TEXAS PTA CALLS FOR HIGHER TAXES
The Texas PTA is advocating raising taxes and raiding the rainy day fund. While the group may be well-intentioned, they are misguided.
We all want a good education for Texas students.
While the PTA’s message is “Fund our future,” we at AFP believe Texas taxpayers have provided adequate funding, but school districts are not spending those funds wisely. We have a counter message: fund the classroom and teachers. We can cut education spending without cutting instruction.
Education spending in Texas has grown five times faster than student enrollment. But less than half of the total K-12 education dollars are spent on instruction.
Texas schools have a one-to-one ratio of teachers to non-teachers. More than 200 school district superintendents have a base salary (not including their rich benefits) which is higher than the salary paid to the Governor of Texas.
Additionally, Texas taxpayers are over $101 billion in school district debt. That debt will fall on future taxpayers who are today’s students.
The PTA is specifically calling on Governor Perry to support raising taxes and raiding the Rainy Day Fund. Texas taxpayers sent a strong message to elected officials in November. That message didn’t include raising taxes or spending more than available revenue.
We at Americans for Prosperity, representing over 100,000 Texas taxpayers, want to see spending priorities changed in public schools.
Today is the last stop of a two-day press tour where Texas PTA “has been calling on Governor Perry to untie the hands of legislators to secure additional funding and authorize the use of the Rainy Day Fund, as well as raising the tobacco and alcohol taxes and increasing other fees.”
We at Americans for Prosperity recommend PTA members review their various school district “snapshots” on the Red Apple Project website www.RedAppleProject.com to find out more about their own ISD’s spending.
Texas families are tightening their belts and shouldn’t be strapped with higher taxes or higher state spending.