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August 28, 2005

Neeley Letter (8-26-05)

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August 13, 2005

Let's talk reality.

Public school is a mandatory government system to which we are required to send our children --- for 13 years.

This 13-year system now gives our children less than what used-to-be the equivalent of an 8th grade education. It delivers this 8th grade-level education in 13 years for $536 billion per year --- about $9,000 per student per year.

Our legislators are desperately trying to fund this non-functioning system. Why?

More importantly --- what is wrong with us that we are willing to let our children be educated by the government?

Mike F. - Austin

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August 5, 2005

Your publications give a very insightful view into Texas Public Policy and reminds many of us that the conservative approach has always been the most effective. Now if we can get the top three leaders (Perry, Dewhurst and Craddick) to work with one another and keep the solution simple (replace the socialist Robin Hood system and take care of teachers in a regular session), then we won't have an ongoing fiasco for another year. But that's my two cents. If I were in the Legislature, I would propose a streamlined policy that would provide for school consolidation to replace a Chapter 41/42 system that almost dries out budgets of Chapter 41 schools such as Graford and Palo Pinto ISD (I dealt with that alot when I covered education as a reporter for the Mineral Wells Index).

Trey P.        Arlington

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July 20, 2005

I agree with Representative Corbin Van Arsdale. I’m very troubled by the growing bureaucracy (and mediocre educational results) in our Texas public schools. But, after reading Superintendent Mike Holland’s denial of a problem in our Magnolia schools, I decided to check employee numbers and salaries myself. What I found is that the teacher to non-teacher ratio in Magno­lia schools is actually less than one-to-one (that is, fewer teachers than non-teachers). These results are actually worse than Van Arsdale had argued.

As a businessman, I can find no way to justify the huge support staff and salaries at our Magnolia schools, with full-time policemen, truant officer, auto technician, shop foreman, supervisors, mechanics, warehouse operator, carpenters, painters, electricians, ac technicians, plumbers, water & sewer technician, groundskeepers, pest controller, and even our very own locksmith, many with salary and benefits exceeding $50,000. Need I even mention MISD food service managers, food service technicians, cafeteria monitors, and food service field supervisor, or bus drivers, bus driver trainer, dispatcher, bus monitors, and even a route coordinator?

And then you have the specialists: A/P specialists, LSSP psychological specialist, curriculum specialists, payroll specialist, etc. Of course, these specialists must have a specialist coordina­tor.

How about network application manager, network systems analyst, computer applications, and even a technology coach? Or, these official MISD job descriptions: ABU, ISS, PPCD, ESL, CATE FCCLA, CATE AG, or EMCC?

Apparently, with all these service helpers, officers, technicians, operators, foremen, supervi­sors, managers, analysts, specialists, and coordinators (not to mention secretaries, clerks, and aides), you must have MISD directors and assistant directors: finance director, human re­sources director, maintenance director, assistant maintenance directors, technology director, nursing director, transportation director, food service director, special projects director, and with all these operations, an operations director (each receiving almost $100,000, salary and benefits). And, a grants director, to get even more of your federal and state tax dollars, through the back door.

I could find only one job description labelled “administrator”: a fine art administrator. Enough is enough. Superintendent Holland must direct more of our money into the classroom.

Mike R.           Magnolia, TX

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June 5, 2005

Cartoon submitted by MTR, Fort Worth

There is little sympathy for oil companies promoting

a payroll tax to lower their high property taxes.

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June 30, 2005

Um, as I recall, we (Texans) passed the Lottery Bill so that the monies could be spent on Education. Now, they are promoting lotteries that can't even pay for themselves. Perhaps it would be more effective if Gov. Perry required the original intent of the Lottery Law to be enforced.    Roger C.......Texas

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June 15, 2005

Couldn't help but respond to your article asking for our Senator to send you her plans.  Well, I'm not the Senator you requested, but I do have a suggestion.  So far, all the plans have evolved around "we need more money to throw at the problem". Several years ago our teacher to non-teacher ratio was at least 3:1.  Today, Texas wide, we are at about 1:1.  For every teacher on the payroll we now have someone else on the payroll who does very little to directly affect the children we are saying needs help!! We need a citizen volunteer committee (made up of business managers/owners) to review our expenses and find out WHY we need a 1:1 ratio!  So far, I've heard NO ONE talk about CUTTING EXPENSES.  We might find out that we could hire more teachers and pay them better if we got rid of the clutter! But then again.....that's just my opinion...   Jack W.               Garland, Texas

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Your write-up shown in "Texans for Texas" dated June 15th, appears to challenge Senator Hutchison for a lack of a viable plan for school finance. I submit for your consideration that Governor Perry is faced with signing a budget which calls for a 20% increase in state spending, no solution for property tax relief, and no source for the spending than higher taxes by one device or another.I haven't been particularly impressed by Senator Hutchison, but frankly, I don't see much difference between her performance and the Governor's. Be careful about defending the status quo.

