Texas Trumps Governor Moonbeam

[G26ster]

As longs as cities grow in population in ANY state, that state faces the same chance of turning blue. Every major city in every state is blue, whether it's NYC or Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc. Rural populations tend to be red, and urban populations trend blue. Fact of life in the new United States. If you want a state to turn blue really fast, just add college campuses across the state, increase and support social programs that suck the funds out of the coffers, and in no time you'll have a blue state.

I've always wondered how a liberal can leave a state being squeezed to death by a socialistic populace and come to a conservative or centralist state and keep the same political beliefs

They're leaving for economic considerations, and simply are blind to the fact that their political philosophy is the actual cause of the economic disaster they are fleeing.

[RX8er]

Money and education do not go together. I kept trying to argue this 2 years ago when they wanted to raise my tax rate up and make it top five most expensive. Here is some interesting info that you can find on the TEA website as well as schooldigger. The tax rate is from FY 2012, the rank and score is 2012 and the ELA & Math is from SY 2011. It's close enough for my point as a school district doesn't go from cheapest to most expensive in one year. I know there are other factors and I am taking a simplistic approach here. Let's face it, schools that have higher two parent ratios do better. But, I encourage you to look up your local private schools, prep schools or alternative schools and look as well. Huge differences in the quality of educations versus what is paid in to a specific district. Allen and Prosper are the only ones in my exampls (there are others) who seem to apply education dollars in to the education system as they rank high.

I remember when schools where low key and very basic. Now they are palaces and many have stadiums that rival college level and kids with assigned school iPads....

In my district, I gave up supporting the local boosters when I found out that we were buying the football players their cleats and socks meanwhile, we had kids begging for reeds and strings for the band.

Tax Rate / ISD / Rank in Texas / Ranking Score / ELA & M Success (AEIS data)

1.67% / Allen ISD /35 / 0.912 / 96%
1.67% / Blue Ridge ISD /227 / 0.704 / 87%
1.67% / Lake Dallas ISD /218 / 0.708 / 88%
1.67% / Lake Worth ISD / 852 / 0.144 / 70%
1.67% / Prosper ISD / 50 / 0.896 / 94%
1.6650% / Millsap ISD / 445 / 0.538 / 82%
1.6500% / Robstown ISD / 810 / 0.193 / 81%
1.54% (28th) / Keller ISD / 201 / 0.720 / 90%
0.6504% (1025th) / Walcott ISD / 249 / 0.689 / 85%

http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/districtrank.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfrepor ... .srch.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Texas_Blaze]

Interesting read. I don't know what Perry was thinking running for President. Going from Govneror of Texas to President of the United States would be a demotion

[baldeagle]

You missed on the first part because I doubt there are many on this forum more Texas than me. Born and raised here. Had family members who fought at San Jacinto - so drop the lecture about not being Texan!

It never ceases to amaze me how people take comments in a public forum so personally. I was not attacking you or your birthright.

[Texas Dan Mosby]

I'm not sure why people think Perry is all powerful, in Texas our gov is not that powerful, it's all Leg. that's simply the what it was set up.

Ignorant folks think the governor is "King of The State," whereas in Texas, we stuck it to the Republican reconstructionists and Lincoln's appointed governors by rewriting our constitution to place most of the power in the Lt. Gov's hands.

Not that Yankees, east or west coast, understand Texas history or government

They don't understand their OWN state history, let alone that of another state OR the nation.

[K.Mooneyham]

I think that SOME folks really want to use this issue of Texas' schools to try and ram a state income tax through...generally, we would call those people Democrats.

And, I agree with baldeagle that Texas schools are "top-heavy". I've never seen so many principals, vice-principals, sub-vice principals, associate principals, sub-vice associate principals, etc. and then you have to add in all the staff that each one of them gets...and I'd imagine that anyone with principal in their title gets paid quite a bit more than a teacher. The word is bureaucracy, and it is expensive.

[anygunanywhere]

I think that SOME folks really want to use this issue of Texas' schools to try and ram a state income tax through...generally, we would call those people Democrats.

