Tracking the Education Dollar

An updated version of Tracking the Education Dollar in Texas Public Schools is now available on TASA’s web site.

The report, prepared by Moak, Casey & Associates and sponsored by TASA, TASB and TASBO, has overall information about how much money is spent on education in the state and in what areas, but also breaks down the education dollar from the perspective of the Texas public school student. Figures are presented in terms of pennies on the total education dollar using basic educational costs from 2008-09 PEIMS data.

The data show that education is a labor-intensive business, with 80 percent of the education dollar going to salaries and benefits.

This can be a very useful document for sharing budget information with your community. Hope you find it helpful.

In education, one size doesn't fit all

There’s another statistic out there lawmakers are paying attention to and using as a justification for cutting funding for public schools.

 It’s from the Legislative Budget Board and shows that Texas has more employees per student than any other state in the country. According to the LBB, Texas has 273 employees for every 10,000 students. That’s substantially higher than California, which has 193 employees per 10,000 students.

Some lawmakers have pointed to that and intimated that if California can get by with fewer people, why can’t we? Well, right off the top of my head, I think the first question we should ask ourselves is do we really want to model our public education system after California’s?

But I figured we need some research to back up a defense of that number beyond bashing California. So here it is. Yes, we do have more employees per student than California. The answer is largely due to our sheer geographical size and the fact that so much of Texas is sparsely populated, making small schools a necessity. Smaller schools are more expensive to operate per student than large schools. That’s just an economic fact.

For example, Texas has only nine high schools in the entire state with a population of 3,500 or more. And only four of those schools – Elsik High and Hastings High, both in Alief ISD, North Shore Senior High in Galena Park ISD, and Skyline High in Dallas ISD – are north of the 4,000-student mark. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles County alone, there are 13 schools with more than 4,000 students and many of those approaching 5,000 students.

Some might question if packing that many kids in a school in the first place is a wise investment, but I’ll leave that debate for another time and focus on the economics.

The total number of schools in California is 9,855, with a student population of about 6.2 million students. That means an average school enrollment of 628. Texas has 8,342 schools for 4.7 million students. That’s an average school enrollment of 577. 

But you really see what makes Texas different if you break the average enrollment numbers up by school size.

Here’s the average number of students per school in districts based on size:

 50,000 students and higher: average school size 765

25,000-49,999 students: average school size 798

10,000-24,999 students: average school size 681

5,000-9,999 students: average school size 631

3,000-4,999 students: average school size 530

1,600-2,999 students: average school size 438

1,000-1,599 students: average school size 323

500-999 students: average school size 230

Under 500 students: average school size 152

Those numbers make it easy to see the economy of scale. And in Texas, where so many districts are geographically large and rural, 1.3 million kids attend school in districts of 10,000 students or less.

Another interesting fact, while Texas has more employees than California, a higher percentage of those employees are classroom teachers. While 50 percent of Texas public school employees are teachers, that number is 46 percent in California.

Our demographics, geography and population are beyond school districts’ control. Public school leaders are doing their best to provide Texas schoolchildren with what they need to succeed. And what Texas students need is not necessarily the same thing students in Oklahoma, Arizona or even California need.

Education isn’t one size fits all.

Clearing up the misconceptions about 1:1

At a time when the Legislature is looking to gut education funding, it seems a lot of interesting, previously obscure, statistics pop up and get repeated. 

One of those is the 1:1 ratio of teachers to non-teaching staff in Texas and, according to one study, that the ratio has shifted from 5:1 in the 1970s. Lawmakers often point to it in breathless tones of disbelief, as if stating the statistic alone justifies cuts in education.

But, as with any statistic, context is needed.

Recent research by Moak, Casey and Associates highlights the misperceptions around those statistics. Here’s the rest of the story: Texas didn’t count all staff in the 1970s. The largest portion of non-teaching staff – auxiliary personnel – were not counted until the PEIMS data system was established in the ‘80s, so the two numbers are not an apples-to-apples comparison.

 Moak, Casey found that a look at comparable data shows the percentage of teachers to non-teachers has actually not changed substantially since the late 1980s. The percentage of staff that are teachers has declined slightly, from 52 percent to 50 percent since the 1989-90 school year, but the ratio has remained essentially the same for more than 20 years.

And here’s another thing that bothers me about that argument: The implication that those employees in the “non-teaching” categories don’t contribute to what goes on in the classroom. Of course, we all realize the importance of the classroom teacher and what a critical factor that person is in a child’s education. But there is support that is necessary for that teacher to do his or her job.

In using the 1:1 ratio, some have been referring to all those “non-teaching” positions as “administrators". This brings to mind images of tie-wearing bureaucrats at central office. (Bureaucrats, by the way, who have the responsibility of hiring the best teachers, developing curriculum, cutting paychecks, managing multi-million dollar budgets, keeping track of mountains of regulatory paperwork required by the state and federal governments, etc.)

Those central office folks have important jobs that require specialized skill sets. But if there was a 1:1 ratio of central administration staff to teachers, I think we could all agree that would be ridiculous. In truth, central administrators make up only 1 percent of school employees. That doesn’t sound outrageous to me, nor does it jive with that 1:1 ratio.

