Connect with us

Texas

Despite Beto O’Rourke’s claims, Texas has not defunded public schools

Published

on

Despite Beto O’Rourke’s claims, Texas has not defunded public schools


College alternative is turning into an even bigger problem in Texas’s gubernatorial race. After
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
introduced he intends to help academic freedom in the course of the state’s 2023 legislative session, Democratic gubernatorial candidate
Beto O’Rourke
claimed, “Abbott is for defunding our public colleges.”

O’Rourke has repeated this declare in
radio and newspaper adverts
concentrating on rural Texas areas. However Texas’s Ok-12 schooling spending knowledge don’t help O’Rourke’s allegation. Between 2002 and 2020, inflation-adjusted schooling spending in Texas
elevated
by 16%, going from $11,473 per scholar to $13,346 per scholar.


THE DEMOCRATS’ UNDEMOCRATIC RHETORIC ABOUT ‘SAVING DEMOCRACY’

A lot of this funding enhance went to staffing prices, with spending on worker advantages — a Census Bureau knowledge class that features trainer pensions and healthcare bills — rising by
 24% per scholar
. Capital expenditures, similar to constructing development and gear, have shot up by practically
18% per scholar
since 2002.

Advertisement

Whereas it’s true that Texas trails the nationwide spending common by
 $2,716 per scholar
, that’s partly as a result of Texas is a comparatively low-cost-of-living state.
Authorized rulings
have additionally prompted insurance policies limiting what single college districts can elevate domestically for their very own working prices, similar to salaries and classroom provides.

These insurance policies imply rich college districts can’t drive up the statewide spending common as simply as they do in different states, leading to a extra
equitable
funding system that complies with the state’s structure. For instance, Austin, the place property values are among the many highest within the state, was required to ship over
$762 million
of its native education-focused property tax cash to different college districts throughout the state final yr.

O’Rourke’s defunding claims additionally ignore
vital college finance laws
Abbott signed into regulation in 2019 with overwhelming
bipartisan
help.
Home Invoice 3
made crucial modifications to the state’s funding formulation and added $6.5 billion in new schooling spending, together with bumps to the minimal trainer wage schedule and different assurances that enhance trainer compensation.

The reform additionally directs extra money to low-income college students and rural college districts whereas creating new allotments for early childhood schooling, bilingual schooling, and college students with dyslexia. These modifications goal a higher share of the state’s schooling funding to college students who want it most.

Moderately than chopping funding, Abbott and taxpayers have given Texas public colleges a monetary increase for the reason that starting of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schooling funding is usually tied to scholar attendance ranges, however widespread enrollment losses in the course of the pandemic would’ve decimated many college district budgets if not for
key coverage tweaks
Texas made to assist stabilize public college funding. For instance, the
Houston Impartial College District
misplaced 6.1% of its enrollment in 2020-21 — 12,759 college students in complete — however reasonably than shedding 6% of its funding, its complete revenues elevated by 1.7%.

Advertisement

“Offering this adjustment to the 2021-22 college yr will guarantee college methods have the funding they should retain the very best and brightest academics and supply high quality schooling to all public college college students throughout Texas,” Abbott stated.

Placing all of it collectively, there’s nothing in Abbott’s report indicating his current endorsement of college alternative is aimed toward defunding public schooling. Spending on Ok-12 schooling has elevated since he took workplace, and plenty of would agree that Texas’s college finance system is healthier than the one he inherited. If something, taxpayers may query whether or not these investments have been put to good use and why public colleges aren’t being held financially accountable for enrollment losses incurred up to now couple of years.


READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Whereas O’Rourke is criticizing Abbott’s embrace of college alternative, many schooling advocates may ask the governor and Texas Republicans, who’ve managed each department of state authorities for 20 years, why it has taken this lengthy to begin offering extra academic decisions for households.

However, belated as it could be, if Abbott follows by means of on guarantees to let college students attend “any public college, constitution college, or non-public college with state funding following the scholar,” that’s not defunding colleges. As an alternative, that’s lastly an effort to provide all households entry to extra academic alternatives.

Advertisement


Aaron Garth Smith
is the director of schooling reform at Purpose Basis.





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Texas

Isabela Ocampo Restrepo | The Texas Tribune

Published

on

Isabela Ocampo Restrepo | The Texas Tribune


Isabela Ocampo Restrepo
is an engagement fellow who works on the Audience team to find creative ways to interact with the Tribune’s readers. She previously was an audience engagement intern at the Austin American-Statesman and a social media intern for the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. She was raised in Medellin, Colombia, speaks Spanish and English fluently, and is getting her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.



Source link

Continue Reading

Texas

Texas Democrats underperformed yet again. Now what?

Published

on

Texas Democrats underperformed yet again. Now what?



Advertisement
Advertisement

The most important Texas news,
sent weekday mornings.

Soul searching

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections

  • When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?



  • What’s on the ballot for the general election?



    Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot:

    – Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts

    – County Courts at Law

    – Justices of the Peace

    – District Attorneys

    – County Attorneys

    – Sheriffs

    – Constables

    – Tax Assessor-Collectors

  • How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?



  • What if I missed the voter registration deadline?



  • What can I do if I have questions about voting?



Supported by 

Raise Your Hand Texas's logo

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Texas

2024 Presidential Election: How Texas voted by county

Published

on

2024 Presidential Election: How Texas voted by county


Donald Trump won Texas early in the night on his path to winning the presidency.

Advertisement

Analysts gave little hope of Texas turning blue in the presidential race on Election Night, and they were right.

According to unofficial vote totals, Trump earned 56.3% of the vote in Texas. His opponent, Kamala Harris, won 42.4%.

Harris won just 12 of Texas’ 254 counties, including Harris, Dallas, Travis and Bexar counties.

Advertisement

Trump flipped many of south Texas counties that he lost in his 2020 race against Joe Biden.

AP estimates show Trump won 57.7% of Starr County in South Texas, along the border.

Advertisement

He is the first Republican presidential candidate to win the heavily-Hispanic county since 1892.

Trump lost Starr County to Hillary Clinton by 60 points in 2016.

Advertisement

Texas has not voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending