Get Ready for no Jr HI Football next year

[Welpe]

I think there is room to cut some waste from everything...yes, even athletics.  We are at a time where we cannot have many sacred cows, impervious from any kind of budget cuts.

[WABill]

I think there is room to cut some waste from everything...yes, even athletics.  We are at a time where we cannot have many sacred cows, impervious from any kind of budget cuts.

I would start with the uil's director of officiating.

[Welpe]

Well some areas will require greater cuts than others....

[Arbitrator]

 

I cannot begin to applaud loud enough for you "Stripes" who are the teachers! May God truly bless you guys and gals for such a noble undertaking. May there be plenty in your budgets for long-deserved pay raises for the time and the heart that you extend on a daily basis.

But if it comes to a Supe's/Administrators salary & expense account, I would hearitly say "Cut it!" and keep those federally-funded school lunches for the less fortunate coming. Now that is truly a blessing, at least to those poor kids who probably won't get any more food for that day! For those of us who might entertain cutting the funding of those meals, then all I can say is to try walking a mile in those students shoes! 

[blindref757]

I cannot begin to applaud loud enough for you "Stripes" who are the teachers! May God truly bless you guys and gals for such a noble undertaking. May there be plenty in your budgets for long-deserved pay raises for the time and the heart that you extend on a daily basis.

But if it comes to a Supe's/Administrators salary & expense account, I would hearitly say "Cut it!" and keep those federally-funded school lunches for the less fortunate coming. Now that is truly a blessing, at least to those poor kids who probably won't get any more food for that day! For those of us who might entertain cutting the funding of those meals, then all I can say is to try walking a mile in those students shoes! 

I fully support a lunch program (I teach at a title 1 school) but I bet we could do it locally better...and not have Michelle telling us that corn on the cob with paprika is a good substitute for fries!

[Coby]

I fully support a lunch program (I teach at a title 1 school) but I bet we could do it locally better...and not have Michelle telling us that corn on the cob with paprika is a good substitute for fries!

I would like to extend no pass no play to no pass no free lunch...Think about the discipline problems that would solve. 

I would also like for someone to verify money from the free lunch forms.  Right now as it stands if a kid fills out the paper and says the parents make under 25K (i think) they get a free lunch.  The school that he attends also gets more money from the feds/state for every app turned in so there is no reason for the school to verify if the form is correct.  My school is 96% free and reduced lunch.  There are a lot of nice cars in the student parking lots for there to be that many kids struggling.  I have no problem paying for the kids that really need it, It is the ones that milk the system that I have a problem with.

[TXMike]

I was wondering if someone was going to take us down that path. The sad reality is that conservative estimates are the free lunch program is ripped off to the tune of 1 to 1.5 billion a year (nationwide).  That is "federal money" so nobody much cares about it at the local level.  And it would cost so much to have a good verification program in place plus an enforcment system to dissuade folks from chesting that nobody wants to set it up.  And even if you can prove the fraud or attempted fraud, the case has little prosecutive appeal because at the end of the day, some kid got fed. 

Even if this money was saved, it is federal money so would not do Texas schools much good. 

We probably all agree there is fraud, waste, and abuse with many programs in school districts.  The problem is nobody wants to spend the money to get staffs in place who could root it out and deal with the abusers.

[Coby]

I was wondering if someone was going to take us down that path. The sad reality is that conservative estimates are the free lunch program is ripped off to the tune of 1 to 1.5 billion a year (nationwide).  That is "federal money" so nobody much cares about it at the local level.  And it would cost so much to have a good verification program in place plus an enforcment system to dissuade folks from chesting that nobody wants to set it up.  And even if you can prove the fraud or attempted fraud, the case has little prosecutive appeal because at the end of the day, some kid got fed. 

Even if this money was saved, it is federal money so would not do Texas schools much good. 

We probably all agree there is fraud, waste, and abuse with many programs in school districts.  The problem is nobody wants to spend the money to get staffs in place who could root it out and deal with the abusers.

However, a students federal lunch status is used for numerous other funding sources.  While the lunch program itself is Federal there are other state programs that use your free lunch status to award technology money, special programs funding, and other state funding innitiatives.  I agree with everything else you said.

[Etref]

Like I said, simple enough, cut out those programs and save a ton of money.

I would bet that most of the claims for free/reduced meals are bogus anyway. Maybe we need the FBI to investigate.......................................................

[TXMike]

Like I said...Something tells they would not run with it as there will be no prosecutor willing to prosecute it.    Not something you could really sink your teeth into, pun intended.   

[Joe Stack]

Even if this money was saved, it is federal money so would not do Texas schools much good. 

The first step is to get the Feds OUT of education. As long as there is a financial incentive for school districts to do something, whether its free lunch apps, bogus attendance policies, etc., they will do what needs to be done to get the money.