You could lump campus administrators in with that number, but they only make up another 3 percent of public school district employees.

So who are the rest? 

They are professional support (9 percent), educational aides (10 percent) and auxiliary staff (27 percent).

And what do they do? 

Professional support is a broad category of positions, from people who write curriculum and provide teachers with professional development to computer technicians who run the district’s network. They are also auditors, accountants, risk management experts, special education coordinators and dieticians. 

Educational aides help teachers in classrooms, often with special needs children, providing one-on-one attention to kids who need it most. Auxiliary staff includes bus drivers who get children to and from school safely, cafeteria workers who feed them breakfast and lunch, custodians who keep their schools clean and safe, and school secretaries who staff the front office, register kids for school and help parents on a daily basis.

In the current budget outlook, it’s inevitable that some of these crucial positions will be eliminated. But to assume that eliminating them won’t affect the classroom is ludicrous. To use a military term, these are “mission essential” people. Cutting these positions will affect children. Their school day will be different. The atmosphere will change. More will be required of teachers, which will mean less time for what they should be focusing on: instruction. 

To imply otherwise is at best naïve.

Talking points: Discussing the budget

Several superintendents during TASA's Midwinter Conference mentioned that having talking points at the ready would be helpful for speaking to legislators, members of the media and the community about how budget cuts will affect public schools and why it's important for lawmakers to Make Education a Priority.

TASA and TASB staff generated some talking points when we were preparing for editorial board meetings at newspapers across the state in the fall. At those meetings, members of TASA and TASB talked about the state of school funding and how budget cuts would affect their districts.

Here are some of the broad points they covered. Feel free to use these in your own districts.

• Because of changes the Legislature made to the school finance system in 2006, our district has been operating with essentially the same amount of per-pupil revenue for the past five years. Meanwhile, annual costs - including a state-mandated teacher pay raise - have continued to go up. Standards have continued to increase as well, which means districts are not only being asked to do more with less, but do it better.

• The next two years bring even more challenges and districts need adequate funding to meet those challenges. (Here talk about your district's growing or declining enrollment and explain how the scenario affects your district's bottom line, such as hiring more personnel, building facilities for growing districts, the challenges of less funding for declining enrollment and decisions that have to be made of closing schools for districts with declining enrollment. Also talk about growing population of economically disadvantaged, LEP and special education students and how these groups require more personalized instruction.)

• During the 2012-13 school year, we will begin administering end-of-course exams, which will be more rigorous than the exit-level TAKS. Despite the budget deficit, lawmakers have so far been adamant that there should be no delay in implementing the new system, even though they acknowledge the financial strain it will place on districts. (Be specific about what types of programs will need to be implemented to prepare students for EOC's and other costs associated with the new testing program.)

• Because we have been in financial crisis since the Legislature froze funding levels in 2006, our district has already cut costs wherever possible. (Give specific examples of cost-cutting measures.)

• During this past school year, we spent $__ per student, of which $__ went directly to instruction. Only __ percent of the district's budget was spent on district administration and __ percent was spent on campus administration. If  our state funding is cut at the level that lawmakers are now talking about, we anticipate having to cut the following programs and services: (be as specific as you can.)

• Failing to invest in today's schoolchildren is dangerous and ultimately unfair. Texas children need and deserve a quality education. If funding is cut for our schools, our students and the state's economy will pay the price.

President's speech focused on education - was Texas listening?

President Obama delivered his State of the Union address last night and spent roughly 10 minutes of his 60-minute speech talking exclusively about education.

Two of the standing ovations his speech drew were when he talked about the importance of teachers, how the field should be respected and how we should be encouraging our best and brightest to go into it.

It reminded me of the grassroots movement TASA and TASB have gotten behind called Make Education a Priority.  Education seems to always be at the top of every politician’s list when it’s election time or speech time, but how many really make it a priority?

TASA and TASB are holding a news conference on Monday where trustees and superintendents will implore lawmakers to make education a priority while building the state’s budget. They’ll also address the draconian effects proposed cuts will have on Texas schools.

But beyond the “is it really a priority” question, another irony struck me during the President’s address. He talked about how crucial it is to America’s success that we maintain our leadership in research and technology and to do that, he said, we “also have to win the race to educate our kids.”

Obama painted a vivid picture of the very real competition between the U.S. and countries like China and India. A competition in which we’re faltering, the President said, with nearly a quarter of students dropping out of high school, math and science education that lags behind many other nations, and a ranking of 9^th in the proportion of young people with a college degree.

After highlighting the bad news, Obama issued a challenge: Is America “willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed?” He talked about the role of parents, the community, and schools, and that we need to teach our kids hard work and discipline. He talked about No Child Behind, how it will be replaced this year with a law that’s more flexible and focused on what’s best for kids.

“We know what’s possible from our children when reform isn’t just a top-down mandate, but the work of local teachers and principals, school boards and communities,” Obama said.

And finally he talked about teachers. How, after parents, the teacher is the biggest impact on a child’s success. In South Korea, Obama said.  Teachers are known as “nation builders.” He called for the same level of respect for teachers in the U.S. and the need to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, as baby boomers retire from the classroom.

