Be Proud, Texas: Your Public School System Is So Great It Can Turn Down $700 Million

By Richard Connelly Wed., Jan. 13 2010 at 3:36 PM

Categories: Education, Political Animals

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Governor Rick Perry, in a valiant bid to be talked about approvingly on Fox News and Rush Limbaugh's show, came to Houston today to announce he will be rejecting $700 million in federal stimulus funds for education.

Because, you know, Texas has the whole education thing covered.

"Texas is on the right path toward improved education, and we would be foolish and irresponsible to place our children's future in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups thousands of miles away in Washington, virtually eliminating parents' participation in their children's education," Perry said.. "If Washington were truly concerned about funding education with solutions that match local challenges, they would make the money available to states with no strings attached."

Take that, all you radicals spouting all that hot air up in Washington!!!

The "strings" attached to the funds are exceedingly onerous, having to do with standardized test scores. Texas does so great on those, compared to the rest of the bottom 10 percent of the nation, that it's difficult to see why it should concern Perry.

The Texas Democratic Party, naturally, was not as impressed as the teabaggers will no doubt be.

"What kind of Texan is not willing to compete for his children? It's widely acknowledged our schools don't have adequate funding, and hundreds of school districts were forced to raise local taxes, lay off teachers or eliminate programs due to the Governor's 2006 state education funding freeze.

"It's clear Rick Perry is more concerned with trying to be Governor for life than he is with the 4.8 million children who attend our Texas schools."

We'll post the reaction of the Houston Independent School District when we get it.

Update: HISD spokesman Norm Uhl says superintendent Terry Grier "was in favor of the state seeking the funding," but there were no plans "in the pipeline" on how to spend it.

Another update: Moments later, Uhl had this official statement from Grier: "While we respect the Governor's decision, we are disappointed that HISD will not be able to compete for these funds. The district, under the progressive leadership of our board, was well positioned to submit a very competitive grant."

Sounds at least a bit pipeline-ish.

