Tag Archives: school finance

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 →

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Hochberg’s “Let’s get real” bill

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Scott Hochberg has filed a school finance bill that he himself wouldn’t vote for. It’s to make sure everyone realizes what the proposed cuts to public education really mean. Under HB 2485, all school districts would be treated as … Continue reading →

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Is it time for a statewide property tax?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, on Tuesday breathed some new life into a proposal to enact a statewide school property tax to address Texas’ persistent education funding woes. “We’ve never made a change in the school finance system without … Continue reading →

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Rural school districts prepare for the worst

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have very mixed emotions reading a story like this. For the residents of [the] tiny West Texas farming community [of Miles], the school district is central to their identity, history and way of life. “There’s a wonderful feel about … Continue reading →

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One Republican for the Rainy Day Fund

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Kevin Eltife says what I suspect more than a few Republican legislators are thinking. “We have to find more revenue,” the former Tyler mayor and senator of seven years said [Thursday] morning during a committee hearing. “It’s insane … Continue reading →

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What today’s budget cuts will mean tomorrow

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know cuts are coming to public education and higher education. Let’s turn once again to Steve Murdock, the former State Demographer who is now a professor at Rice University, to hear what that will mean for Texas’ future. Texas’ … Continue reading →

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Update on the next school finance lawsuit

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming, but schools are going to wait to see what the Lege does before proceeding with the inevitable. “School districts right now are in a state of shock,” [Austin litigator Buck] Wood said. “Things are much worse than even … Continue reading →

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First they came for Medicaid

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Then they came for public education. School districts are being told they should expect to get an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion less in the next two-year budget as lawmakers begin wrestling with a $24 billion revenue shortfall in … Continue reading →

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Scrap it and start over

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good to hear. Texas needs to scrap its school funding system and start all over, Senate Education Chair Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said Thursday, as other members of a special school finance committee agreed that the existing system is hopelessly broken. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Scott Hochberg

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Scott Hochberg, who represents HD137, is generally considered the Legislature’s leading expert on public education and school finance. He’s the Vice Chair of the House Public Education Committee, and he chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. With so … Continue reading →

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That sound you hear is another school finance lawsuit coming

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It may be sooner rather than later, but one way or another it’s coming. Despite numerous challenges and Band-Aids to Texas’ school funding system over the past three decades, school leaders say another school finance lawsuit is imminent. If it … Continue reading →

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Rhetoric is the easy part

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There are two things that I wonder about as I read this story about poverty and the Texas schools and the alarming trends we’re seeing in things like the dropout rate. First and foremost, will anyone ever listen to former … Continue reading →

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Our Hispanic schools

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Take a look at the future. If you want to see how profoundly the state’s population is changing, look at the faces of the children in Texas public school classrooms. In all but rural areas, Hispanic enrollment is rapidly surpassing … Continue reading →

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Gallegos versus Grier

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Mario Gallegos is not a fan of HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. He has made this clear through two letters he has released. This one, from April 8, raises questions about Grier’s past record in other school districts, while … Continue reading →

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Wrapup from “Houston Have Your Say: Education Crisis”

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I thought last night’s broadcast of Houston Have Your Say: Education Crisis went very well. You can see rebroadcasts of the show on Thursday, April 22, at 1:00 am; Friday, April 23, at 8:00 pm; and Sunday, April 25, at … Continue reading →

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Join the chat for Houston Have Your Say

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m here at the KUHT studios for Houston Have Your Say: Education Crisis. There’s a Cover It Live chat available, so head over and let us know what you have to say about it. There’s a lot of brainpower among … Continue reading →

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The coming train wreck

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two local school superintendents – HD Chambers from the Stafford Municipal School District and Louis Stoerner from the Alief Independent School District – wrote an op-ed for the Chron about the financial catastrophe that school districts are facing. With a … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend ISD layoffs

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, I expect we’ll hear more stories like this in the coming months. On Thursday, many teachers in the Fort Bend Independent School District got the letter they had dreaded. It was notification from Rhonda McWilliams, the district’s chief human … Continue reading →

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Fixing school finance, the neverending story

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Work on dealing with the state’s revenue shortfall and what it will mean for the schools is already underway. Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, co-chair of the 15-member panel, acknowledged that the funding system is in trouble and needs … Continue reading →

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The school district squeeze

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Everywhere you look there’s bad budget news. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Fort Bend ISD Chief Financial Officer Tracy Hoke, who’s worked in school finance for two decades. “I could turn out every light, and we’d … Continue reading →

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UH-Downtown may drop open admissions

Posted on November 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This could have some broad implications. After less than four months on the job, the new president of the University of Houston-Downtown has launched an agenda to reshape the school’s future. First up: creating admission standards for a school that … Continue reading →

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State sales tax revenues way down

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The 2011 legislative session is going to be so much fun. Sales tax revenues have taken double-digit dives for five months running; in each of those months, the state’s income from those taxes has been more than 10 percent lower … Continue reading →

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As goes Cy-Fair, so goes Texas

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier this month, I noted that the Cy-Fair ISD was considering the repeal of an optional homestead exemption so it could pay for salaries and services it needed for the schools. They backed off after residents protested, choosing instead of … Continue reading →

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Education stimulus money for Texas approved

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The U.S. Department of Education has approved Texas’ application for using $3.2 billion in federal stimulus money, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said. That money will be used to pay for textbooks and a $1.9 billion increase in school … Continue reading →

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Is there a problem with the stimulus funds?

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I hope not. The debate over whether Texas lawmakers can use federal stimulus money to boost education spending, including funding a raise for teachers, is heating up. The Obama administration warned states Thursday it may withhold millions of dollars if … Continue reading →

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More on the end of the sixty-five percent rule

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an updated story on the end of the sixty-five percent rule. Gov. Rick Perry’s 4-year-old mandate that schools spend at least 65 percent of their money on classroom instruction is under fire from key lawmakers in Perry’s own party. … Continue reading →

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Sixty-five percent of nothing

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So back in 2005, after the regular legislative session and two ensuing special sessions on school finance, Governor Perry issued an executive order that would require schools to spend at least 65 percent of their tax money in the classroom. … Continue reading →

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Stimulus for the schools

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas’ public schools are set to get some much needed stimulus money. Texas school districts can expect a jolt of more than $3 billion over two years under the $787 billion package ushered in by President Barack Obama’s administration. Under … Continue reading →

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TSTA poll on public education

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas State Teachers Association released the results of its annual poll on attitudes towards public education in Texas last week. From the poll memo (PDF): Despite a declining national and state economy, a majority of Texas voters still maintain … Continue reading →

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