The lights are coming on

Many Texans, so far, haven’t paid much attention to all the talk about budgetcutting at the statehouse. And, many who have seen or read something about it have had difficulty relating to the supersized numbers in news accounts. Slowly, however, light bulbs are beginning to blink on, as in the News 8 Austin story (linked below) about Austin ISD considering the closure of Barton Hills Elementary, among several other schools, to meet a $20 million district shortfall.

After the Barton Hills principal sent letters to parents on Thursday, warning of the possible closure, one parent interviewed by the TV station reacted: “I was blown away by the fact that they were saying we were going to have this kind of gigantic budget cut. I mean obviously having two children here, it’s a very personal matter.”

Yes, elections matter, and November’s election is beginning to matter for many Texans who may have thought that the warnings of budget cuts were exaggerated – or intended for someone else.

In other news reports this morning, Round Rock ISD has imposed a hiring freeze, Hutto is considering closing a school and cutting 80 staff positions and Bedford is closing a school as part of a consolidation of elementary campuses.

Unfortunately, there will be a lot more of the same to come.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/275977/austinschoolstargetedforclosureamidbudgetcuts