And here’s where the irony comes in. If you’re a teacher in Texas, or a student at a Texas university studying to be a teacher, that particular comment must’ve been hard to reconcile.

The president is talking about recruiting 100,000 teachers, yet in Texas, draconian budget cuts the likes of which schools have never seen may result in the loss of 100,000 school jobs.

In Texas, we aren’t talking about investing, we’re talking about gutting. In addition to cutting nearly $10 billion from the Foundation School Program over the next two years, the House budget proposal also eliminates grant programs that provide funding for some of the crucial areas the President talked about: $271 million for the technology allotment; $223 million for pre-kindergarten programs; $86 million for the High School Completion and Success Initiative; and $16 million for reading, math and science initiatives.

It’s a difficult balance for lawmakers to be sure. They must be fiscally responsible in tough budget times, and make sure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. But they also must stimulate the economy and build a vibrant job market.

One thing is for sure, in the global competition America finds itself in today, skimping on education is an incredibly risky move.

National report looks at impact of economy on education

Texas ranked 13^th in the nation on Education Week’s 2011 Quality Counts report released this week, earning high marks for standards, school accountability, early-childhood education, college readiness and economy and workforce.

The annual report has a theme each year, and this time it was the impact of the economy on education.

Researchers at Editorial Projects in Education, the nonprofit organization that publishes Education Week, surveyed states on the economy’s impact on their education system and examined the effect of stimulus spending on education. According to the ARRA aid report, stimulus dollars have helped create or save about 650,000 jobs, with more than half of those jobs linked to money distributed by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Perhaps ironically, Texas is touted as a bright spot in a section of the report called “Economic Snapshots.” It points out that Texas has managed to avoid cuts to prekindergarten, elementary and secondary education during the economic downturn and has an unemployment rate below the national average. 

That kudos came the same week that lawmakers learned they’re facing a $27 billion budget deficit, one to rival California’s, as they build the state’s budget for the next two years.

Today, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, announced he’ll introduce a budget bill Tuesday that assumes no new money for state programs, no new taxes and no use of the Rainy Day Fund.

New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman said in a recent column that Texas state government has relied for years on “smoke and mirrors to create the illusion of sound finances in the face of a serious structural budget deficit.”

“When the recession struck, hitting revenue in Texas just as it did everywhere else,” Krugman went on to say, “That illusion was bound to collapse.”

We know school districts are doing a phenomenal job of preparing students for the next step, whether that step is to kindergarten or college. Texas teachers work under some of the toughest accountability measures in the country and are educating their students to the nation’s highest standards, according to the report.

The question is, will schools be able to maintain that performance in the face of budget cuts that lawmakers are promising? And, what will Quality Counts have to say about Texas and how the economy impacted education here next year?

First Order of Business

The 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature convenes Tuesday, kicking off what many say will be the most difficult session in recent history. In this blog entry, Ramiro Canales, TASA's assistant executive director of governmental relations, provides his take on what tomorrow holds.


Ramiro Canales:

1-11-11.

The numbers represent more than a date.  It is the first day of the 82^nd Legislature, Regular Session.  Beginning tomorrow, lawmakers have 140 days in which to address historic budgetary challenges.  With a budget deficit looming close to $30 billion and revenue generators off the negotiating table, draconian cuts to programs are expected to be the solution du jour.  

Today may set the tone for the 82^nd Texas Legislature.  First, Comptroller Susan Combs released her revenue estimate and indicated that available revenue will be around $72.2 billion for the next biennium beginning September 1.  The revenue estimate is the first step in the budgeting process and a base budget is expected to be released later this week or next.  Using that revenue estimate, some analysts believe that the deficit will be around $26.8 billion since $99 billion is needed to fund services at current levels.  The $99 billion figure is based on state agency requests.  Additionally, over $4 billion may be needed to cover services for the current biennium.  And second, the House Republican Caucus will meet today to discuss the speaker’s race, which has been very contentious.  At issue is whether the new super-majority should elect the speaker of the house without input from the Democratic minority.  Capitol insiders differ on the significance of the meeting since the real vote that counts will be cast tomorrow afternoon after lawmakers are sworn in.  

In previous sessions, the first day has been ceremonial for both the Texas House and Texas Senate.  However, in light of planned protests at the Texas Capitol by citizens groups, tomorrow’s vote on the speaker’s race may be protracted and delay the usual starting time for the jovial festivities that are common on opening day.  If a speaker of the house is elected on the first day as required by the Texas Constitution, the Texas House will discuss adopting rules for the 82^nd Legislature this week or early next. 

The key issue facing the Texas Senate in the next coming days is whether to eliminate or modify the two-thirds tradition, which has allowed eleven senators to block legislation from being considered on the senate floor.  Commonly known as the “two-thirds rule,” it has been very effective in killing contentious legislation.  Some senators want to eliminate the rule completely.  Others want to modify it.  The debate over this issue should be lively in the days to come. 

Every session has its own character.  In the next few days, we’ll know what lies ahead between now and Sine Die.

Stay tuned.