Represenatives
for Americans for Prosperity, Texans for
Texas, the Conservative Coalition Research
Institute, Texas Young Republican Federation,
Texas CAAUSE, Williamson County Taxpayers
and the Texas Republican Liberty Caucus
met recently in Austin to ask the state
legislature to consider where the money
goes in Texas education. A startling
list of problems has been compiled.
This
report was compiled by Peggy Venable and
Don Zimmerman, known for being advocates
for taxpayers.
So
Where does the money go – Total Teacher
Pay is less than 40% of all Expenditures
Total
2002 spending $28,667,838,747
Divided
by…
Number
of Teachers 282,583
Total
Spending per teacher $101,449
Ave
Total Teacher pay $40,049
Where
does the other $61,400 go?
Note:
Less than 40% of all Texas public school
expenditures go to the teachers in the classroom,
delivering instruction to students.
Does
Texas have a bureaucracy problem? If yes,
the solution is less money, not more!
NFL
DALLAS COWBOYS TRAIN AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL
FACILITY…
It
was hard to even stand up straight in the
40-mph winds, but the Carroll Dragons were
running a crisp football practice. But their
weathered practice fields were barren. Instead,
the team was working out on the district's
$1.2 million indoor practice field, which
the Dallas Cowboys occasionally used before
theirs was built in Irving .
Carroll
has facilities so modern that professional
and college teams use them. The Cowboys
have practiced at the indoor facility and
at Dragon Stadium, which was home to Major
League Soccer's Dallas Burn last season.
Last year, TCU used the district's Olympic-size
swimming pool to host Notre Dame and Centenary.
The
property-wealthy Northwest school district
in the Alliance area is building a $19.5
million football stadium in hopes of spurring
the athletic program. "I think
our parents, citizens and taxpayers realized
it's important that our kids have quality
facilities," Superintendent Keith Sockwell
said. "I think they will compare with
anyone we compete with."
Mansfield
voters recently approved a $226.1 million
bond package that includes $32.8 million
for a new football stadium and swimming
pool. The project will cost the owner of
a $150,000 home $120 over the next three
years.
Martin
believes he can build a program like those
at Carroll, Austin Westlake and Katy, three
schools known statewide for their tradition,
commitment and championships. He has taken
the Eagles to three consecutive playoff
berths, including the Class 5A Division
II state semifinals this season, where they
lost to Carroll.
Allen's
training ground for success is a $6 million,
72,000-square-foot athletic center that
features an expansive weight room overlooking
a 60-yard indoor football field. Star
Telegram
MISMANAGEMENT
Ft
Worth School Superintendent Thomas Tocco
says he expects to leave his position at
the end of next year… Allegations of financial
mismanagement and problems with construction
expenses, including an FBI audit, have plagued
Dr. Tocco….
Officials
said the superintendent, whose contract
calls for a 2003 salary of $299, 250 and
a 2004 salary of $314,212 is one of the
highest paid superintendents in the country.
The
[auditor's] study found that the Ft Worth
School District used oral agreements and
avoided competitive bidding on construction
work by using a series of smaller purchase
orders – each valued at less than $25,000
– to perform millions of dollars of work
at a single site. District policy states
that construction projects totaling $25,000
or more should use a competitive bid process.
Source: Dallas Morning News November
8, 2003 , by Laurie Fox
MISSING
FUNDS
Molina
High School had problems managing student
activity funds even before the Dallas school
district began a recent investigation into
thousands of dollars missing from the school.
Molina
High School is missing at least $50,000
– and possibly more than $100,000 – in cash
raised in part through student fund-raisers.
“Obviously
we recognized there was a problem,” Mr.
Claxton (DISD spokesman) said. “We have
such a vast system and we are trying to
put limited controls on it.”
STATISTICS
AND REPORTING FRAUD
A
[Texas] state audit found 5,500 students
had left Houston Public Schools during the
2000-2001 school year and that more than
half of those students should have been
listed as dropouts but weren't. As a result,
Houston reported an unrealistically low
1.5% dropout rate and won accolades.
