This bill is completely unfair and puts Gov. Perry in a "no win"
situation. Letters to the editor and phone calls
to Rep. Lloyd Doggett are needed. Please share
this information. Below is contact info for Doggett.
Washington Office
• Phone: 202-225-4865
Texas Office
• Phone: 512-916-5921 • 1-866-916-5921
UNITED STATES SENATE
For
Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Kevin McLaughlin
August 5, 2010
(202) 224-0704
Courtney Sanders
(202) 224-9767
Joint Statement By
Sens. Cornyn And Hutchison On Passage of Funding Bill that
Discriminates Against Texas
Provision House
Democrats Slipped Into Legislation Could Deprive Texas Schools
of $800 Million In Federal Education Funding
WASHINGTON
– United States Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison
released the following statement today regarding the FAA
Reauthorization Act:
“Texas school
children deserve better than this. The Doggett amendment, which
was supported by every member of the Texas Democratic
delegation, will treat Texas differently than every other state
in the union and deprive our schools of $830 million in federal
education funding. Texas Democrats in the House of
Representatives must take corrective action on this next week.
If they don’t, they are authorizing an unelected bureaucrat in
the Obama administration to spend Texas tax dollars on schools
in other states like California and New York. Texas children
shouldn’t have their education shortchanged because of petty
partisan politics and we hope our Democratic colleagues share
that sentiment,” said Cornyn.
“It is
unfortunate that the House of Representatives would pass an
amendment that discriminates against a single state, Texas, and
could undermine the education of our students. I voted against
this penalizing language in the Senate, and I urge the House to
correct the provision that unfairly targets Texas schools and
students,” said Hutchison.
Background
Just before the
July recess, the House attached $10 billion for an “Education
Jobs Fund” to the defense supplemental. The provision was
stripped from the supplemental, but was included in a
Reid-Murray motion, which passed the Senate on August 5.
During the House
debate over the defense supplemental, Rep. Lloyd Doggett added
language to limit Texas’s ability to access the $10 billion in
education funds.
The Doggett
amendment requires the Texas Governor to certify that the state
will maintain the FY11 proportion of education funding in the
state budget for two subsequent fiscal years. No other state is
required to make this certification for the three years total.
Furthermore, the
Texas Legislation Budget Board has noted that since only the
Texas Legislature can make appropriations, one legislature
cannot bind a future legislature. Thus, the requirement
that the Governor assure that a future legislature commit to
spend funds in accordance with the amendment would violate the
Texas Constitution even if the Governor had such authority.
If the bill is
enacted, Texas might not be eligible to receive any of the
funds because the Governor does not have the authority
to commit the Texas legislature to any specific appropriation
amount. Estimates of the Texas share of the $10 billion
range from $800 million to over $830 million.
The Doggett
provision essentially creates an additional $830 million slush
fund for the Secretary of Education.
Text of
Doggett Amendment
(11) ADDITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS.—The following requirements
shall apply to the State of Texas:
(A)
Notwithstanding paragraph (3)(B), funds used to support
elementary and secondary education shall be distributed based on
local educational agencies’ relative shares of funds under part
A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) for the most recent fiscal year
which data are available. Funds distributed pursuant to this
paragraph shall be used to supplement and not supplant State
formula funding that is distributed on a similar basis to part A
of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 6311et seq.).
(B) The
Secretary shall not allocate funds to the State of Texas under
paragraph (1) unless the Governor of the State provides an
assurance to the Secretary that the State will for fiscal years
2011, 2012, and 2013 maintain State support for elementary and
secondary education at a percentage of the total revenues
available to the State that is equal to or greater than the
percentage provided for such purpose for fiscal year 2011 prior
to the enactment of this Act.
(C)
Notwithstanding paragraph (8), no distribution shall be made to
the State of Texas or local education agencies therein unless
the Governor of Texas makes an assurance to the Secretary that
the requirements in paragraphs (11)(A) and (11)(B) will be met,
notwithstanding the lack of an application from the Governor of
Texas.
Legislative Budget Board comments
“…the amendment
was drafted in such way that Texas would not be eligible to
receive any of the funds because the Governor does not have the
authority to commit the Texas legislature to any specific
appropriation amount. The amendment has a second problem.
One legislature cannot bind a future legislature. Thus,
the requirement that the Governor assure that a future
legislature commit to spend funds in accordance with the
amendment would violate the Texas Constitution even if the
Governor had such authority.