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I am happy he is not taking it. The Federal Government is wanting to take control over something that is none of their business. I don't want the Federal government taking over any part of my state. They can't even run Amtrak or the post office or their business. And this is only going to help for 1 year! What happens next year. Seems like it is just putting it off.
Damn Straight, Rick! Throw that free money back in their Washington fatcat faces! He needs to go one step farther and entirely dissolve the public school system, that way our taxes aren't going to teach science or educate brown people.
When Washington offers the states $700 million, you better believe the strings attached are pretty significant. As if the sovereignty of the states wasn't seriously diminished over the years already, this thing would just take more of it away. I don't like Perry but I applaud this decision.
Richard Connelly needs to return to the bankrupt liberal State he came from.
The money wasn't enough to cover the costs of the program. They want to change certain curriculums, Which means new books. $75 bucks per kid just isn't enough. It's kinda like the Real ID Act, It didn't fail because it was a bad idea, It failed because it would of cost more then what the feds were offering.
Well, well, well...his royal highness Nutjob Perry strikes again. This is why the Texas motto for education is, "We're not Illinois." Is it any wonder why Texas remains the laughing stock of the United States. Guns, executions, and a very poor educational system now represent the good(?) people of Tejas. Congratulations fascists!
It's sad that very few can actually look at this issue from anything other than their biased side and prefer to ascribe weak stereotypes to the other side's motivation. A little extra money is not the answer. We've been spending more and more money for decades and nothing has changed. http://www.synthstuff.com/mt/archives/2009/education_funding.jpg But then maybe I'm the one that's an idiot, looking for deep thinking and intelligence on the houston press.
I spelled out the HISD thing on first reference to lower confusion. Thanks.
I used to think Perry was basically harmless, because, "Hey, the Governor of Texas has almost no official power." He's impressed me with his ability to screw over innocent children despite his almost total inability to make real decisions.
Seems SimpleKyle and the Press didn't do their research. Taking the 700 million requires the state to change its standards to conform to federal standards. Didn't the federal government leave development standards to the states originally? New textbooks, new curriculum, etc will have to be purchased and developed which would cost each of us more than 700 million in the long term. As for those praising Bill White, I guess you missed the fact that since 2004, Bill White burdened the citizens of Houston with over 200 million of additional debt.
Eric, My sincerest apologies...yup, I will make those grammatical errors from time to time. But when you take a Germanic language, apply Latin rules, sprinkle in some Scandinavian, and then fill it full of exceptions, what can you expect??? Thank you for correcting my errors. I also get confused as to when to use Capital or Capitol�and don�t even get me started about the word �Order�. Why does the sign say "Out of Order" when everything looks in order to me? I just wish you would have read the message instead of worrying so about my spelling. All I can say is �continue to drink the Kool-Aid and keep your head in the sand�. The rest of us will address the problems of this world. Hey, I noticed that the teacher in the comments read through the mistakes to see the message. Bet I would have gotten a B- overall.
It's almost like Perry doesn't want to be re-elected. Hmmm, maybe he wants to run for president....oh dear god *runs to the boarder*
Richard Connelly could you do just a little frigg'n research on this topic (umm read the dern thing). Or are you soooo frigg'n biased you don't want to look at the strigs attached to this 'free' money? Gov Perry was on the Dan Patrick radio show and he made his points VERY clearly. Please look at both sides of an issue before drinking the kool-aid.
Everyone understands that schools need to change, it�s just that no one in the US understands how to make that change. Those in charge seem to think that testing is the answer. Test kids, oh that isn�t working? Well then test teachers � obviously they aren�t doing their job. How can they do their job with their hands tied behind their backs with standardized testing and exit tests? Europe has entrance tests. If you score here, you get to go to college. If you score here, you go to vocational school and apprentice. If you score here, you are done at 8th grade, thanks for playing. However, Americans like to believe this is the land of opportunity and that everyone has the right to go to college; but, not everyone has the mental ability to go to college. I remember when I was in high school we had different paths. One was college prep, one was vocational, and one was general education. That was the purpose of home economics, auto shop, wood shop, etc. I think we need to get back to that and stop the idea that everyone is going to go to college. I don�t care that you are teaching kindergarteners all the things they used to learn in first grade, not everyone is that smart and starting them earlier is not going to help. There is no such thing as �head start.� Finally, I've read everyone's opinion here, and except for Jeff, not one person was constructive. If you don't like Perry, fine. Just say so. Stop the rhetoric about education and come up with a plan to fix it.
$700MM will not fix our education system. We need more parents that care, make bi- lingual education temporary,not waste teachers and students time with Self esteem training, make parents pay fot their children's breakfast and lunces, and get the corporations out of the cafeteria food and sporting events. You can throw all the money you want at the issue, but we don't control our public school education system. Ask a teacher.