We need to take the funding back to the local level. If the locals don't have enough of a tax base, the state can help out, but from a general fund, not one derived from taking funds directly from other districts. This is balanced against sensible objectives all districts must meet and ones they can't fudge on.

[WABill]

The first step is to get the uil OUT of officiating. As long as there is a financial incentive for them, they will do what needs to be done to get the money.

FIFY

[blindref757]

The sad reality is that conservative estimates are the free lunch program is ripped off to the tune of 1 to 1.5 billion a year (nationwide).  That is "federal money" so nobody much cares about it at the local level.  And it would cost so much to have a good verification program in place plus an enforcment system to dissuade folks from chesting that nobody wants to set it up.  And even if you can prove the fraud or attempted fraud, the case has little prosecutive appeal because at the end of the day, some kid got fed. 

Ding, Ding, Ding...we have a winner!!!

The grand sum of $1 Billion dollars is 1/1000 of a Trillion...and we throw trillions around like candy at a parade!  One billion is 1/13,000 of our federal debt.  It's a drop in the bucket.  The problem is that we all have things that are "important" drops to someone.  There is a drop or two for the farming industry, a drop or two for NASA, etc. 

The only way we ever get spending at the federal level under control is to pass a balanced budget amendment.  Only then will someone begin the process of examining the federal bureaucracy with a sharp pencil...the same way we all do with our home finances.

[refereebrent]

My umpire just called me and gave me some interesting news. He was working a baseball DH last night and asked one of the coaches about the subvarsity situation next year. The coach said that all SV coaches are being made to get their commercial DL and will be the bus drivers for the SV games. They will also be receiving an additional $40 per game stipend for driving the bus.
So the regular drivers, the ones who need the money more than the coaches and know how to drive the bus the correct way are out of that job and the coaches, who get their coaching stipend will also be getting this.
And the same district will probably raise holy heck about giving the officials a little bit of gas money.

[JasonTX]

My umpire just called me and gave me some interesting news. He was working a baseball DH last night and asked one of the coaches about the subvarsity situation next year. The coach said that all SV coaches are being made to get their commercial DL and will be the bus drivers for the SV games. They will also be receiving an additional $40 per game stipend for driving the bus.
So the regular drivers, the ones who need the money more than the coaches and know how to drive the bus the correct way are out of that job and the coaches, who get their coaching stipend will also be getting this.
And the same district will probably raise holy heck about giving the officials a little bit of gas money.

Here in my town, the coaches have always driven the bus.

[refereebrent]

In some districts here in Houston they do as well. They do not get a $40 per night stipend for driving the bus however.
That is my point. Driving the bus should be a part of their job description and they should not be paid additional money for it.
I just hate that the 6 to 12 drivers on Monday and Tuesday are losing their gigs. Look for this district to play hardball with us too.

[Welpe]

Brent, any hints on the district?

[Timer]

The problem is clearly lack of revenue as well as over spending in some districts.  It all goes back to 2006 when the Legislature mandated a drop in property taxes.  I'm not a huge proponent of higher taxes, but all they have to do is raise property taxes back to where they were which would cure the revenue issue, and make cuts necessary as needed.  Failing to adequately educate the children of Texas will be the downfall of our state.  If I have to pay higher property taxes to save our educational system, so be it.

And, I will say that I'm a Republican through and through, but Rick Perry is an idiot and should never have been re-elected.  He brags about and takes credit for balancing our state's budget, but fails to say that the budget must be balanced by law.  What an egotistical tool we have for a governor.

[rickref]

"And, I will say that I'm a Republican through and through, but Rick Perry is an idiot and should never have been re-elected.  He brags about and takes credit for balancing our state's budget, but fails to say that the budget must be balanced by law.  What an egotistical tool we have for a governor."

Bingo.

[george7244]

the state of texas led us to believe that the money generated from the lottery would be used to aid in education, police and fire fighters and nothing else. instead the money goes into the general fund where it is allocated out by the state government and i daresay that it is not going where it was intended. raise hell with the legislators about it but i doubt that it would do any good .

[Cooter]

"And, I will say that I'm a Republican through and through, but Rick Perry is an idiot and should never have been re-elected.  He brags about and takes credit for balancing our state's budget, but fails to say that the budget must be balanced by law.  What an egotistical tool we have for a governor."

Bingo.

 

[TXMike]

Texas lottery started sending the money to schools in late 90's. For last several years they have sent about 1 billion per year to the school fund.

[TexDoc]

And, I will say that I'm a Republican through and through, but Rick Perry is an idiot and should never have been re-elected.  He brags about and takes credit for balancing our state's budget, but fails to say that the budget must be balanced by law.  What an egotistical tool we have for a governor.

Agreed!!!!   

[Joe Stack]

Mike, there's still about 77 million going to the general revenue fund.

[TXMike]

Yep but that is miniscule in the grand scheme.  Hell 1 billion ain't much when compared to the total "need"