Now that the current system has been ruled unconstitutional(again). Didn't someone post about getting rid of the property tax and replacing it with...? Can't recall the particulars but it was an interesting read. I can't recall the feasabilty of it. What is the solution?
Eliminate property tax and replace with sales tax. Eliminate all school districts and replace with state run schools. Approve vouchers for private schools. All state schools share revenue equally per student. (including voucher)
I don't have the answer, but more centralized control is not the answer. Many districts are successful and do a good job of providing a quality service. It would be a shame for the state to take local control away from those schools. Kiss your voice at school board meetings goodbye.
We continue to be deluded by the sentimentality that the state cares more about the kids than the communities in which the kids are raised. There is a tremendous bureaucracy attached to that sentimentality, and that bureaucracy directs money toward the project of justifying its existence rather than the project of helping kids or the greater good.
So we are talking about a sales tax at what percent to generate that type of revenue? Sales tax on all goods, services, purchases, or limited to certain items? Coel is correct. We don't want the state imposing their wishes on districts any more than they do now. They don't have a clue, and couldn't pass a STAAR test if they had to tomorrow. Vouchers? Really? That's the solution? Government control, that always works out so well.
I'm kinda concerned about state control of funding because I think Rick Perry is stupid and he doesn't care about the schooll kids of Texas. He's the acknowedged kingpin of the Republican Party which runs the state, but he's a foe of governmnentand thus poorly suited to try to help it work better at something besides gubernatorial residences.
It's no slam to public schools and administrators to have Charter and private school options. There are a lot of kid who are spoiled, bratty, undermotivated and completely uncaring in failing schools. Similar behavior in charter/private schools would have them outta there in a flash. The disruption/demotivational impact of the difficult kids is really hard to address in the public schools, where you gotta take them even if they don't want to learn.
I'm not sure about the term "underperforming schools". The schools are made up of students who underperform according to standards set by legislators. So who is really underperforming, the schools, or the students? I'm not too sure that vouchers produce the success that everyone thinks they do. School choice is a nice option if you live in a metropolitan area, but not so much in rural areas unless you want to commute. Each has it own set of problems. In my opinion a lot of problems could be solved by changing the requirements by splitting the track toward graduation into two or more different areas. Academic or polytechnical. Could the state generate enough money to cover the current costs of education by dropping the property tax and using a sales tax? I know that would add over $5k to my pocket to spend on things that would be more beneficial to me instead of going to the state as a lump sum.
State control is exactly what is needed and why the system is unconstitutional. My property tax is being sent to school districts like Edgewood ISD without my being able to vote out the dumbasses that run it. Here is local control for you: Edgewood ISD still has under 50% graduation rates after recieving millions in "other people's" property taxes for 23 years and is still run by dumbasses that are voted in by dumbasses. More of my money made no difference, just shorted my local district of money for that should have gone for my kids education. I should have the option to spend my money on a private school rather than throw it down a rat hole. Eliminate property taxes and replace it with a sales tax that everyone pays. The revenue is meted out by revenue per student. All of Bexar County could be run out of the NEISD building, eliminating all the Superintendant and administrative salaries and costs of what? 11 or 12 school districts. The sales tax would not even have to have a rate to replace the all of the property taxes being collected now. Not to worry about quality education, the voucher system would take care of it. Serious students and parents can utilize the voucher for private schools and pay the difference. Would probably mean the less property taxes and tuition/sales tax paid would cancel out or be less. Local control in private achools would in fact not change with the competition for the students in private schools. Parent board involvement and result oriented competition would determine private school survival. Public schools? Well, like Edgewood ISD you will get the same results you did before Robin Hood, except the graduation rates would probably go down as a result of serious students taking the voucher route and getting a proper education. The push in public schools would be for the basic education and trade skills. You know, be able pass a basic knowledge skills test like the tapps(sp) test to graduate.
State control rarely results in better schools when TEA takes over. Your money would still be going to other areas in a statewide funding system. I can understand being against Robin Hood but a statewide system would still likely funnel money from richer areas to poorer areas.
I agree, the state take over would not result in better results iand more sales tax would be collected from wealthier areas and go to poorer areas by distribution of revenue per student. But, less tax revenue would be wasted on multiple school districts and the opportunity to provide better education to those that want to apply what they were paying in property tax to private schools. (along with the vouchers) More money and local control ain't gonna solve the problem of school districts like Edgewood ISD. 23 years proves it. And paying Superintendants $200,000+ a year aint worth it.
