Drunken Sailor-Like Spending in Local Government

Reload84

10:38a, 4/12/24

Watched with interest the story last night on KBTX about budget woes at BISD blamed on federal cuts and the disarray in Texas politics.

https://www.kbtx.com/2024/04/12/texas-schools-including-bryan-isd-face-budget-challenges-amid-federal-cuts-state-funding-delays/

They are not alone as almost every governmental entity is singing a version of this same song setting the stage for tax increases. Wonder if the Federal money they talk about losing was COVID related funding and grants? Those are supposed to have been one-time supplemental aid to get through the disruption of the pandemic. Unfortunately, many assumed the payout and easy money would continue to flow and now the budgets are crunched.

Pay attention to the tax-and-spenders at all levels of government. The Feds all the way down to the locals are coming for your wallet. We need more business-people in government--not those who have spent most of their careers perpetuating the bureaucracy shielded from any type of accountability!

Having to live within a budget and limited income--what a concept?

Hyacinth

10:48a, 4/12/24

In reply to Reload84

The federal funding was for COVID and was known to run out after this school year. The issue is that in addition to that, the state government has not increased funding for schools since 2019. Politicians across the state said funding education was a priority and then Abbott decided to try to push vouchers through with no success, and in the process held public education hostage in terms of increasing finances.

The population of Texas continues to increase, but the funding from our state leaders doesn't. When school districts are concerned, it is legitimate and not necessarily due to frivolous spending.

maroon barchetta

10:52a, 4/12/24

City of Houston has this problem.

The new mayor is saying "we're broke". Looks like the previous administration was using COVID funds to prop up the budget.

Another Doug

11:01a, 4/12/24

I think the fed funding "cut" they are referring to was due to an audit finding that Texas was overbilling the feds for medicare funds for special education. Its not really disarray that is preventing funding, legislature has passed a funding bill, but Abbott wont sign anything without vouchers.

maroon barchetta

11:15a, 4/12/24

In reply to Hyacinth

When you let the population equivalent of Corpus Christi across the border each year, it's gonna cause problems.

Hyacinth

11:32a, 4/12/24

In reply to maroon barchetta

You won't hear any disagreement from me on that. People are also moving from other states as well that have their own over-taxation issues like California. Too many added kids without added money.

Another Doug

12:30p, 4/12/24

The good news is if we make our school system crappy enough the immigrants with kids will just keep on trucking until they get to a state with good schools.

91_Aggie

12:41p, 4/12/24

In reply to Hyacinth

Hyacinth said:
The federal funding was for COVID and was known to run out after this school year. The issue is that in addition to that, the state government has not increased funding for schools since 2019. Politicians across the state said funding education was a priority and then Abbott decided to try to push vouchers through with no success, and in the process held public education hostage in terms of increasing finances.

The population of Texas continues to increase, but the funding from our state leaders doesn't. When school districts are concerned, it is legitimate and not necessarily due to frivolous spending.

this can't be blue-starred enough.

This year's STAAR test has a written component that they are making 3rd graders type in using a Word Processor like interface.
Kids don't do Keyboarding classes until high school.
and 3rd grade kids are not growing up using a computer anymore... they are on phones and tablets that don't have normal keyboards nor Word Processing.

And in addition, Texas is saying that the written component is going to be graded by AI.

So imagine 8-10 year old kids trying to type in a computer and system they are unfamiliar with and then having AI try to grade that. Simple things that you all take for common knowledge like "How do I get a new line in a word processor?" . Well you hit the Enter/Return key... but some kids are pressing the space bar until the cursor goes to the next line.

Abbot is throwing a hissy fit because his voucher program keeps getting voted down, so he's trying to get enough people angry at public schools that are "failing".... and he and his administration are doing everything possible to make sure it looks like public schools are failing.

they are destroying several years of the generation of kids in elementary and even high school now for a dumb political win.

Vouchers:
1. They don't pay for entirety of private schools. they are a coupon to offset the cost
2. There are not private schools in every school district for every parent to take their kids out of public schools and put into private schools.
3. The poorest won't be able to do that because private schools are not going to have the bussing needed and they won't have the $ delta between the voucher and the private school cost.