Grading Texas

The latest update from the state comptroller reinforces what has been obvious for months. State government has more than enough revenue to undo about $2.5 billion in state budget cuts for the public schools that will kick in during the upcoming school year. Despite reservations expressed in the newspaper article linked below, it is clear that the state has enough money to restore school funding, avoid further school layoffs and early retirements and start reducing the size of overcrowded classrooms – right now.

Money isn’t the real problem and never has been. What is missing is the political will to do the right thing, and that begins with Gov. Perry, who still refuses to call the Legislature into special session to make the extra appropriation. Perry, instead, prefers to travel the state peddling his own version of snake oil, a socalled “state budget compact” that would further reduce spending for public education, health care and other important services, despite an improving economy and growing collections from existing taxes.

According to the latest report from Comptroller Susan Combs, state government will raise at least $5 billion in unanticipated general revenue during the current budget period. That is in addition to at least $7.3 billion – and probably more – that will be in the Rainy Day Fund. Yet, Perry insisted last year that the Legislature leave those Rainy Day funds untouched while slashing $5.4 billion from the public education budget.

It is clear that state government has enough money to restore funding for the public schools and close a big gap in the Medicaid budget – with room to spare.

Several months ago, TSTA urged the governor to call lawmakers into special session to spend $2.5 billion of the Rainy Day balance (about half of the total education cuts) to save funding and jobs for the 201213 school year. But Perry has refused, even as state coffers continue to fill and classes grow larger with increasing school enrollment.

Instead, the governor will continue to get rightwing legislators and legislative candidates to sign his “budget compact.” The most recent was Rep. Sid Miller, who signed the document earlier this week in Copperas Cove. Miller’s signature was no surprise, since he voted for the education cuts, including more than $15 million to his own school districts last year and an untold additional amount for 201213. Now, he can’t wait to slash some more, which is why Republican voters would be doing themselves – and their schools – a big favor by voting for Miller’s opponent, J.D. Sheffield, in the July 31 runoff in House District 59.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texaspolitics/texasbankingon5billioninextrarevenue2418766.html

In the Republican runoff for the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has been breaking his back – and destroying his credibility trying to prove that he is politically goofier than his tea party opponent, Ted Cruz. But Dewhurst really popped some brain cells yesterday with an Obamabashing diatribe he posted on his campaign website as the president was visiting Texas.

Among all the other hyperbole, Dewhurst said flat out, “President Obama is the most serious threat to America since World War II.”

Pitiful, even by today’s political substandards.

Could it be possible that the man who would be a United States senator has forgotten about all those Cold War nuclear missiles aimed at America during his childhood? Or, more recently, has he forgotten about the greeddriven financial meltdown on Wall Street that predated President Obama’s watch and the resulting recession that Obama inherited from a Republican predecessor we all know something about?

Dewhurst must have even forgotten about the terrorist attacks of September 11 and Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind them and, until recently, America’s No. 1 enemy. And, it obviously has slipped his mind that Bin Laden is no longer a threat to anybody because President Obama gave the order to take him out.

Dewhurst is in need of some remedial history classes. He can be grateful he doesn’t have to take any STAAR endofcourse exams in American history, but he should be embarrassed, nevertheless.

Campaigning in Copperas Cove yesterday, state Rep. Sid Miller said he was a “strong supporter” of education, and his nose grew longer. Gov. Rick Perry, who campaigned with him, wasn’t there because Miller supports public education. The governor was there because Miller did his bidding last year and voted to slash state funding for public schools. That vote already has cost local public schools in House District 59, which Miller purportedly represents, more than $15 million, and more cuts will follow in the upcoming school year. And, if reelected, Miller is poised to inflict even more damage on classrooms.

As the wise old cliché begins, with “friends” like these……

Miller voted not only to hack away at his local school budgets, but he also voted to keep at least $7.3 billion of taxpayers’ money unspent in the Rainy Day Fund. Spending even part of that money could have saved thousands of educator jobs around the state and avoided thousands of overcrowded classrooms. Alas, Miller and Perry have even more damage in mind for education in the future.

As part of their dogandpony show in Copperas Cove, Miller signed the governor’s “state budget compact,” a political document promising even deeper cuts to the public schools and other critical state services during next year’s legislative session.

Perry isn’t on the ballot this year, but Republican voters in House District 59 in Central Texas will have the opportunity in their July 31 party runoff to remove the antipublic education Miller from office. They can – and should – vote for challenger J.D. Sheffield, a wellrespected physician endorsed by TSTA, who wants to help move Texas forward, not keep it stuck in reverse.

Sheffield truly values the public schools. And, he recognizes that Perry’s antischools, antiTexas “budget compact” is politically transparent and dangerously shortsighted.

“I believe these gentlemen (Perry and Miller) are looking out more for their personal and political ambitions than they are trying to prepare for what the state may need,” Sheffield said.

It’s time to retire Miller’s political ambition. He has earned a heaveho.

http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=67895