" [T]here is no question that these dollars will be spent in the classroom to support the teachers . . ."
Update 1:40pm Sunday – Isaac has just twittered this message: "We will have a special session this summer to deal with TWIA and 'maybe some other things.'"
Update Sunday May 29 –Texas Tribune: Here are the expected amounts to be cut from Hays County school districts – more than $13 million total – under the school finance plan awaiting a final vote today in the Legislature . . . if this passes, watch for local tax rate increases as districts piece together their 2012 budgets over the next two months.
Hays CISD: Expected FY 2012 $119,321,911 | New $112,239,186 | Reduction -$7,082,725 -5.94%
San Marcos CISD: Expected $54,131,694 | New $51,164,371 | Reduction -$2,967,323 -5.48%
Dripping Springs ISD: $32,815,896 | $30,696,820 | -$2,119,076 | -6.46%
Wimberley ISD: $15,825,322 | $14,859,754 | -$965,568 | -6.10%
Katherine Anne Porter School: $1,164,504 | $1,102,514 | -$61,990 | -5.32%
Update Sunday May 29 – Houston Chronicle: State Budget cutting billions heads to Perry | Talks fail to rescue plan for storm agency; special session possible
Houston Chronicle | Texas lawmakers will vote Sunday on $4 billion cut in school finance. "It's unbelievable that we would lay off teachers, increase class sizes, cut Pre-K programs and hurt our schools across the board while there is more than enough money sitting in the rainy day fund to avoid the cuts completely," said Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston.Note: We received the press release below Thursday from Rep. Isaac. We called Isaac's office and a couple of school districts to ask how many teacher jobs might be saved by this 11th hour infusion of federal money. (No word yet from Wimberley ISD.) It's interesting that the federal government winds up playing the White Knight in Shining Armor for Texas teachers.
Isaac's chief of staff Ellen Troxclair said the education funds were released through the governor's office. So it would be best to call the governor's office for additional information, 512.463.2000
Tim Savoy, public information officer for the Hays Consolidated ISD, said no teacher positions have been eliminated; because of growth in the district more teachers have been hired. There was a reduction in force earlier of 38 non classroom teaching positions, with 35 being hired back to different positions in the district. Savoy said the Legislature has not yet finalized the funding mechanism for schools for the next biennium. "The overall loss from the state I think will still be greater (than the federal money). It is certainly a help," he said.
On the legislation front, two closely watched bills authored by Isaac during the session, HB 3865 (relating to the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District) and HB 3832 (relating to the Hays County Development District No. 1/Caliterra development in Dripping Springs), have been declared dead. The groundwater district bill passed the House but never made it to a public hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the HCDD bill never got past the House Local and Consent Calendar for a vote in the House.
Send your comments and questions to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Rep. Isaac at campaign@jasonisaac.com, 512.463.0647, or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the story
AUSTIN – State Representative Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) announced that over $6 million additional dollars will be distributed to school districts across Hays, Caldwell, and Blanco counties. The money is part of the federal education funds that have recently been made available to Texas.
“This money will be crucial in helping to save teacher’s jobs and supplement school district budgets in the midst of our current shortfall,” said Rep. Isaac. "No funds may be spent for central office employees, administrative expenses, or construction. Therefore, there is no question that these dollars will be spent in the classroom to support the teachers who dedicate their lives to our children, including mine, and the future of our state.”
The project period for the federal grant is August 10, 2010 to September 30, 2012. The money has been the subject of much controversy over the past year when Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) passed an amendment that would have prevented these funds from coming to our state. Rep. Isaac and several other conservative legislators personally called on Congress to release the money back to the Texas taxpayers.
The following is a list of school districts in Texas House District 45 and the amount that they will receive from education job funds:
Blanco ISD : $199,401
Dripping Springs ISD : $673,216
Hays CISD : $2,424,526
Johnson City ISD : $164,745
Lockhart ISD : $792,399
Luling ISD : $251,642
Prairie Lea ISD : $47,212
San Marcos CISD : $1,192,565
Wimberley ISD : $330,744
18 comments:
This statement is patently false: 'The money has been the subject of much controversy over the past year when Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) passed an amendment that would have prevented these funds from coming to our state.'