Misleading
dropout statistics aren't a new problem,
however. The Dallas Morning News… has noted
that the reporting procedure understates
the crisis and encourages administrators
to fudge dropout numbers to bolster performances
on State accountability ratings. In the
late 1990's the Austin school district was
briefly targeted in a criminal fraud investigation
over its dropout records.
Do
educators really want to end this charade
when higher drop out rates will generate
greater public scrutiny and lower accountability
scores? We'll see.
“Undercounted
Dropouts: Schools Should Provide Honest
Figures” Dallas
Morning News Editorial , July
26, 2003
Where
are we spending our education dollars…
The
Carnival Cruise Boondoggle
Taxpayers
were outraged to learn of a Connally technology
coordinator used a federally funded TEA
grant to send 40 teachers, staff and two
Apple trainers on a “technology training
cruise” for five days and five nights on
the Carnival cruise ship Celebration leaving
Galveston and going to Cozumel, Playa del
Carmen and Calica on Aug 6, 2003. ( Waco
Tribune-Herald, Aug. 12, 2003 ) Waco is
not without other options. Texas State Technical
College, Baylor University, McLennan Community
College are all located in Waco and offer
computer training.
Your
tax dollars at work…at a topless bar???!!!
In
Corpus Christi, the superintendent, staff
and school board members charged more than
$20,000 in meals during the years 1993 to
1999. One of these meals included dinner
at Tavern on the Green restaurant in New
York City, which cost taxpayers $539.92
including tip. The credit card statements
also showed that a former Assistant Superintendent
used his district credit card to charge
more than $5,200 at a local topless bar
in five visits. Those charges later were
paid directly to the establishment and credited
to the district's account. Taxpayers also
footed the bill to the tune of $15,402 for
maintenance on the superintendent's automobile
plus a $650 a month car allowance. (CCCT
Dec 31, 1999 and Oct. 9, 1999)
In
2001, the school board of West Oso Independent
School District , in Nueces County , chose
to buy out superintendent Minerva Salazar's
contract when she resigned rather than just
allowing her to leave at a charge to taxpayers
of $500,000. Even after residents mounted
a petition drive and at State Representative
Jaime Capelo request an investigation by
the Texas Education Agency never materialized.
A Nueces County judge later ordered the
former school superintendent to put $250,000
she received from the buyout into a court
trust and ordered the school district not
to make any more payments to Salazar. (CCCT
May 24, 2001).
Image
consultant tarnished this superintendent's
image
In
Travis County, Del Valle ISD Superintendent
spent thousands of dollars on an image consultant
to help him win “Superintendent of the Year”.
Only problem was, he was the only entrant.
Fortunately, a local TV reporter awarded
the Superintendent with even more publicity
for his antics! She also disclosed that
the school district's PR staffer charged
thousands of dollars to the district making
personal calls on her business cell phone.
They are also spending tens of thousands
of dollars on legal fees for ridiculous
things.
And
the shenanigans…
In
2000, a Midland principal who punished a
student for having a photo of his car parked
in front of an unmarried female teacher's
residence resigned after the district settled
a $150,000 federal lawsuit filed by the
student. His resignation was approved by
the board after they voted to buy out the
remainder of his contract.
Too
many administrators…
According
to TEA reports, teachers represented only
about half of the education staff in the
state. There are 45,776 support staff and
19,740 administrators. The average teacher
salary is 84% of the average support staff
salary and teachers make 62% as much as
the average administrator.
In
Spring (outside of Houston ) the Cypress
Fairbanks ISD where each grade in each middle
and high school has an asst principal making
around $60,000/yr. This is not an uncommon
practice.
Administrative
salaries sky-high…
In
Texas , 65 school districts pay their superintendents
over $150,000 and 19 pay more than $200,000.
Of those 19 superintendents, 7 have districts
rated as “recognized” and the remainder
are “acceptable.” None have district performance
ratings of “exemplary.” (TEA Superintendent
Reports, 2002-03 as of Oct '02)
An
analysis of the payroll records by the Houston
Federation of Teachers shows 223 district
and central office administrators and staff
with salaries above $70,000 including 51
non-campus based administrators earning
over $100,000 and an additional 31 earning
over $90,000. An additional 202 are campus-based
administrators earning over $75,000. A teacher
on the Masters schedule who also has $3,000
in career ladder tops out at $61,549. (Houston
Federation of Teachers/Local 2415, Jan 2004
newsletter.)
