Perry's math on schools disputed

[Carol Holst <kceh@airmail.net>]

Copied and pasted. I don't have a link for this. I got it from the Texas 
Teacher chatboard.
==================
Perry's math on schools disputed
He says they get plenty per pupil, but teachers fault his
figures

07:10 AM CST on Thursday, February 5, 2004

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Here's the question: Are Texas schools really
getting $10,400 a year per student, a figure that would
push Texas near the top of the list of states for what is
provided for public education?

That number has been highlighted by Gov. Rick Perry as he
presents a $500 million plan of new financial incentives
for public schools. The argument by Mr. Perry is that
Texas already puts a lot of money into education – despite
what critics say.

"That's not a figure you hear often, but it is the only
one that actually reflects how much our schools receive
per child," the governor said, attributing the number to
the National Education Association, the nation's largest
teacher group.

But a spokesman for the NEA's affiliate in the state, the
Texas State Teachers Association, said the $10,400 figure
does not appear in any NEA report and is actually a result
of creative computing by the governor's aides.

"That is at best a disingenuous use of the statistics,"
said Richard Kouri of the state teachers association. He
did not deny there were numbers in the NEA's annual report
on school statistics that were used by Perry aides to
arrive at the figure.

Financial records of the Texas Education Agency, the usual
source of such numbers, showed that schools spent an
average of $7,088 per student in 2002-03. The TEA showed
average revenues of $6,919 per pupil, 34 percent lower
than the governor's estimate.

"With their figures, they're trying to say that schools
already have enough money," said Wayne Pierce, executive
director of the Equity Center, an association of several
hundred low and medium-property-wealth school districts.

"I wish that were the case, but it's not. If school
districts are getting $10,400 per student, then there are
a lot of superintendents out there who want to know where
the rest of their money is, because they need it
desperately."

The national report the governor cited included a number
called "total revenue receipts" for education in every
state, listing Texas' amount at $40.7 billion. Besides
traditional revenue sources such as local property taxes,
state funding and federal aid, the figure also included
sources not typically included in comparisons.

For Texas, $5.3 billion was added just to reflect the
value of new construction bonds issued by school districts
that year. Also included were pension contributions. All
of the amounts were furnished to the NEA by the state.

The governor's aides simply divided the $40.7 billion by
the state's average daily attendance to come up with
$10,400 in revenues per pupil.

State education groups said the calculation is misleading
and ignores a more important statistic in the most recent
NEA report, issued last fall. It showed Texas ranked 33rd
among the states last year in annual spending per pupil at
$7,152. That number was below the national average of
$7,829.

Mr. Perry is expected to call a special session this
spring to fix the state's school finance system and enact
new reforms to boost student achievement.

In addition to pressure from school districts and the
lawsuit now pending in state court, lawmakers also were
warned by the Texas Supreme Court last year that the
funding system is on the verge of collapse.

Mr. Perry has said he will support more funding for public
schools during the special session, but he wants the
additional money spent on financial incentives for schools
that improve student achievement and lower dropout rates.

School boards and superintendents across the state, on the
other hand, insist that all districts need more money and
contend that the state share of overall funding for
schools has dropped to historic lows in Texas. Scores of
school districts have joined a lawsuit that seeks to
overturn the current school finance system and force the
state to pay more.

The actual amount of funding per pupil is significant
because school districts say they are not receiving enough
money from state and local sources to adequately educate
their students and meet the various requirements in state
law. A legislative study is now underway to determine just
how much schools need.

Mr. Perry has responded that too many school officials
want more money without showing results. He also has
criticized those school districts that have built up
reserve funds in excess of state guidelines at the same
time they are complaining they don't have enough money.

"The governor has made it clear that he believes we need
to get maximum performance for our education dollars, and
he believes one way to do that is to offer teachers and
schools incentives based on student achievement," said
Robert Black, a spokesman for the governor.

"If these [education] organizations are opposed to that,
they need to explain to Texas parents why their children
shouldn't be achieving more in school."
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