Tag Archives: deficit

HISD cuts 277 jobs

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There will be more of this to follow. The Houston school district will have fewer bus drivers, construction workers, finance employees and other staff next year under budget cuts the board approved on Thursday. Trustees, expecting a severe shortfall in … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD cuts 277 jobs

I’ll take that bet

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Jason Embry sums it up. Nearly every Republican in the Texas House placed a bet Sunday night that the residents of their district will support taking billions of dollars out of the public school system. In voting for the House’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Senate pushes back on House efforts to redirect family planning funds

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A little sanity is always nice to see. State budget cuts taking aim at Planned Parenthood may limit the availability of family planning services for many poor Texans and have the unintended consequence of increasing unwanted pregnancies, two key lawmakers … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate pushes back on House efforts to redirect family planning funds

Tax breaks are spending, too

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see who among the “we have to live within our means” crowd opposes this. Faced with a looming budget shortfall, the Senate’s most powerful member is carrying legislation that would cap state spending on school property tax breaks that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harris County prepares to get hammered

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House budget will cost Harris County a bundle if it passes as is. Harris County health care providers would lose more than $2 billion in Medicaid funding under the Texas House budget that passed Sunday night, according to an … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County prepares to get hammered

The arbitrariness of our tax code

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wick Allison points out the winners and losers in Texas’ tax code. Suppose you’re a young artist and you want to create a video installation. To do it, you have to buy lighting equipment. You will pay a sales tax. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

HIDS community conversations about possible school closures

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the HISD news page: HISD has scheduled a series of community conversations to discuss the possibility of closing four small elementary schools. The district administration is faced with making some difficult budget decisions to cover an expected $171 million … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

House passes its budget

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good writeup of how it went down on Sunday. Mot of the heavy lifting was done before then, in the bills that closed the books on the previous biennium and allocated Rainy Day funds for them … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on House passes its budget

How does school finance work, anyway?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a useful guide to this incredibly complex topic. Here’s our layman’s guide to figuring out the current system, compiled with the help of experts at the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, the Equity Center and the Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s not just about cutting public education funding

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Abby Rapoport explains one of the potential long term consequences of the violence that’s being done to public education funding this session. For over 60 years, Texas has treated education differently than the rest of the budget. In funding most … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s not just about cutting public education funding

Tough times for libraries

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And there’s no end in sight. Already squeezed by curtailed hours and reduced staff, Houston Public Library officials today will pull the budget belt a notch tighter, telling City Hall how they plan to cope with an expected budget cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Raising cigarette taxes

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is any kind of tax increase possible for this legislative session? The House appropriations bill, scheduled for debate this weekend, would cut out the $10 million-a-year anti-smoking campaign, which remains a legacy of the state’s 1998 tobacco settlement. To save … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Budget debate resumes tomorrow

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Postcards: The Texas House [has called] it a night. They finished up the section of the budget bill that deals with public and higher education around 12:40 a.m. then adjourned until Sunday. Some members were planning to attend a Saturday … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Senate restores some funds to Health and Human Services

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Still not clear how they’re paying for any of it yet. The Senate Finance Committee voted Thursday to restore a less-than-expected $4.3 billion in health spending in 2012-13 but promised to try to find more money in the coming weeks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate restores some funds to Health and Human Services

What’s happening in the House

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House will be debating the budget well into the night, and very likely into tomorrow, if not Sunday. If you want an in-depth analysis of what’s being discussed and what the effect of each line item will be, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What’s happening in the House

A little budgeters remorse?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a little. Not much. As a vote looms on a bare-bones budget that would slash education and threaten nursing homes with closure, House GOP leaders softened their rhetoric on Tuesday to emphasize that it is a starting point and … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

