Our school superintendent spoke at our local Dem. meeting:

[callous taoboy]

He just came right out and said it: A majority of the TX house (aobut 60% he figures) is simply out to destroy public ed. in this state. He has been meeting with legislators during the past year and also with superintendents, and the consensus among the supers is that Perry will call a late special session (late in order to, as the super put it, "appear to put the gun to their heads re: school finance reform" and also so there will only be time for one special session). This session will be called in order to, once again, NOT come up with a solution so that the matter will go before Judge Deitz of the TX supreme court. He will then likely tell all districts to keep the doors closed come mid-August unless those districts have the cash on hand to open up their doors. The cash-strapped districts like Austin, Houston and Dallas will be SOL. Our small district, which has been seeing this day coming for some time, has managed to squirrel away a significant amount of money from various accounts such as roof repairs etc. and has cut such programs as driver's ed. The high school may go from having 8 blocks to 7 but that will be a last resort because that will mean pink-slipping teachers. So we will have the money on hand to open the school doors and keep them open for a time while the matter continues to be hashed out in court. He even said that during one meeting with an anti-public ed. legislator the woman kept pressing him on our payroll start and end dates in an effort to find out whether we had the cash to keep our doors open. After he held his ground he said he looked at her and said, "You are sorry."

What's funny in a really sad sort of way is that all of the MEpublican teachers I work with didn't
have a clue that this hidden agenda is going on and are presently putting together a pay raise proposal that they plan to put before the school board. I just laughed when they told me this, then
proceeded to tell them about the lovely work the people whom they vote for are doing. One of those you want to laugh and cry at the same time moments.

Cheers! It's Friday.

Callous

[acmejack]

1. What in the world is wrong with these people?

I don't think my district is "cash strapped" I'll have to look into the matter. We're maxed on Property Tax Rate so they are in a real bind if that turns out to be the case.

[johncoby2]

2. This makes sense

We were told that a special session would be called, but the plan would already be a done deal. They expect to get hit very hard.

They took the reform out because they know they will get hammered at the polls in Nov. So they get elected, then hammer the schools.

They are out to starve the public schools then reform them with privatization.

[Baby Snooks]

4. Probably right.

"They are out to starve the public schools then reform them with privatization."

You are probably right. Part of the Republican agenda. But they will privatize those schools that are primarily Caucasian in upper class neighborhoods. And then leave the others to the public system with no funding. I for one make the mistake of thinking only in terms of HISD. The larger districts have huge budgets with no real oversight and tremendous waste of tax dollars. The smaller and rural districts are probably just literally doing without. As are the children in those districts. Not that the children in the larger districts are doing much better with.

The Republican agenda can best be summed up with the phrase "Out of sight, out of mind." Their agenda puts more and more Texans "out of sight, out of mind" with each legislative session but some Democrats have voted along with them. They are just as much responsible as the Republicans.

[sonias]

3. Thanks for the good news (sarcasm)

I do believe you though. I heard a story recently that school administrators and education supporters who lobbied at the Legislature last session, were branded WASPs. Since they were a mixture of races and religions, they couldn't understand why they were being called WASPs. Later, a staff person told them that what the new acronym labeling them actually meant. "Whiny Ass School People". That's the miserable failure republican controlled legislature for you.

The repukes control the Texas Legislature at about that proportion 60%, so it would make sense that that's the side wanting to destroy the public education system. Let's bring up one shining repuke example by the name of Debbie Riddle, representing District 150 in Harris county.

"Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education? It comes from Moscow, from Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell."
—Texas State Rep. Debbie Riddle, 2003

No Debbie, it's actually in our State Constitution, but you and your conservative religious fundies want to destroy the public education system. You only want religious schools to be taxpayer subsidized, and you only want the wealthy to have access to schools. Well you and your dominionist sect can go straight to hell.

Sonia

[Arugula Latte]

5. Callous, I was wondering

How did the teachers react when you told them what the repukes were up to? Did they say anything or have a comeback? ... I'm just curious. Thanks.