Austin, TX
Texas schools are hurting financially. Abbott should call a special session | Editorial
Abbott denies a special session to address Texas’ school district funding crisis and ties relief to passing school vouchers. That’s not how government for the people should work.
After four special legislative sessions pushing a failed school voucher plan, Gov. Greg Abbott is ignoring Texas students. Across the state, school districts, including Austin ISD, are in financial distress. But this month, when 39 House Democrats requested a special session to help, Abbott refused. In doing so, the governor denies Texas students their constitutional right to quality public education.
The Democrats’ ask was reasonable: 30 days to hash out more state funding per student and for school safety needs. Numerous districts are reeling from inflation, campus safety costs, and a basic per-student funding level that’s been stagnant since 2019. Austin ISD, struggling with an $89 million deficit, announced plans to shrink it to $59 million with cutbacks such as 42 layoffs in the central office, and trimming overtime, contracts and other costs.
The school board also is mulling a request for a tax hike that could bring $44 million into the district’s budget of $956 million, enabling a three percent pay raise for teachers along with other needs. The tax hike would need voter approval.
The focus in this crisis should be Texas kids. Instead, Abbott lambasts schools for the deficits, citing overdependence on temporary federal COVID funds and lower enrollment. He blames the funding freeze on lawmakers who rightly balked at sharing their voters’ public education funds with private schools. In truth, under Abbott’s influence, legislation for public school funding was pulled from a vote after House members voted to strip out an attached voucher plan.
The school budget crisis has been a long time coming.
“The biggest reason that schools are in financial trouble now is because the state legislature was unable to pass a bill for public school funding,” said David DeMatthews, a University of Texas associate professor specializing in education policy. Like districts in other states, Texas school districts are grappling with inflation in goods, utilities, and technology, wage competition and the academic and mental health fallout of COVID. AISD additionally has been slammed by lower-than-expected property tax growth, and cost of state and federal special education requirements.
Districts overall are shouldering unique new expenses. After the mass shooting of Uvalde elementary school students, House Bill 3 required each school to hire an armed guard, allotting $15,000 per campus plus $10 per student, or about $2.5 million for AISD. But AISD estimates that the new hires will cost $8 million plus related costs, leaving an unfunded state mandate of about $5.5 million a year.
Underlying the school emergency is years of underinvestment. An American-Statesman analysis found that once adjusted for inflation, Texas’ per-student funding from state and local sources has dropped by 12.9% since 2020. Texas ranks 42nd in the country for per-student public education funding. The state’s share of ISD funding dropped from 44 percent in 2011 to 31 percent in 2022, education consultant Paul Colbert said.
“Other states are dealing with the same problems and taking steps to remedy them,” DeMatthews told the Editorial Board. “But they don’t have the history that Texas does.”
Also distinctive to Texas: the backdrop of a history-making budget surplus of $32.7 billion last year. The Legislature tapped existing revenue for $4 billion in school funding. But under Abbott’s sway, these funds were tied to voucher approval, a package repeatedly rejected by House members. Among them were 21 Republicans, many from rural districts where public schools are cherished community centers.
Texas has $5 billion in unspent school funds, Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, wrote Abbott, who is still stinging over the defeat of vouchers at the legislature. To access that money, Abbott wrote back, lawmakers need to “muster the votes to get it passed.” In short, they must vote for a program their voters don’t want, or Abbott holds billions of school dollars hostage.
Texas has a constitutional obligation to provide free public schools
This isn’t how government should work. As the Texas Constitution states, “It shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State, to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.”
If Abbott valued Texas students as much as he does vouchers, he would call a special session so lawmakers can help Texas students. The need is urgent. The money is there. And Texans have a right to adequately funded public schools.
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Austin, TX
Journal Profile: Meet Eric Youngstrom, a mountain man living the dream in Austin
![Journal Profile: Meet Eric Youngstrom, a mountain man living the dream in Austin](https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12768728/b0001829-edit*1200xx2500-1403-0-64.jpg)
Austin, TX
Did you know Austin has a pro pickleball team?
![Did you know Austin has a pro pickleball team?](https://www.kxan.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2024/06/Austin-has-a-pro-pickleball-team-with-the-Texas-Ranchers.jpg?w=1280)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Did you know Austin has a pro Pickleball team? The Texas Ranchers are one of the 22 teams in Major League Pickleball.
“Our mission is to become Americas pickleball team and the most valuable and highest grossing franchise in the league,” said Texas Ranchers CEO Evan Floersch.
The team consists of four players who were picked in a draft.
“We’ve got Christian Alshon, who was our number one overall draft pick,” said Floersch. “We have Etta Wright, who is the only Tongan in the sport. We’ve got Tina Pisnik who is an ex-Olympian tennis player and then we’ve got Pablo Tellez.”
The Ranchers play in the premier division with 12 of the best teams, one of those teams being their rival.
“We’ve got a Texas rivalry budding right now,” said Floersch. “We play the Dallas Flash, Mark Cubans team.”
The Ranchers are supported by a list of more than 30 owners, including celebrities, like Kendra Scott, Bobby Bones, Lil Wayne and Bijan Robinson, to name a few.
This year the team won’t play any tournaments in Austin, but fans can still go to local watch parties or catch the games on TV.
“Right now we have two linear deals with ESPN and FOX,” said Floersch.
As for the future of the sport in Austin, Floersch said there is a lot of excitement building around the Ranchers and pickleball in general.
“I definitely think that the sport at the pro level will continue to grow and it will continue to be a part of Austin’s culture and community,” said Floersch.
Austin, TX
Round Rock Juneteenth shooting: No suspect in custody, police say
![Round Rock Juneteenth shooting: No suspect in custody, police say](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox7austin.com/www.fox7austin.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1280/720/RR-juneteenth-shooting-display.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Round Rock Juneteenth mass shooting
Two people are dead and multiple people are injured after a shooting at a Juneteenth concert in Round Rock Saturday night. FOX 7 Austin’s Jessica Rivera has the latest from Old Settlers Park.
ROUND ROCK, Texas – The city of Round Rock’s Juneteenth celebration ended early Saturday night after an altercation broke out between two groups. Round Rock police say during the altercation someone pulled a gun and fired it during the concert.
“It is unfortunate that we are here celebrating a wonderful event, and we have a tragedy that happens. My thoughts, my prayers go out to our victims. My condolences go out to the families of the deceased at this time,” said Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks.
Chief Banks confirmed during Sunday morning’s press conference that two people died at the scene. According to ATCEMS, four adults and two children were taken to local hospitals with potentially serious injuries.
“All the victims and the deceased were not emergency personnel or first responders. They were actually folks that were there enjoying the concert,” said Chief Banks.
Chief Banks says at this time the Round Rock Police Department and the FBI are investigating this mass shooting.
“As you can imagine, with a traumatic incident like this, people are going to have different accounts of what happened and different accounts of what that suspect might have looked like. And so, this is why it’s an ongoing investigation. We’re trying to piece that together,” said Chief Banks.
“Our goal is to put those folks behind bars. And our goal is to get them put away for life, and, and we’re going to work tirelessly to do that. No stone left unturned,” said Chief Banks.
Round Rock PD says there’s no suspect in custody at this time. They are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with any information on Saturday night’s shooting is asked to report it to the police department at 512-218-5500.
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