MyNotes - In the red, lawmakers may get schooled 08/23/10
$18billion deficit for Texas…is Education on the chopping block?
Quotes:
Amarillo.com | Local News: In the red, lawmakers may get schooled 08/23/10
In the red, lawmakers may get schooled By Enrique Rangel enrique.rangel@morris.com
in next year’s session of the Legislature lawmakers are expected to face what could be the largest budget shortfall in state history, perhaps as much as $18 billion over the next two fiscal years.
most school districts now find themselves in the same financial hole as before.
the school districts in Amarillo and Lubbock receive $5,062 and $5,067, respectively, per student a year, according to figures MALDEF has compiled. By contrast, the rural Sundown Independent School District in Hockley County, one of the wealthiest districts in the state, receives $12,538 per student. As a result, it’s estimated that at least 60 percent of school districts will have to use reserve money in the upcoming academic year to meet operating costs.
groups such as the statewide affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, are calling on Gov. Rick Perry to accept $830 million in federal aid for Texas public schools. But Perry and legislative leaders have refused on grounds that it would only make matters worse.
in last year’s session the Legislature used $3.3 billion in federal stimulus money to balance the education budget. The money included a state-mandated pay raise for teachers.