Educators want state to restore funding

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Legislature next year must restore the funding to public schools that was slashed in 2011 or risk sending the next generation of students into the world unprepared, a group of education activists said Thursday.

"Over time, we're going to see SAT scores go down," Bob Sanborn, president of the nonprofit Children At Risk , said during a news conference at the state Capitol. "We're going to see standardized testing (scores) across the state going down."

Sanborn and others said that the $5.4 billion that was taken from education spending to help lawmakers cover a gaping hole in the state budget has put an undue strain on local school districts. Because about 80 percent of local school budgets goes toward payrolls, the cuts resulted in the elimination of about 10,700 teaching positions even as student enrollment went up by some 83,000 statewide.

That meant districts had to come some creative ways to plug the gap. Some examples were charging parents for after-school and summer programs and selling advertising on school buses. But such measures can only take a local district so far, said Jesus Chavez, superintendent of the Round Rock school district.

"My simple message is, restore the cuts," Chavez said at the news conference. "I'm realistic enough to know we can't restore all the cuts, but we should be able to restore a good portion."

Part of any restoration, the educators said, could come from what many project could be a $9 billion surplus that might greet lawmakers next January because of stronger-than-expected tax revenues.

Outside of Austin's Casis Elementary School where parents were in line to pick up their children Thursday, the educators' message found resonance.

"Yeah, the classrooms are bigger," said parent Sherry Hodges. "I don't like it."

Another parent, Ellen Halper, agreed. "Teachers are so underpaid, anyway," she said. "I couldn't do it. They should get triple [what they earn now]."