In
DISD, on top of the annual base salary of
$280,000 a year, the school board agreed
to an annual $10,000 annuity and an allowance
to keep the Superintendent's family in another
city until one of his children graduated
from high school, a $1,000 per month car
allowance, a $450 a month cell phone allowance
and round-trip tickets “home” for weekends.
Blatant
disregard for taxpayers…
While
some property owners are struggling with
high property taxes and some struggling
to make their mortgage payments, Round Rock
ISD School Board members deemed it appropriate
to give the superintendent $8,000 toward
his retirement account, saying “it is not
a raise.” The Superintendent makes $168,000
while his wife and daughter are also employed
by RRISD. Some citizens have raised the
issue of nepotism. Others are focused on
the economy and asking why a 21% “bonus”
when many taxpayers have hit hard times.
Job losses continue to take their toll on
the area's economy. In Williamson County
, the 1,088 property foreclosure postings
in the first 10 months of this 2003 are
a 72.4 percent increase compared with the
same period in 2002.
How
can they sleep at night?…
Fraud
is not unknown in the public school environment.
Many Dallas area taxpayers well remember
the superintendent who several years ago
spent ISD funds to purchase, among other
things, a bedroom set for her home. Dallas
ISD officials have realized at least $50,000
and perhaps as much as $100,000 missing
from a student activity fund earned in part
by students who sold candy or washed cars.
The money just disappeared. Not to worry,
the case was under investigation by the
“new DISD police force” and the internal
audit department. (DMN, August 30, 2003
)
“Buying
out” contracts…
It
is not unusual for school districts to buy
out superintendent contracts. In addition
to the examples above of the Midland and
Corpus Christi ISD examples, several years
ago, the San Antonio ISD superintendent
Diana Lam was in the middle of her contract
in the fall of 1998 when the board voted
to buy out her contract for $658,000. (The
New York Times, Jan 16, 2000 .) Which left
taxpayers asking the question, “Why did
the board waste so much money buying out
the superintendent's contract?” (From Public
Comments, Texas School Performance Review).
IN
SPITE OF THE WASTE, MISMANAGEMENT AND FRAUD
IN PUBLIC SCHOLS, POWERFUL INTERESTS LOBBY
FOR MORE MONEY…
"You've
got to have more money. That's the bottom
line," said Wayne Pierce, executive
director of the Equity Center, which represents
property-poor school districts. Austin
American Statesman
“TASB
urgently requests the Legislature to provide
additional state resources to local school
districts to increase the fiscal capacity
of the school finance system and to provide
districts the resources needed to meet rising
expectations.”
From:
Texas
Association of School Boards
Surely
no added amount of public school funding
will improve results when….
•
A full-length movie is shown frequently
in class for reward or entertainment goals.
•
A student resists learning because it is
not culturally ‘cool' to be skilled.
•
An ineffective teacher is paid the same
as a highly knowledgeable, effective one.
•
Disruptive students are assigned to the
best teachers, spoiling interested students'
opportunity to learn
•
Schools fabricate accountability data.
•
Accounting and auditing processes leave
millions of dollars wasted or missing.
•
Education fads substitute for the effort
required by real curricula and quality teaching.
The
extra money given to schools over the past
10 years confirms this reality.
Schools
will only change when their funding decreases
incrementally for each failing student who
leaves for a better school.
Real
reform means failing schools don't get funded,
and failing students can leave
GOOD
NEWS
Taking
the performance review to heart…
Efficiencies
can be realized. Based on recommendations
in the Performance Review, in 2002-03, Laredo
ISD reduced its central office administrators
by eight positions, resulting in annual
savings of $545,000. The district also reassigned
secretarial and clerical staff to vacant
positions saving an additional $250,000
in 2002-03.
ARTICLE
ARCHIVE
PREVIOUS
ISSUES
HOME
|
