughter (soon to be 2) to Catholic school but I'll be damned if I send her to a public school in which the valedictorian couldn't pass the exit exam a few years ago.

 

[Atreus21]

I couldn't in good conscience put my daughters in our local public school system. The biggest hypocrisy of my life is being an atheist and sending my daughter (soon to be 2) to Catholic school but I'll be damned if I send her to a public school in which the valedictorian couldn't pass the exit exam a few years ago.

Doesn't make you a hypocrite. You want a better education for your kid, and for the moment, private schooling offers it.

 

[soundforbjt]

I saw a story about this (sending a child to catholic school, though not being catholic) the other day.

They claimed though the catholic schools did stress more discipline, it was mainly the parents role of caring more about their child's education that made the results better.

Public education can be better, but most parents nowdays simply don't care or don't have the time to.

 

[Atreus21]

I saw a story about this (sending a child to catholic school, though not being catholic) the other day.

They claimed though the catholic schools did stress more discipline, it was mainly the parents role of caring more about their child's education that made the results better.

Public education can be better, but most parents nowdays simply don't care or don't have the time to.

Makes sense. I'd sure give a lot bigger of a damn if I shelled out 10 grand a year (at least)for school than if I spent nothing on it.

The implications of that lesson, however, go very far.

 

[rudder]

Public education can be better, but most parents nowdays simply don't care or don't have the time to.

Public education has issues... but parental involvement is one of the main problems. All it takes is one crappy parent to let their disruptive, disrespectful little hooligan into a classroom. Districts cut back and the first thing to go are educational assistants. It a teacher has to spend an inordinate amount of time with said child... the whole class suffers. And many districts cower in fear about parents threatening to sue if their child is disciplined and this leaves the teacher powerless.

My wife is a teacher and had to deal with this her first year on the job. The parents threatened the school system using the race card and my wife was told to not discipline the child. It was ludicrous I tell you.

I remember my 5th grade teacher had a paddle with holes in it to improve air flow.

 

[xj0hnx]

I remember my 5th grade teacher had a paddle with holes in it to improve air flow.

Yip, all the way through high school "getting licks" were quite acceptable. We clowned, they punished, we dealt with it, and laughed it off, no biggie. Nowadays you'd think it was the end of the world for a parent, or teacher to tell a student to behave.

 

[Slew Foot]

Can't cut off a major voting block for the dems or a cheap labor source for Big business.

 

[soundforbjt]

Yip, all the way through high school "getting licks" were quite acceptable. We clowned, they punished, we dealt with it, and laughed it off, no biggie. Nowadays you'd think it was the end of the world for a parent, or teacher to tell a student to behave.

Yeah, can't smack little Johnny on the wrist with a ruler nowdays or you're looking at a lawsuit! I had a few yardsticks broken on my ass over the years!!

 

[xj0hnx]

Yeah, can't smack little Johnny on the wrist with a ruler nowdays or you're looking at a lawsuit! I had a few yardsticks broken on my ass over the years!!

A ruler to the back of little Johnny's hand and his mouth isn't so smart anymore :whiste:

 

[soundforbjt]

A ruler to the back of little Johnny's hand and his mouth isn't so smart anymore :whiste:

Except nowdays Johnny's probably carrying a gun!

 

[Wreckem]

Last I checked illegal aliens dont cost the public school system $10billion every two years.

The State of Texas plans to short public school $10billion over the next two years.

The budget shortfall has nothing to with illegal aliens. It has everything to do with incompetent state leaders. The costs of illegals aliens is a drop in the bucket compared to the budget shortfall for both the state and public school systems.

Even if you eliminated the entire illegal immigrant "problem", Texas and its public schools would still be looking at the same massive cuts.

The #1 reason why the state of Texas is $10billion short in public education funding is they lowered the cap on property taxes, and replaced that funding with a tax on business that has not produced anywhere close to the tax revenue they cut.

 

[classy]

All over the country school budget cuts are being proposed, and in most cases illegals have nothing to do with it. To make it seem like Texas's public school budget problems are the mainly the result of illegals is foolish.

 

[MikeMike]

It wouldn't surprise me if somehow Texas decided to go private school system only... Although who knows what the feds would think...

 

[Darwin333]

Last I checked illegal aliens dont cost the public school system $10billion every two years.

The State of Texas plans to short public school $10billion over the next two years.