And, I agree with baldeagle that Texas schools are "top-heavy". I've never seen so many principals, vice-principals, sub-vice principals, associate principals, sub-vice associate principals, etc. and then you have to add in all the staff that each one of them gets...and I'd imagine that anyone with principal in their title gets paid quite a bit more than a teacher. The word is bureaucracy, and it is expensive.

Department of Education, NEA and TEA are worst enemies of our childrten.

Anygunanywhere

[JALLEN]

[jmra]

[ Image ]

Love it!

[gdanaher]

There are a number of private schools doing a much better job of teaching students for less money than what we pay for the failure we call public education.

You betcha. Those schools who are privately operated also get to cherry pick who their students are going to be. Have a learning handicap? Nope, not coming here. Require special teacher to deal with blindness or deafness? Nope, not coming here. Mother was a crack head and your eyes are crossed? Nope, not coming here.

Don't compare what a prep school in Highland Park or The Woodlands does with a child's education to what happens in Ysleta or Wilmer. The expectation is that the local district using state funds will raise every pupil to a minimum standard of competence, and in many cases, it isn't going to be cheap, and it isn't just the salaries that run into bucks. Special ed equipment can be insanely expensive and sometimes you have to send the stuff home with the kid and hope they bring it back. Sometimes they don't.

Set one of those private schools across the street from a low performing school, give them the same funding, require them to enroll the same student base in the neighborhood and you will have another low performing school. Some teachers aren't worth shooting and usually get out early. Those that care and love their kids, do all they can but you can't always make up for years of academic and emotional neglect and mental incapacity brought on by the mothers' gestational indiscretions.

[gdanaher]

I'm not sure why people think Perry is all powerful, in Texas our gov is not that powerful, it's all Leg. that's simply the what it was set up.

Ignorant folks think the governor is "King of The State," whereas in Texas, we stuck it to the Republican reconstructionists and Lincoln's appointed governors by rewriting our constitution to place most of the power in the Lt. Gov's hands.

Not that Yankees, east or west coast, understand Texas history or government

They don't understand their OWN state history, let alone that of another state OR the nation.

Yes, most of the official transactional power belongs to the Lt. Gov, but what the Governor gets to do is appoint folks to all those cool state commissions and agencies. He gets to appoint anyone he wants, and they all seem to be Gov Goodhair yes people. If anyone seems argumentative they are immediately canned and replaced by another yes guy. I don't really blame him. If I was governor I'd probably try the same tactic, but now after all these years of having nothing but boot lickers running state agencies we have a governor surrounded by long term appointees who are used to big salaries who will do most anything to keep their jobs. To put it another way, a bunch of folks who work in Austin have sold their souls for the sake a title and a paycheck. It's actually not a bad idea to have someone there who does not toe the line, if just to keep everyone else honest by requiring them to think about how things get done.

[RX8er]

There are a number of private schools doing a much better job of teaching students for less money than what we pay for the failure we call public education.

You betcha. Those schools who are privately operated also get to cherry pick who their students are going to be. Have a learning handicap? Nope, not coming here. Require special teacher to deal with blindness or deafness? Nope, not coming here. Mother was a crack head and your eyes are crossed? Nope, not coming here.

Don't compare what a prep school in Highland Park or The Woodlands does with a child's education to what happens in Ysleta or Wilmer. The expectation is that the local district using state funds will raise every pupil to a minimum standard of competence, and in many cases, it isn't going to be cheap, and it isn't just the salaries that run into bucks. Special ed equipment can be insanely expensive and sometimes you have to send the stuff home with the kid and hope they bring it back. Sometimes they don't.

Set one of those private schools across the street from a low performing school, give them the same funding, require them to enroll the same student base in the neighborhood and you will have another low performing school. Some teachers aren't worth shooting and usually get out early. Those that care and love their kids, do all they can but you can't always make up for years of academic and emotional neglect and mental incapacity brought on by the mothers' gestational indiscretions.

There are many other private schools that do not "hand pick" students that are excelling at educating their kids. Heck, there are even some magnet schools in Dallas and Desoto that are doing good jobs. The difference is, they are able to control the learning environment much easier and kick kids out that do not or will not perform. This is not the same for kids that have a learning disability either....