If Rick Perry and Sarah Palin got married and had a baby (we all know you can't do the second without having done the first!), would it get its own hair pregnant? I wuz tested so much over the last 12 years that I am smart enough to think about that stuff a LOT.
The late great Bette Davis described Rick Perry most succinctly: What.A.Dick.
You write the worst blog in the world. How about identifying HISD? God forbid you do some actual legwork and identify the conditions that Perry didn't like. Nooooooooooooo, spend, spend, spend! If you aren't spending then you are doing something wrong!
DEAREST JEFF, I noted ten (yes, TEN) grammatical errors in your treatise up to and including the word "principle." Although educated persons would assume you meant to say "principal" and that you meant to either capitalize or not capitalize certain words and place commas in the appropriate places and, indeed, to speak about education as though you were somebody who had an education, you have betrayed your lack thereof. I didn't need to read any further than the word "principle (sic)" to know that your opinion, nay, your entire attitude was without merit in the whole. You would fail sixth grade English. Maybe YOU should take a test, eh?
oh boy, I love Texas when I was there but things like this makes me happy that I'm not living in TX. Beautiful women, Bountiful land... too bad, Texas.
When I left Texas a few years ago, it was a mess. I see it has not changed. Too bad. Your state is at the bottom of almost everything because you are not that great to begin with. You all need to be educated, again. Good Luck. I will never return home.
Um...Rick Perry does know where that money comes from, right? It comes from taxpayers. And, last I checked, Texans were paying federal taxes. /he needs to find a new news source: http://www.urinalgum.com/?p=658
Dear Ansel Rand Paul, I can guess as to how you feel about insurance (health insurance too. [If you're sick or injured, that YOUR tough luck.]) You don't mind the kid being independent as long as they never depend on YOU. $200 bucks a year spent educating somebody. Hell No! I gotta gas up my SUV for the week end.) Well, that's okay. I'll pay for you when you get sick (15% probability) and old (100% probability, unless somebody kill you first.) See, I'm a CIVILIZED HUMAN BEING. Despite the fact that you might well DESERVE opprobrium, I'll pay for your child's education along with mine, as long as they don't mind going to school with my kin, some of whom speak Spanish. You represent everything that short-sighted and wrong with this country. Wake the Hell up, you AREN'T going to live forever.
Jethro, I rarely laugh out loud but your post did it!
<blockquote>when we run perry out of the texas statehouse we should charge him a TOLL for doing so.</blockquote> That would be the only way you'd be able to get him out of town. If you put him on I-35...he might be the Governor of Texas FOREVER!
What good are "art and music" classes if students graduate high school without the ability to read or work simple math problems? Seriously, how many high school graduates will be able to pay their bills with art? More importantly, which "current administration" are you referring to? The administration in Austin, or the one in Washington D.C.? Since when was "getting paid what you're worth" a bad idea? If one cannot teach, one should be doing rather than getting paid to teach. Why would you inject national issues in a state-centered debate?
when we run perry out of the texas statehouse we should charge him a TOLL for doing so.
I agree with the Governor. To many times the Federal Governemnt holds the states hostages with federal money to push its own agenda. States need to keep what little rights they have left.
You should read more about the subjects of your articles before writing them, methinks. My mother is a teacher in Michigan. Her school would not sign the agreement they were supposed to sign to get the stimulus money, as well. The agreement the staff and faculty was supposed to sign had a section that had yet to be written. By signing, they would have to agree to something that wasn't even being disclosed, yet. Would you sign over your career for a short-term financial solution? If so, maybe you can head on down to one of those payday loan stores and take out a few advances... The current administration is not doing right by our educational system, IMO. (Keep in mind I hated the last administration's policies as well, lol.) They are attempting to squash the arts and music programs of our schools with "merit" pay, which is an awful notion. They're also trying to bring about as much funding for Charter school's as possible. Maybe people don't know this, but Charter schools often pay the teachers and staff much less as well as hire less-experienced and less-qualified teachers, because they are exempt from certain regulations that our public schools are not. So, in effect, they're lowering the already meager amount of money teachers in America get, which will certainly have an effect on people choosing it as a career path, as well as reducing the amount of art and music our school's produce... I'm ranting and going to stop now, but don't act like there aren't "Strings" on this offer. The government doesn't give anything out without "strings." Ever.
Yep, thet therz sum good edjumacation.
Rick, I hear there is an opening at the DQ! Good Luck!
I love that the sign the guy is holding spelled "moron" wrong
The strings attached to the money are too binding, and every state should reject it. If you are having trouble with your heating bill, and Uncle Sam promises you 100 gallons of free oil, would you take it? Understand that by free, Uncle Sam means "if you do what I say, no matter how stupid". Uncle Sam just wants you to promise to keep your windows wide open all winter to get that oil. You will waste all the oil you will buy in order to get that "free" oil. You would be better off with the windows closed and the heat turned down. You will be better off without the "extra" education funds, because they force you to waste more of your own money than you would be given. You need to be educated enough to know when a "gift" is going to cost you plenty.