The desire for State control is nothing but a money grab by school Districts like Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Austin and Fort Worth ISD's. This is a money grab for them do not be fooled by any other rhetoric, if you thought your money was wasted before........
Actually, I would argue there would be a savings, unless the pay of teachers and principals/staff increased. The amount of money spent and wasted in school districts is mind boggling. I am not talking about actual education costs such as teacher salaries or books.
So, what are some creative ways to fund schools? How much would the sales tax need to go up to cut property taxes in half?
Money certainly won't fix their problems. What should be do? This is the point the state is at. We have a lot of poor, 90%+ minority districts. So far, the state has offered us a test that the kids in these areas can't pass. What do we do? Ill post my thoughts on a comprehensive solution later.
The thing about changing the system, I already know how much of money is being wasted, I don't want to give politicians more creative ways of taking it from me, before you know it they will be using both systems. I say stay with the one that brung ya and nix the new kid on the block. Don't open Pandera's box.
Yes, they are elected, but what most teachers and teacher organizations argue against is their lack of expertise when they mandate educational codes or laws. It sounds good, it looks good, but if they had to eat it, they would turn their heads and run away as fast as they could. Our school was rated unacceptable because of one sub-population group of 20 students that failed to make high enough scores on the TAKS test. So now we are stuck with that label. We are underperforming because of 20 students out of 900+. It makes no sense. That's our legislators at work making sure we are "accountable".
Sorry in advance for the long post. This plan is far from perfect, but I think it addresses the concerns that failing districts have. My solution for “failing districts”. First we must define what a failing district is so that the goal posts can’t be moved by either side. Creating a more difficult test then claiming that twice as many districts are now failing is moving the goal posts IMO. How are we able to judge progress over time if the measurement tool is always changing? Next, we must take money out of the equation. Districts will always want more money; Texas politicians will almost always want less. Let’s take money out of the equation so that we can focus on what the real issues are and how they can be solved. Assume money stays the same. The overall idea of my plan is to invest money, time, and resources into early childhood education – 4th grade then to use a tracking system for the last two or three years of high school. Research shows that you would have to spend $7 dollars on high schools to equal the effectiveness of spending $1 on early childhood. Although controversial, I would consider taking certain kids in even earlier than pre-k to help try to catch them up as much as possible. I find it amazing that the average low income 3 year old has half the vocabulary of a middle class peer. People don’t realize how far behind a kid can be on the first day of kindergarten (think years). See the last paragraph on how it would be paid for. Also, look at the 4th grade dropout syndrome. We have 9 year olds mentally dropping out because they cannot handle the work. This mostly pertains to low income minorities that these failing districts are comprised of. Starting in the 5th-9th grade, students still not cutting it would be given basic middle school/early high school academics that they would need before beginning their vocational track in high school. Other kids on a more academic track would receive more rigorous instruction similar to AP classes. Kids would not be locked into their track at this point because there are late bloomers. I was in resource in 4th grade after moving to a wealthier area from a small town. By 9th grade, I was in pre AP classes an am currently in graduate school. 10th-12th Grade would be a true split between challenging academics and basic academics/personal finance alongside job training. Dropout rates would no longer hurt schools. If kids don’t want to be there and their parents don’t want to make them go, it will leave more money for the ones that choose to be educated. The money saved from not educating dropouts and having dropout prevention programs would go into early childhood education. Kids that have gone through a strong early childhood program are much less likely to drop out. Trying to get to them when they can’t do the work is a waste of time and money. I’m not sure how far into the process I would go, but at a certain point if schools are not up to par, I would open them up to vouchers. If the school can’t meet the standards, then the school is no longer eligible to receive state money. Parents would receive slightly less than the state is paying for their public school education. For example, if the state is paying 6k/yr they would get 5k/yr. The remaining money would be put into the early childhood programs mentioned above.
I like this... this idea. I'm kind of worried about the dropout aspect of it, especially in the short term because the funding/programs that are reappropriated to early childhood won't have a huge effect until those kids are older. But I do agree that school should be more skills-oriented and catered to the learners themselves.
