If school districts respond to the current state budget deficit with the taxpayer and student in mind we will all benefit. Given the state of the economy, is it all that terrible that school employees may have to forgo a year without a pay raise like the rest of the state’s employees do all the time? Districts have been spoiled. Budgets have swelled far faster than enrollment growth plus inflation for years on end. Do we really need 1,031 school districts? The smallest school district in Texas, Divide ISD in Kerr County, has no school and almost more trustees than students! Over half our school districts are running at a deficit and well over half are losing enrollment. Nevertheless, when the Legislature started funding debt for construction, school district debt rose 90 percent when enrollment increased only 10 percent. This has contributed to structural deficits. When local taxpayers were on the hook for facility funding, school boards were more conservative and frugal. Now, public schools are picking up ever larger percentages of the total state budget.
Central Administration staffing at Hays grew over 700 percent while enrollment increased 135 percent. What about all these special programs that, academically speaking, are a complete failure or have nothing to do with the primary educational mission of our public schools? Can we afford a 22:1 student to teacher ratio that means, if you have 23 students you are required to hire another teacher and provide another classroom?
The 2008 bond measure requires interest only payments for 22 years before a penny of principal is retired costing another $65 million in interest! HCISD has still not paid a penny on 60 percent of the principal on the 2001 bond issue. At first, no payments were required at all for 10 years. Then this was refinanced in 2006 for another 25 years with interest only payments for another seven years! Add another $60 million for excess interest.
We’re way too comfortable mortgaging current student’s future in the name of education for our selfish overspending indulgences that, so far, have not turned around academic decline.
Education is Everybody’s Business!
Bryce Bales
Manchaca