I have a BIL/SIL that have their two kids in a magnet school in Desoto and the "requirement" for the kids to stay in is a huge motivator for mom an dad to work with the kids even more than they would otherwise. Now, I am sure the The_busy_mom will slap me for bashing her Brother, but this is just the way they are. They are motivated to keep their kids out of Lancaster ISD and in to a good magnet school so they both work with the kids, make sure they do homework and study with them. They have even said if they were in Lancaster, "their lives would be easier"....

Education has as much to do with the Mom and Dad as it does with a particular school. My point is, kids will only perform to the level that is expected of them, minus just a little. When mom and dad don't care, do you expect kids too, add on top of that, teachers know they will be wasting their time if mom and dad don't care. Just my $.02 worth.

[gdanaher]

You have laudible inlaws. If all parents demanded of their children a reasonable performance, Dallas ISD (or Lancaster ISD) would not have problems with low performance. The reality of the matter is that a high percentage of parents do not value education because they themselves have little education and don't seem to have a vision of their children doing better in life than they have---no apparent desire to raise that place in the packing order. From my perspective, not just schools but a LOT of things have been dumbed down so that everyone will feel good. We don't want anyone to be stressed or feel bad. The net result is failure. There is no disgrace today for not knowing basic math, history or English grammar. It's OK to be stupid. It isn't the schools' responsibility to change the culture. The change needs to come from the parents. The schools have to try to swim upstream and do what might be the impossible.

[baldeagle]

There are a number of private schools doing a much better job of teaching students for less money than what we pay for the failure we call public education.

You betcha. Those schools who are privately operated also get to cherry pick who their students are going to be. Have a learning handicap? Nope, not coming here. Require special teacher to deal with blindness or deafness? Nope, not coming here. Mother was a crack head and your eyes are crossed? Nope, not coming here.

There are four private schools in the DFW area that specialize in learning disabled students. One charges less than we pay for public schools that do a lousy job.

http://www.hillschool.org/parents/tuition-fees.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://newfoundschool.com/financial.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.shelton.org/page.cfm?p=565" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.vanguardprepschool.com/Admissions.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I guess you could call that cherry picking.

Don't compare what a prep school in Highland Park or The Woodlands does with a child's education to what happens in Ysleta or Wilmer. The expectation is that the local district using state funds will raise every pupil to a minimum standard of competence, and in many cases, it isn't going to be cheap, and it isn't just the salaries that run into bucks. Special ed equipment can be insanely expensive and sometimes you have to send the stuff home with the kid and hope they bring it back. Sometimes they don't.

Set one of those private schools across the street from a low performing school, give them the same funding, require them to enroll the same student base in the neighborhood and you will have another low performing school. Some teachers aren't worth shooting and usually get out early. Those that care and love their kids, do all they can but you can't always make up for years of academic and emotional neglect and mental incapacity brought on by the mothers' gestational indiscretions.

This assumes that the schools themselves provide the same level of education that they did 50 years ago. If that were true, how do you explain the difference in outcomes? Did we not have any LD or difficult children 50 years ago? Or has the curriculum been dumbed down to the point that students graduate without even having the basic life skills to survive in a modern society?

How do you explain that children graduating from public schools after 12 years of education can't read, write or spell? Can't do simple arithmetic that we were taught in first grade? Is it all the kids' and parents' fault?

Somehow I think not. Blaming the kids and/or the parents is a cop-out that excuses the public school system for its abysmal failure. Even in "top-performing" suburban schools, kids are not anywhere near as well educated as they were just 50 years ago.

According to a recent comprehensive report "U.S. students ranked fourteenth in reading, twenty-fifth in math, and seventeenth in science compared to students in other developed countries". Is that the parents' fault? The childrens"? Or do the schools bear some of the blame for this abysmal performance?

The College Board reported that even among the narrower cohort of college-bound seniors, only 43 percent met college-ready standards. This means that, upon graduating high school, more than 50% of college-bound students need to take remedial classes in one or more subjects, though a far lower percentage actually do.

We should be angry and marching on city hall over such horrible performance. It should be completely unacceptable. Instead we keep pumping more tax dollars into a thoroughly broken system. The US currently outspends every other nation in the world in education dollars per student. Yet we continue to lag further and further behind other nations in terms of student performance.

Is that the parents' fault? The students'? Seriously?