The budget shortfall has nothing to with illegal aliens. It has everything to do with incompetent state leaders. The costs of illegals aliens is a drop in the bucket compared to the budget shortfall for both the state and public school systems.

Even if you eliminated the entire illegal immigrant "problem", Texas and its public schools would still be looking at the same massive cuts.

The #1 reason why the state of Texas is $10billion short in public education funding is they lowered the cap on property taxes, and replaced that funding with a tax on business that has not produced anywhere close to the tax revenue they cut.

The entire budget is short, public education is just one of the easiest things to cut. In my state it is one of the few departments that receives substantial funding that the constitution will allow them to cut.

And I am not sure what illegal immigrants cost Texas but they do cost something. I am curious as to what dollar amount you consider a "drop in the bucket"? How much do you suppose illegal immigrants cost Texas overall? Regardless of what it truly is I bet most Texans would prefer to cut that cost before cutting education costs but I would be interested in hearing what you think that number is.

 

[Darwin333]

All over the country school budget cuts are being proposed, and in most cases illegals have nothing to do with it. To make it seem like Texas's public school budget problems are the mainly the result of illegals is foolish.

I agree, illegals are a convenient excuse but it is hard to say they don't cost the state a fairly large amount every year.

 

[charrison]

It wouldn't surprise me if somehow Texas decided to go private school system only... Although who knows what the feds would think...

I doubt such a system would yield worse results. It would be nice if we could switch to a voucher system so kids to go to any school, rather than the school they have to go to because of where they live.

 

[Infohawk]

Sorry but diabeto needs his expensive meds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfv1Ajm6Pv0

 

[Pulsar]

Makes sense. I'd sure give a lot bigger of a damn if I shelled out 10 grand a year (at least)for school than if I spent nothing on it.

The implications of that lesson, however, go very far.

Oh no, you miss the point.

If someone were to shell out 10k a year, they can say they tried by sending their kid to a good school.

If they send them to public school and neglect them the same way, then they can just blame it all on the shitty public school system. (Never mind that the same public school almost certainly sends a bunch of kids to college each year).

Perhaps, instead, all these shitty parents should get INVOLVED with their kids and start worrying about educating them more than what their golf handicap might be, whether they can afford to get that diamond implanted in their tooth, or whether or not their Beamer has been detailed this week.

 

[dmcowen674]

Major Texas School Budget Cuts in the Works

Sounds like the great American Mecca of Texas is coming apart at the seams.

So much for that "No Child Left Behind". No it seems they will be leaving a whole lot behind.

 

[JSt0rm]

Who cares. They teach those kids intelligent design anyhow.

 

[manimal]

Sounds like the great American Mecca of Texas is coming apart at the seams.

So much for that "No Child Left Behind". No it seems they will be leaving a whole lot behind.

its been changed to no corporation left behind...

 

[Craig234]

I couldn't in good conscience put my daughters in our local public school system. The biggest hypocrisy of my life is being an atheist and sending my daughter (soon to be 2) to Catholic school but I'll be damned if I send her to a public school in which the valedictorian couldn't pass the exit exam a few years ago.

FYI, I don't see that as hypocritical. But if you are fighting the budget for public education to make it lower, that would be IMO.

 

[Craig234]

I agree, illegals are a convenient excuse but it is hard to say they don't cost the state a fairly large amount every year.

And what's the cost of NOT educating children here illegally as they become illegal adults here? Hint: what is the cost of the effects of crime, the cost of jail, the human cost to the children affected, the cost of the lost productivity of the child who would have been employed instead of in jail, etc.?

 

[Craig234]

Last I checked illegal aliens dont cost the public school system $10billion every two years.

The State of Texas plans to short public school $10billion over the next two years.

The budget shortfall has nothing to with illegal aliens. It has everything to do with incompetent state leaders. The costs of illegals aliens is a drop in the bucket compared to the budget shortfall for both the state and public school systems.

Even if you eliminated the entire illegal immigrant "problem", Texas and its public schools would still be looking at the same massive cuts.

The #1 reason why the state of Texas is $10billion short in public education funding is they lowered the cap on property taxes, and replaced that funding with a tax on business that has not produced anywhere close to the tax revenue they cut.

That's actually better than CA, who didn't replace the residential property tax cut with any increase on business tax - rather they totally gutted the commercial real estate tax and got that passed by adding a great reduction for residential property taxes, which admittedly were an issue in a time of a real estate bubble.