Education official: Texas public schools face $1B shortfall

AUSTIN, Texas Public Education in Texas is running $1 billion short, meaning officials will soon have to seek that much in supplemental appropriations from the state legislature.

That's what Shirley Beaulieu, chief financial officer at the Texas Education Agency, told the court Monday during the state's sweeping school finance trial.

Beaulieu said a $1 billion supplemental appropriation request will be necessary in coming weeks to help school districts make their July expense payments.

Her revelation came as the case before state district Jude John Dietz resumed after a three-week holiday break.

More than 600 school districts have sued Texas over the way it funds public schools. Attorneys for the districts say the shortfall Beaulieu divulged shows the funding situation for schools is more dire than previously thought.

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[kbbpll]

Secede, please. Mexico wants you back.

[OuttaTownDigger]

This is what happens when "educating the citizenry" includes half of Mexico and most of South America.

[sjc_1]

People want better public schools, but they don't want to pay taxes. I guess they believe in the free lunch that someone else pays for while they complain about "welfare cheats".

[skeezix06]

Exactly.

[Ulgnud]

Seems odd that the schools are suddenly in the hole like this. This is likely some sort of character attack on Texas or looks like someone needs a new abacus.

[cubscout09]

Leading up to the Republican Primaries, Texas Governor Rick Perry prevented the Texas State Comptroller from reporting a $27 billion dollar deficit to the Texas State Legislature. By the time the information leaked out, the Texas State Deficit was up $34 billion. That and other embarassments, including running out of money to fight the wildfires, prompted Rick Perry to drop out of the race.

Yup, some character in Texas could use a new abacus, alright.

[shurch4truth]

Message to the governor of Texas.....put less effort into promoting putting guns in schools and more effort into putting funds in schools.

[bud28dy]

Amen

[modeloman]

SeTLibsStr8 replies: linkicon reporticon emailicon ! I'll also bet you are having a hard time keeping your businesses from moving away now..-----
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I'm in the oil biz and I would quit and do something else if I had to move to Texas

[modeloman]

SeTLibsStr8 replies: linkicon reporticon emailicon HERES THE SIMPLE TRUTH:
Many Texas school districts are suing because the current system requires them to send large portions of their tax receipts to poor school disctricts who have a limited tax base (large ILLEGAL ALIEN POPULATION
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In Texas being poor is being alien
and that native son GWShrub was responsible for making more poor aliens in this country than anyone in history

[modeloman]

SeTLibsStr8 replies: linkicon reporticon emailicon Texas has a law REQUIRING a balanced budget.
--------------------------------
weird
Then how did this shortfall come about?
which is doubly weird because they are saving so much on banning textbooks.
If Texas secedes I am joining the Colorado border patrol

[SeTLibsStr8]

Sorry libbies. IF Texas has a shortfall in the education dollars, and contrary to your strongest "well wishes" for Texas, it would NOT be a problem. Unlike your progressive liberal states, Texas keeps a pretty nice rainy day fund with several times MORE than 1 billion dollars in it. You can thank all of our new businesses who FLED from your states to Texas and brought their jobs and tax dollars with them!! Keep it up libbies!!!!!!

[teflondonn]

RZARC2, you beat me to it. That was just too easy. SeTLibsStr8 is obviously a product of the TX school system. What happened to the Texas miracle? Why do you have rainy day fund? Shouldn't that money be going back to the taxpayers? Here in Liberal Oregon we have the kicker, which gives any surplus the state has back to taxpayers (which is incredibly dumb by the way).

[cubscout09]

Oregon has two kickers: one for private citizens, which paid out a nice sum about eight years ago; the other for corporations which paid out as recently as four years ago. The Corporate Kicker Payout coincided with the Great Recession to give Oregon Public Schools a mule kick in the teeth.

A vicious cycle of contraction has been caused by the Oregon kicker. Someday, hopefully soon, we'll change the law through initiative ballot.

In the meantime, Oregon's Governor recently called an emergency session of the legislature to draft a bill that freezes Nike's tax rate for 30 yeras, on the condition that Nike expands its corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. This is what I believe we should be doing, using tax incentives to reward companies who insource.

[cab_351]

hmmmm,thats a mystery,,,another republican run state with schools in the red,,just like indiana,,our governor says we have a balanced budget,,how can it be if our schools are in the red?? tax breaks for big companies,farm subsidies for millionaire farmers and cuts for schools,,it will all catch up one of these days for republicans in indiana

[SeTLibsStr8]

Your blue schools are NOT in the red because your states have sent ALL of their money to their teachers (unions), and there is nothing left to for anything else now. Why dont you just vote to double the State taxes and business taxes (yeah, stick it to those "bad ole businesses")to pay more to your beloved teachers? I'll BET even your teachers will go for higher taxes! I'll also bet you are having a hard time keeping your businesses from moving away now...