Do any of you REALLY think that throwing money at a problem will fix it? Let's see...if the US government were to "give" Texas a bazillion dollars in order to improve our education system, who exactly will be the one to spend it? Will it be someone who knows why our education system is in its current state? No, it will be the same people who have allowed it to deteriorate. Say what you will about Gov. Perry, but how much worse off is Texas than any of the other states? What does Texas' debt look like? How about your property values in Houston? What were the last unemployment/underemployment numbers for Texas? If you have an issue with the way our public schools perform, why don't you contact Lt. Gov. Dewhurst? I'm not here to haul water for Gov. Perry, but people, GET A CLUE! The refusal to apply for any of this federal money (with its attached strings) was the best move that we could have made. The only solution for our education system is for responsible individuals to stand up and do what is right!
CBahr does have a point. Take money from "the man" today and pay for it in triplicate next year. States would be better off borrowing from Paul Vitti than from Uncle Sam. I applaud (that means clap Jethro) Governor Perry for saying NO. Perhaps Mr. Connelly doesn�t realize that comparing standard test results is meaningless. Those tests are a waste of time. Too many districts worry more about teaching to the test that they forget to teach the kids anything meaningful. Perhaps he needs to take those tests to see what I mean. Most financial problems in schools are caused at the Administrative Levels. If a District Administrator or School Principle cannot be paid more than the mean salary of the teachers in the district, suddenly you�ll find an abundance (bucket-full Jethro) of funds to pay for education. If we concentrated on teaching less about standard tests and more about the skills needed in daily life, you�d find the US moving back near the top when compared to the world. The US spends less time in school than most civilized countries. Kids need education 240 days a year with holiday weekends based on the Federal Employee schedule, plus 2 weeks� vacation for family. A school should be full time, year-round, 0800 � 1530 Monday � Friday. Kids would not have to constantly re-learn everything. That differs from the �year-round program� in someplace like California where they get time off every two months or so. Lastly, not everyone is going to college so let's give those not college bound the opportunity to learn a trade. If the US put education back in school, we might survive.
The "strings" that CBahr and the WSJ are talking about amount to this: if the state of Texas takes $700-million for increased funding on education next year, then they are not allowed to spend _less_ next year than they did last year on education. In other words, they can't take the $700-million ostensibly dedicated to education, and then turn around and _slash_ their education budget and spend the $700-million elsewhere. This is roughly the same as if a bum comes up to me on the street and says he's hungry but only has one dollar to eat, and I hand him another dollar with the proviso that he must spend it on food, whereupon he gives me my dollar back, complaining that it's so unfair how I'm trying to prevent him from buying booze or dope with his money. The NEA rates Texas public schools in 45th place nationwide; not content with that, they now insist on passing up $700-million in education funding, so they will be free to cut their public school budgets even lower, so maybe next year they'll rank even worse. God, am I ever glad I don't live in Texas.
Nice Jethro. I give you +1 for the awesomeness of the troll. Spelling errors and all.
CBahr, In fact it was such a good idea that Perry used the same excuse for turning down $555 million in stimulus money for the state unemployment benefits because it would burden the taxpayer. When in actuality, there were no strings attached. He then had to turn around and secure a loan of $170 million from the federal government to cover the benefits. The strings attached? The loans will have to be repaid which will take about about 20 years and will paid off by business owners. So Teabagger Perry turns down the stimulus money and ends up burdening business owners.
I must agree with Governor Perry. Publicly-funded schooling is a cancer on the illiterate. They must learn how to educate themselves, if only to avoid becoming dependent on Big Government and the Nanny State for everything.
I think its gud that Ric Peary wil fite to keep the yankees outa Texas. We dont want there monee and then we can teech our childrun about Jesus and God and beet some sens into them wen need be. Hes' rite to succeed frum the union and all. I jes wish I had a pitur of Pary to put with my pitur of Sara Paling.
This was a good move I think. This wallstreet journal article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704152804574628633460370644.html) shows that the strings attatched to "stimulus" money are causing trouble for states trying to balance their budgets. Additionally it looks like Teachers Associations are against taking the money too. "The Texas Classroom Teachers Association and the Texas-American Federation of Teachers had urged Perry and Scott not to apply for Race to the Top[the stimulus funds]." -http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6813774.html
Wow I never thought anyone could make W. Bush or Clayton Williams look more intelligent than a turnip as a Texas governor in comparison, but Perry finally did it. I hope Texas Republicans get split between the Perry's Screaming Meemies and the Country Club Set with Miz Kay, and Bill White finally restores this crazy ass state to some sort of sanity.
Apparently Rick Perry is so "proud of Texas" that he wants to make sure it doesn't have a future.
Yes, Perry. Yes. Let your hate consume you. With every seething declaration, Bill White grows stronger.