NEWS
Superintendent Spend-n-Whine Fest
Houston had a lot of expensive whine this week — from money-hungry superintendents intent on spending a lot more of your money. And they’ll spend every dollar they can get. Since 2000, public school revenues have grown 60 percent, even though the student population has grown only 15 percent. And yet the Texas School Alliance complains that "property tax relief" erodes their ability to tax-and-spend without fetter. Um, yes, that’s the point.
Clearly The Fiscal Creek Is Rising
Taxpayers in Clear Creek Independent School District, in Galveston County, are facing a $9.2 million tax hike. The superintendent, with a straight face, tells the local newspaper the schools have “exercised significant restraint.” Sounds nice, but that’s not what the record shows. School revenues are have risen 60 percent since 2001, even though the district only has 18 percent more students. Where’s the money going? Hint: not the classroom.
NCSL Round-Up
Unlike most states, Texas is fairing fairly well the national economic downturn. That was the presentation State Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) made last week at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Taxing Ignorance
Thousands of Texans are supporting efforts to abolish the school property tax and replace it with a fair sales tax… But you’d never know it from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal today, which not only misrepresents the effort and its background, but lets Republican State Sen. Robert Duncan talk about imposing a new state income tax.
Relish This
As part of an effort to trim the county budget, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez is cutting condiments from the budget. Prisoners will have to go without mustard, ketchup, sweeteners and jelly — saving taxpayers $150,000. Her office might also charge inmates for pickles, trimming another $84,000. But considering the county asked her to find $6 million in cuts, Sheriff Lupe is going to have to do better than that.
When Times Are Tough, Tax-n-Spend Away
School districts around the state are crying poverty — and hiking your taxes. But just like the studies showing how many welfare recipients own DVD players, cell phones and late-model cars, we would be wise as taxpayers to start demanding a little cleaner view of how school districts are spending the money they already get.
That’s Some Banjo Hall
Taxpayers in Midland and Odessa — along with the rest of us — are shelling out big bucks for a new “performing arts” center to be built between the two cities. The facility, which is described as standing “90 feet tall at its center, far surpassing the height of the nearby Highway 191 overpass on Farm-to-Market Road 1788,” is expected to cost $89 million.
Survey Says New Business Tax Inflicts Pain on Employees, Consumers
A survey of 790 Texas small businesses finds that because of the new margins tax:
1) 50% will raise prices
2) 20% will lay off at least one employee
3) 33% won’t hire new employees
4) 14% will drop health care or other benefits
5) 3% will close
Got Freedom?
This week marked "cost of government day" — the date in which the average American has now paid the cost of taxes and regulations handed down from federal, state and local governments. The date, July 16, means Americans work more than half the year to pay for all the government we enjoy.
You’re Getting Joysticked
Hold on to your wallets, the governor and Legislature are taking aim at your wallet with a little video game waste. Unfortunately, this isn’t the virtual variety but the real-world deal. Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants lawmakers to give video game manufacturers boatloads of money to get them to design their games in the Lone Star State. This is corporate welfare at its worst. This is a $9-plus billion industry that is referred to as “recession-proof.” They don’t need your money.
Does Texas Need an Independent Inspector General’s Office to Root Out Fraud & Waste?
Senator Bob Deuell proposes the creation of such an office for the “main” state agencies in today’s Dallas Morning News and Governor Rick Perry’s office indicates support. The issue came up after controversial firings at the Texas Education Agency’s Inspector General’s office – currently big agencies like TEA have their own inspector general’s office.
French Fashion Show Tops Spring Branch ISD’s Wasteful Spending
Conservatives in Texas often talk about how wasteful our government school system can be, yet we rarely find a gem as perfectly flawed as two stories that appeared recently in the Houston Chronicle. On May 1, the Chronicle breathlessly reported “Spring Branch ISD facing insolvency” – you can almost hear the exclamation points. A month and a half later, the paper glowingly reported “Spring Branch ISD; Free summer camp focused on France.” A free French summer camp, while facing insolvency?