If those
problems were addressed, the funds would have to be distribute
through the Title I formula instead of state funding formulas.
This would result in 852 school districts receiving considerable
less funding. We estimated what Texas’ share of the $10B
would be and performed runs to determine how specific districts
were impacted. We have attached this information in an
effort to answer your questions. This information is also sorted
by congressional district for your convenience.”
Senator
Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Agriculture and Budget
Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary
Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General,
Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.
###
HARRIS COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
A REAL BARGAIN FOR TAXPAYERS
By Angie Chesnut
As an elected Trustee of Harris County
Department of Education (HCDE), it is my responsibility to
ensure that our tax dollars are spent effectively and
efficiently. I have served in this position for 15 years. HCDE
Trustees are essentially volunteering their time and expertise,
though most do receive a $6.00 per meeting payment, not to
exceed $72.00 per year.
A friend recently asked, “Why should
I, as a taxpayer, care about HCDE?” She felt that the HCDE
portion of her property tax was so insignificant, that it didn’t
warrant attention. Every taxpayer has a stake in ensuring that
all of our children have access to a quality education. We must
ensure the success of the next generation and their ability to
be productive members of our society.
HCDE has served the
students of Harris
County Harris
County
Harris
County
before independent school districts were established. After the
establishment of independent school districts, the need for our
programs and resources remained, and are still in high demand
today, some 121 years later.
HCDE SAVES SCHOOL DISTRICTS MONEY, KEEPING
TAXES LOW
Only about 20% of the
HCDE revenues come from property taxes. Tax revenue is still
probably the most important portion of HCDE’s revenues because
it enables the Department to seek and obtain grants that fund a
large portion of the balance of the budget. Approximately 80% of
HCDE’s funding comes through fees-for-service; federal, state,
and local grants; and donations. The current tax rate for HCDE
is .00605 per $100 of appraised property value. For the average
homeowner ($150,000 home) in
Harris
County ,
this amount equates to about $9.07 per year. By maximizing
educational tax dollars through the power of shared service
arrangements, HCDE is part of the financial solution for the
area’s independent school districts.
HOW IS HCDE
DIFFERENT FROM REGIONAL SERVICE CENTERS?
Why can’t a Regional
Service
Center
In 1967, the Texas
State Legislature established 20 Regional Education Service
Centers whose purpose is to provide services to independent
school districts in
Texas
Harris
County .
HCDE is a political
subdivision of the State of Texas
Harris
County
governmental structure. Although it was one of the first school
districts in Texas
Harris
County
and surrounding areas. Having evolved in response to educational
and community needs, the Department provides specialized
educational services and programs to school districts and to
learners of all ages.
Our local
Regional
Service
Center ’s
services include:
Annual Job Fair, an event featuring jobs in
education in the school districts serviced by the Region.
Braille Services facilitates the production
products in Braille for the school districts.
Dyslexia Services provides information and
services regarding dyslexia and related disorders.
Professional Development offers training
and development for skills in areas such as:
Advanced
Academic Services§
Bilingual/ESL/LOTE
Services§
§
Building Individual Teaching Techniques and Skills (BITTS
Curriculum,§
Assessment, and Professional Development (CCAP)
Educational
Technology§
Services
Educator
Certification Programs§
Mathematics
Services§
§
Science Services
Social
Studies Services§
Special
Education Program§
Support Services
Employment
Opportunities lists jobs for school districts
Human Resource Service
Assistance (HRSA) provides member districts a website that links
directly to the district’s employment website.
Instructional Media
Services provides client school districts with media library
services.
Leadership Services
assists districts and charter schools in the area of services
for Principals and Administrators.
My Portfolio is a
record tracking system for teachers and administrators to track
their professional growth on-line.
Network Services
provides Internet access and related services
Print Services -
Print
Center
Region IV Store is a
web site listing products for teachers.
Teacher Visa
Assistance guides certified teachers through the process of
obtaining an H-1B, H1-B extension or permanent residency.
Texas Continuous Improvement Process is an
annual public meeting on behalf of the Texas Education Agency to
gather input on special education in
Texas
The Texas Virtual
School (TVS) offers learning opportunity for Texas
TExES Preparation
prepares participants for the TExES exam in EC-4 Generalist, 4-8
Generalist, ESL, Special Education, EC-4 Bilingual Education,
and the PPPR exam.