The amendment was a directive to Perry that these funds were to go toward the schools and no where else. Perry held up these funds by refusing to accept the amendment.
Had Perry gotten his hands on these funds you can be sure the schools would have never seen one penny.
Cut the crap Jason Isaac. Congressman Doggett did NOT prevent these funds from coming to Texas with his amendment - he was just trying to insure that the funds were ACTUALLY SPENT ON EDUCATION - rather than being deposited in the General Fund and spent on other projects - as Texas had done in the past.
Some truth and transparency in your so-called press releases might go a long way to helping revive your credibility.
Congressman Doggett's amendment was aimed at Texas and Perry. As a former State Legislator, Doggett knows the rules regarding budgets and purposely wrote the bill in a manner that violated Texas laws regarding budgets.
Doggett's measure was mean spirited and held Texas teachers hostage while he had his little political game going with Perry.
Doggett did hold up the funds. You can check the record. His agenda is not one that puts Texas first. It is more like Doggett first.
Anonymous 1 and 2-I can only say amen. Anonymous 3-you appear determined not to be confused by the facts. You are correct that Doggett's amendment was directed at Perry-directed at him to insure that the funds went where they were supposed to go-not where Perry might decide they needed to go. The thing that puzzles me about all this is that Jason Isaac is now touting the federal funds-I thought he was against federal funds. What's up with that?
Jwigginsburns: Right you are.
Perry seems to be embracing the Federal government as well - begging for federal funds for the wildfires in Texas (Texas did receive substantial federal funds in helping to fight the fires - but Perry wants more, more, more).
And now - Mr. Fed-Up can't wait to get Inside the Beltway and become a member of the Club.
The pretty loud scuttlebutt at the Capitol this session is that Isaac isn't the brightest and is in way over his head. Members of his own party are even so tired of him that they've challenged his bills on local and consent for no reason. I think this press release further illustrates the lack of knowledge Isaac has about public service.
Any amendment by a congressman that puts additional constraints only on the state he was elected to represent is simply wrong.
Glad to see the money will be spent on education (classrooms) and not on entertainment(new astroturf and multimillion dollar pressboxes.)
Apparently there are more people than I thought who like Washington telling Texas what we can and can't do with OUR money we were required to send them.
Mary,
The scuttlebutt I hear is that some representatives are willing to stand up to the statusquo and are being met with some resistance.
I say good for them.
No good deed goes unpunished it seems especially when asking the gray headed old hippies of Wimberley town. The really neat thing is the voters don't listen to them. They have been after Isaac ever since he took office. The Lib Dems threw their candidates under the bus and now can only complain about the winners. He was indeed the winner so they need to get used to the fact that they are losers once more. It is best to wash your feet before wearing sandals.
What's up with the Hippie Haters?
You still mad they didn't invite you their cool parties back in the 60's?
And just for the record, very few of those gray-headed Wimberley people some of you seem to find time to ridicule, almost NONE of them are what one might call "hippies".
They are actually a fairly straight-laced bunch who were never "hippies" in their youth at all.
Is Isaac still hitting the lobbyist circuit parties?
I agree with you that it is a shame most politicians can't finance their campaigns solely from direct contributions from their constituents.
It is even more disgusting that those who complain the most are those who do not contribute and often do not even vote.
However, it is refreshing to know that whoever gets the most from lobbyists do not always win. For example, Patrick Rose spent more on a losing campaign than anyone in the state except Bill White. Very little of Mr. Rose's money came from his constituents in HD 45.
Isaac (or any Republican) taking credit for the federal school money infusion into the Texas school budget is like Dick Cheney taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden.
...or Obama taking credit for the killing Bin laden.
Give the credit to the US Military where it belongs. Obama only gets credit for staying in the background and not screwing it up.
Without the help of Republicans, Mr. Doggett's amendment would not have been "overturned" and the money would still be in Washington.
Anyone call Washington to try to keep the money from coming to Texas?
Give Proper Credit can't admit his incompetent political heroes failed to get bin Laden for over 10 years.
So if the military alone got bin Laden, then according to him they alone are also responsible for not getting bin Laden - for 10 years.
Very flawed logic from the hot air shadows.
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