House votes to spend some Rainy Day funds

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: House lawmakers preliminarily passed two bills Thursday that together will balance the state’s budget for the remaining months of the fiscal year through a mix of spending cuts and use of the Rainy Day Fund. The cuts … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What was this past election about?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve seen the following quote from House Appropriations Chair Jim Pitts, in this Statesman story about some queasiness among lower chamber Republicans about the severe budget cuts, several times this past week, and I feel it needs a bit of … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mayor seeks pension fund cuts

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Given the size of the budget shortfall for next year and the amount that the city pays into the various pension funds, Mayor Parker’s proposal to pay less should not be a surprise to anyone. City Attorney David Feldman and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bill Hammond gets his name in the papers again

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Whether he actually achieves any of the goals that are the basis for many of these stories remains to be seen. Hammond, a former business owner and Republican lawmaker from Dallas, is accustomed to steering the state business organization between … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bill Hammond gets his name in the papers again

Schools begin to feel the effect of budget cuts

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re an HISD principal, the next few weeks will be no fun at all. More public school employees can expect pink slips in coming weeks as state law requires districts to notify teachers by mid-April – technically, 45 days … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Schools begin to feel the effect of budget cuts

School district reserves

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry sure does like the idea of spending other people’s money. Pressed on using the Rainy Day Fund to help close of the state’s massive budget shortfall and avoid dramatic cuts, particularly to school funding, Gov. Rick Perry earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

No more free tows

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Change is coming to SafeClear – it will now cost $50 for a tow on a highway inside the city, instead of it being provided for free. Passing the cost of towing to motorists is expected to save the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Smaller cuts from the Senate

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Trail Blazers: The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday adopted a school funding plan for the next two years that would cut basic funding for school districts by nearly 6 percent – or $2 billion a year – to handle a … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lege’s job killing budget

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Do you think this is what all those people who came out to vote last November had in mind? The Legislative Budget Board, a nonpartisan state agency that helps lawmakers with budget numbers, predicts that House version of the 2012-2013 … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Where the Senate is looking for revenue

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The hunt for $5 billion is on. Higher driver license fees and a hike in college tuitions are among potential money raisers as a special Senate panel searches for $5 billion in “non-tax revenue” to help fund key services, Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What about the jobs?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With all of the public sector job cuts coming, will the private sector pick up the slack? This Statesman story paints a picture that I think is a tad bit too optimistic. Government employment, which includes local school districts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Should we do away with school police forces?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits makes the case. If public school budgets will be radically cut in Texas, a prospect which for the moment appears all but inevitable, which employees should be eliminated first? Judging from the ongoing debate, maybe campus cops. Jason Embry … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Should we do away with school police forces?

House Appropriations Committee passes a budget

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not much different than what they started out with. House budget-writers were able to sprinkle some extra money into education and health care but otherwise did little to change the bare-bones proposal with which they started. The 2012-13 budget … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can the Lege pass a budget?

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Robert Miller: [T]here is a growing chasm between the House and the Senate on the budget. The Governor and House leadership have agreed to spend $3.2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to balance the FY 2010-11 budget. But, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adding charter schools

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There are currently 210 active charter schools, and state law limits the total number to 215. (Note that this refers to charter school networks as well, so those 210 schools translates to about 520 campuses.) There are about 56,000 students … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Adding charter schools

What the decision to use Rainy Day funds means for school districts

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From School Zone: As you might know by now — unless you’re tuning out the news over spring break — the House Appropriations Committee, with Gov. Rick Perry’s blessing, agreed to spend up to $3.2 billion from the rainy-day fund … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What the decision to use Rainy Day funds means for school districts

SBOE wants its new textbooks

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

But it may not get them. State board members are growing increasingly anxious that lawmakers might not provide funding for new textbooks and instructional material – even though they’re giving the Legislature $1.9 billion from a 157-year-old endowment established to … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SBOE wants its new textbooks

It’s a start

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where it’s due, from a story about the Lobby Day effort by teachers and other public school supporters. New member Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, reminds folks that the current budget shortfall reflects a structural deficit that began in … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s a start