Transportation
Services provides school Transportation administration services,
products and professional development.
Services Unique to HCDE:
Academic and
Behavior
Center
campuses serve students (ages five through twenty-two) who have
severe emotional disturbances, mental retardation, pervasive
developmental disorders, and other health impairments. Schools
are mandated to provide services for these students.
Consolidating the services into a focused school environment
provides more individualized programs for the students, and
lowers costs for the school districts.
Adult Education provided GED certificates to
over 11,000 graduate students in 2009 and at the request and
authorization of the Texas Education Agency, HCDE administered
the procedures and policies for Adult Education for the entire
state of Texas.
Cooperative for After-School Enrichment
(CASE) improves academic achievement of elementary, middle, and
high school students and keeps them safe by providing high
quality after-school programs.
Early Childhood
Intervention (ECI) Keep Pace serves children ages 0-3 who have
medical
conditions with a high probability of delay, atypical
development, developmental delay, or are at-risk for delay.
(NOTE: A personal friend recently told me her son would not be
doing as well as he is, had it not been for this program.)
Head Start – Supports students three through
five years of age from economically disadvantaged families. Many
of these children have disabilities that require intervention to
enable them to succeed academically.
Highpoint Schools are comprised of three
campuses. This program serves adjudicated and expelled youth by
providing intensive counseling and technology-driven curriculum
in a strict disciplinary environment. Prior to the development
of the Highpoint Schools, students who were expelled were sent
home where many of them were left unsupervised during school
hours. Courts had no place to send students who were under 16
years of age and had committed crimes. Highpoint Schools provide
a safe and controlled environment for continued learning. Also,
since these students are not left unsupervised, our
neighborhoods and citizens are safer.
Research and
Evaluation strives to improve education for children in
Harris
County
through the scientifically rigorous examination of educational
programs.
Resource Development/Texas Center for Grants
Development supports efforts to locate and obtain funds which
forward new programs, program enhancement and expansion needs.
School Governance serves as a resource for
governance-related issues for superintendents, principals, and
other executive level education administrators. Two key events
are customized for area administrators:
The Principal’s
Institute offers specific leadership training for prospective
and newly assigned principals.
The Superintendent’s Institute provides an
opportunity for superintendents to understand new trends and
technologies and the ideal forum to express concerns and discuss
issues that are critical to their school districts.
Therapy Services serves individuals from
birth through 22 years of age who have disabilities,
developmental delays, or are at-risk for delays. These students
emerge from diverse socio-economic families. Through HCDE,
schools can contract our services as needed. This eliminates the
need for some schools to hire specialists to provide these
mandated, costly, services.
Additional HCDE programs include services that are
similar to those offered by Region IV:
Center for Safe and
Secure
Schools
Instructional Support
Services (Professional Development) has experts from all
instructional content areas provide training for administrators,
teachers, support personnel, students, parents, and the
community. Areas of training include the following:
• Gifted and Talented
• Bilingual/ESL/LOTE Services
• Curriculum Development and Evaluation
• Educator Certification Programs (Alternative Education
Programs)
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Special Education
• TExES Preparation
• Digital Learning and Instructional Technology
The Professional Development catalog of programs evolves as
needs and focus change. HCDE offers approximately 300 trainings,
workshops, and programs each year.
Job Order Contracting
through Choice Facility Partners provides support for school
districts in areas of construction and renovation services,
maximizing funding, and other cost-saving resources.
Purchasing Cooperatives provides cost savings programs and
resources to schools by leveraging the buying power of schools
districts and other municipalities for a broad variety of
products and services.
At first glance, it may appear as though
Region IV and HCDE offer duplicate services; however, while some
of the services are similar, there are vast differences. For
example, both organizations offer professional development, but
the focus of the programs is different.
Region IV and HCDE both dedicate their
services in support of school districts in different, but
overlapping geographic areas and expressly for the purpose of
reducing the costs of educational services. Region IV is
partially funded and governed by the Texas Education Agency.
HCDE is funded by a small tax base that is leveraged through
grants to seven times the initial amount. HCDE’s tax base funds
many of the operations of the Department, and allows grant funds
to pay for the services offered to school district and their
students and staffs.
To learn more about HCDE and its programs and services, I invite you to visit www.hcde-texas.org. You will be amazed at the wealth of resources available to and utilized by your local, independent school district.