School Daze, School Daze

Texas lawmakers are facing pressure from business groups to replace Chapter 313, a recently expired program that helped oil and gas companies, chip manufacturers and other industries secure billions in tax abatements through local school districts. https://t.co/u66qCbaCMn

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) March 1, 2023

Repeating for emphasis that public schools in Texas are funded by local property taxes (the Texas Constitution doesn't allow a statewide property tax, and Texas will blow itself to kingdom come before it allows a state income tax.  The result is a crazy quilt of local property taxes (I pay taxes to at least 8 local government entities), of which the largest portion for most taxpayers is school district taxes.  Schools cost money.  Businesses and employees want to live in areas with "good" schools.

But apparently, like the rest of us, they don't want to pay for them.

Nearly a year after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a task force to look at the state’s teacher shortages, the group is recommending that lawmakers increase salaries, improve training and commit to respecting teachers’ time. https://t.co/4ESrp6bulR

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 28, 2023

I'm very curious as to how that works without raising taxes by allowing school districts to raise their tax rates (they are capped by the Lege). And then if schools have to pay over tax dollars via vouchers, or "education savings accounts," as Abbott is promoting....

Texas is the latest state to pitch education savings accounts, which would allow parents to opt out of their local school districts and receive taxpayer money to school their children directly.

Here’s a closer look at how they work. https://t.co/UTh7glWu5g

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) February 28, 2023

Under Senate Bill 176 — authored by state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston — participating families would receive the average amount of money it costs Texas public schools to educate each of their children, which is about $10,000 a year. The money would roll over on a year-to-year basis and could be used to help families pay for higher education. The funds for the program could come from both taxpayer money and donations.

To be eligible, the child must have been enrolled in public school during the entirety of the previous school year or be entering kindergarten. A child who was not enrolled in a public school the previous year might be eligible depending on available funding.

Middleton's proposal, like most education savings account programs, does not require private schools or education services vendors to report test results or how they're spending taxpayers' money.

$10,000 might buy you a semester of tuition (not including fees, cost of uniforms, etc.) at a good private school. If you can get in.  And state schools face very strict scrutiny both on how public money is used, and on how well students do on state mandated tests (to the point most schools "teach to the test" rather than actually educate).  Private schools?  Eh, whatever.  Some private schools, of course, are legit; but they won't be getting public money.  The rest?  Well, as ever, I remember the school in Dallas last time we tried this.  No textbooks, no desks, no teachers, a vending machine for a "cafeteria." It was such a complete scam it burned everybody's hands for decades.  Who says history doesn't repeat itself?

And "donations"?  From whom?  And why aren't those "donations" going to public schools already?

I'm also a little curious about this part:

Those parents get state money up front to pay for their educational expenses, like private school tuition, online schooling or private tutors. In most cases, the state manages these accounts.

How would Texas "manage" these accounts?  Vouchers failed last time because Texas didn't hire the people necessary to oversee where the money went or how it was spent; and this plan doesn't correct that error.  What does "manage these accounts" mean when it's at home?  And parents pay for "online schooling"?  How do you track that?  What quality of education do students get, and who makes sure of it?

This is not just an assault on public education. It's an assault on the idea of education.  But then, that's all the rage today:

Bill that makes prosecuting teachers and librarians easier sails through Indiana state Senate https://t.co/xjTa4psaTY

— Raw Story (@RawStory) March 1, 2023

Under Senate Bill 12, if a prosecutor charged a teacher or school librarian with disseminating material that is harmful to minors, the school teacher or librarian would not be able to argue that the material had educational value as a defense. The measure also establishes a process for parents to file complaints over inappropriate materials.

And what are "inappropriate materials"?  They dunno, but they know it when they see it.  Or when a prosecuting attorney sees it.  And like the snipe, they're sure it's out there!

When asked by Sen. J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) about what school corporations had pornographic material on their shelves, Tomes could not provide specifics. Neither Tomes, nor the bill's second author Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Goshen), named specific titles of books that were both found in schools and obscene in nature. They encouraged lawmakers to visit them at their Statehouse desks if they wanted to see examples of such material. 

Sen. Michael Young (R-Indianapolis), a co-author of SB 12, described the unidentified books at Tomes’ desk as “really bad, sickening — no one in this room would show this to their young child and feel it was a good thing to do.”

Tomes said parents provided research to him about pornographic materials found in local schools. He named the far right Northern Indiana group, Purple for Parents — an organization that promotes conspiracy theories and believes schools are teaching LGBTQ identities and sexualizing children. 

Tomes said he hadn’t personally found any such books in schools. 

Teachers in Texas are quitting at record rates, which is why Abbott commissioned a study on what to do about it (the primary cause, crazy parents, was not addressed in the recommendations for solutions).  Considering what's going on in Indiana (I'm surprised Texas hasn't done this, or won't try before the session is over), I'm thinking:  Sure, I wanna teach in public schools!  I want a job where I put a target on my back for my career, for long hours and shit pay and absolutely no respect and lots of suspicion that I'm teaching "ideas". 

We have met the enemy, and he is us.