Ken K.                                            Houston

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Janelle,   I applaud your challenge to Senator Hutchison to step-up with her plan. The more plans we have out there the higher the probably to find a real solution.   I am truly disappointed in your publication of Maria Martinez misinformation about HB214. If the bill had been read correctly it would have been noted that it only ADDED number (21) to Section 352 of the Tax Code. It only applies to Gillespie County and only if approved by the County Commissioners. It has absolutely nothing to do with "...a county with 90,000 to 3.3 mil residents". All items above (21) were done by other legislators than Casteel in pervious sessions.   Please tell me what it is that I do not understand?   Cord                                Fredericksburg

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sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy not so...............you say special interests killed their proposals.......no way..

i didn't see special interests voting on the floor of the chambers, i think they were R senators and state reps.   behind closed doors the conferees were not special interests............perry carrying proposals between the speakers and lt. gov. offices were not special interests............     wow what  a spin you put on the outcome.     ARE YOU SAYING THAT SPECIAL INTERESTS ARE MORE POWERFUL AND EXERTED MORE LEADERSHIP THAT BLOCK LEGISLATION THAN THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR GOVERNOR, LT. GOV. AND SPEAKER WERE ABLE TO MUSTER???????????? ..       I GUESS WE SHOULD ELECT SPECIAL INTERESTS TO OFFICE IN THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE SO WE WILL KNOW WHO TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE IN THE NEXT SESSION(S)......   IF THEY AND OTHER ELECTED Rs CANNOT OR WILL NOT RISE ABOVE SPECIAL INTERESTS IN NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS?     OR ARE YOU SAYING THAT OUR LEADERS ARE JUST CARRYING WATER FOR THE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS?????    your take on this is very interesting............. in graduate school  at boston university in my course on lobbist, special interests groups, etc.......... on the final exam the question was "who has more power lobbists or our elected officials............. by the way i got an A in the course................frank m.       cameron county

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June 6, 2005

All Star Senator:

"Senator [Jane] Nelson logged the most conservative voting record in the Senate this session, played defense against statewide property tax and payroll tax, AND shepherded through big ticket reforms that actually passed … i.e. protective services reform, Medicaid reform, parental consent (SB 419 by Nelson SBME).  She also had the highest success rate of carrying bills through the Senate for the House … all but one of the House bills she picked up was finally passed."

David N.

All Stars?

"Janelle, I thought you would find it interesting that Texas Watch, which is pretty much a front group for the trial lawyers, has listed Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and Representative Smithee as finalists for their superstar award. They seem to be in good graces with them due to their beating up insurance companies for not lowering their prices as fast as the politicians would have liked. That seems more like Democrats than Republicans. So maybe they both belong on the bench?"

Sarah K.

BENCH 'EM

"All of them! The Texas legislature needs a complete house cleaning without any incumbents. They raise their pay and retirement and our taxes. They don't pass the needed legislation that's needed and pass a bunch of un-needed bills.  Pretty soon our retirees will not be able to own their own homes as real estate appraisals continue to rise. Schools ask for more money to build better athletic facilities!   The state raises speed limits for semis to 70mph. That means they go 100mph. The head of the Safety division says they are safer going faster than keeping the speed to 65mph?"  

W. T. B.

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"In an era of tight education budgets, one category of Texas school spending seems unrestrained, according to a May Houston Chronicle story: high school football stadiums. More than 20 new or planned facilities ("gridiron cathedrals") resemble those of professional teams, with luxury suites, plush locker rooms and weight rooms, or even climate-controlled indoor practice facilities. The $20 million stadium in Denton, Texas, which includes a $900,000, three-story scoreboard with instant replay, is barely better than the state-of-the-art fields in Waco, Southlake and Mesquite, but may not hold up to the $27 million facility in Round Rock. Critics bemoan the terribly misplaced priorities, but defenders say the stadiums may eventually pay for themselves and that construction bonds are more accessible than the tax money necessary to raise teacher salaries. "[Houston Chronicle, 5-22-05]

Just how much of the paragraph is true. Also, we have so little money to spend on education, then why are we spending so much on non-educational things?  Have you ever been in Round Rock? Well, $27 million in that town; where is all that money coming from?

James D

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Can we get this organization on board to reverse the Wright amendment? My congressman and senator will not receive my future support if they support such measures that restrict free market. My industry does not get such protections nor should AMR.

Ralph H.

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A quote from my brother Paul M. many years ago and applies even more so in today's politics.  His saying is...

" Politics is like a pile of ticks".   The all star list....       To the Representative who submitted the least number of legislative bills.  I  do not believe it would be Sen. Wentworth.  To the Rep./Senator who remembers that it is the people that he/she works for.  (This would eliminate quite a few.)   Or.....         A Representative/Senator whose legislative bill would:  NOT give any taxing entity the ability to collect more taxes;  NOT give any city/county/state government more power to regulate and control for the benefit of developers or the government;  NOT be of, by, and for the government for the sake of big business.  (Most of the rest would now be eliminated)   OF, BY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE....well, that just doesn't seem to mean what it used to, or at least to the politicians.  

Thanks,   Michael L. M., Sr.

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How about the legislature giving state employees a 4% raise then raising their dependent insurance costs 8%?   Since a majority of state employees are single mothers at the lower paying jobs, this raise helped so much!   Seems every time the legislature gives state employees a "raise", they take it away (and more) with higher insurance costs.   Can you say "unconscionable"?   Cheryl

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Do you, as I, find it somewhat disingenuous and somewhat hypocritical that the Texas Legislature would propose having the taxpayers of a county or city vote on an increase in spending of 3% or more, yet they will not apply this same standard to themselves. The legislature has increased spending at rates greater than 10% for several sessions and 19% this session. It would be interesting to see what would have happened had they been subject to automatic elections to ratify such increases. I also find it interesting that your publication has not broached the subject of the legislature holding itself to the same standards that it proposes to place on other taxing entities. ???
Mike B.

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I vote to get rid of Rick Perry and Mike Krusee for their positions on Trans Texas Corridor. Hell, for the EXISTENCE of the concept in the first place.  This conservative will never vote for R. Perry again.

TTC isn't about solving traffic jams. It is primarily a way to take rural water and move it to cities at the expense of rural property owners. It's about the State of Texas making a lot of money off the backs of property owners without their input or say-so.

Suzanne G.

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