Citizens Addressing Their School Board of Trustees - Deliver Writ of Remonstrance

Citizens of Fort Bend, near Houston, address their school board of trustees and deliver a writ of remonstrance asking for their resignation.  Dramatic? Yes.  But the frustration comes from numerous requests from the board and Dr. Tim Jenney, the Superintendent, to produce evidence of where the money is going.  Clearly in this video one can hear suspicions of cronyism and conflicts of interest.  Whether or not this is true remains to be seen.  One thing that is true is that the Board of Trustees in Fort Bend seems very reluctant to talk.  In previous public meetings regarding zoning, the board failed even to show up.  Which sends one message to the people of Fort Bend county, the board is saying "we're doing what we think is right, and we don't care what the rest of you think."  Given that T.E.A. has near zero oversight over local school boards, most school boards in Texas have no one to hold them accountable, except, of course, the voters.

Texas: Was Open For Business, Now Out To Lunch

House Budget Plan Would Cause Huge Job Losses, According to Official Estimate:  The House plan to cut $23 billion from the state budget, including $7.8 billion in school formula aid and more than another $1 billion in school grants, would have a devastating impact on employment and the economy in our state. That assessment comes not from outside critics of the House budget but from lawmakers' own expert in-house budget analysts at the Legislative Budget Board.

Sign the Petition to Keep the 22:1 Class Size

As class sizes grow, the quality of education for our children suffers. The current class-size limit of 22 students to one teacher in each classroom in grades K through 4 is under attack. Sign the petition below to support the class-size law.
http://action.aft.org/c/435/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1208

Legislators Don't Cut Teachers, Administrators Do

Our classrooms are under assault.  Teacher layoffs across Texas.  It's not legislators doing this, it's school administrators.  Since 2004 Texas enrollment is up seven percent but the number of non-teachers is up twenty percent.  It's no surprise those same administrators want to fire teachers first.  That's insulting.  There's a better way.  Instead of firing teachers how about trimming outside the classroom?  We could save billions and save our classrooms.  Get the facts at Protect The Classroom dot com.

Teacher to Administration ratios Have Drastically Increased

Protect The Classroom!

If Texas’ 1,035 school districts were a single company, it would be the fifth largest employer… in the world!
Only half of public school employees are teachers.

Current Issues and Legislation with Texas State Funding for Education

New Move in Senate to Scrape up More Revenue: The San Antonio Express-News reports that action is afoot in the state Senate to find $5 billion in additional revenue to reduce proposed budget cuts for education and health care in 2012-2013. At the behest of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a subcommittee on "fiscal matters" to be named Monday will be chaired by Sen. Robert Duncan, Republican of Lubbock. Among items Duncan's panel reportedly will examine: possible sales of unused state lands and extracting more income from state investments such as the Permanent School Fund, the state's endowment for public education.

Fort Bend ISD Declares Financial Emergency - Again

     Financial emergency. That's what the Fort Bend board and Superintendent Tim Jenney are calling it now. So why call it an emergency? The answer is simple. In the 2009-2010 school year, hundreds of teachers were laid off from Fort Bend.

'Devastating' Cuts Aim at Disabled Texans

While this story is not directly related to education in Texas it makes a strong point about our priorities.  While we understand that cuts are necessary, we will never, ever be able to build Texas up by cutting its legs out from under it.  Why is Texas so apt to cut resources from its most vulnerable?  Our Special Education teachers work hard to transition students who are mentally handicapped into our society.  Private and public organizations that work to improve those citizens' quality of life, education, jobs and place in our society have lost funding year after year while Perry has been in office.  In this article, a Houston reporter from Fox News got it right.

'Devastating' Cuts Aim at Disabled Texans

HOUSTON - When it comes to providing for adults with intellectual disabilities, the Great State of Texas ain't so great. In fact, the well-earned reputation is "bottom of the American barrel".
These days, tax-averse, money-strapped state leaders propose to cut funding for this deeply dependent population as much as 50 percent. It’s a reduction that would firmly secure the rank of dead last in the nation.

Judge blocks Wisconsin collective-bargaining law

Judge blocks Wisconsin collective-bargaining law

Albright seeks to unseat incumbent Menendez on FBISD board.

Fort Bend Independent School District Board of Trustee At-Large Position 4 incumbent Daniel Menendez and Position 1 incumbent Susan Hohnbaum have filed for re-election in the May 14 election. Bruce Albright has announced his intention to run against Menendez.

Fox News Bashes Teachers, and One Teacher Responds

“We got blackboard, here it is, Wisconsin teachers make a salary of $51,000…Benefits $38,000 per year, that comes to a whopping 89,000 bucks, while the rest of us, all workers in the United States, union, non-union, etc., $38,000 is your average salary…there, $10,000 in benefits, a quarter of what you make, that you would make if you were a Wisconsin teacher, to 48 grand, almost half the amount. Yet collective bargaining says that is OK. That’s not anti-free market?” - Eric Bolling

“For years teachers unions have been clamoring to get parents and community members to reach into their pockets and pony up more cash to improve their children’s education.”- Steve Doocy

"Unions are convenient scapegoats whenever the economy goes into a tailspin. Republicans and corporate media have been so successful at demonizing unions, that only about 10 percent of Americans now belong to one, down from a third of the workforce in the 1950s. By focusing on unions, Republicans and the media shift attention away from how corporations run America, which is the real problem." - The Bend

Dear FOX News,

I am proud to say “I am a teacher.”  Despite all the bad press we teachers get I am proud of what I do.  Frankly,  I would do this job for peanuts.  You have portrayed us as selfish, greedy, part-time employees who whine about our job and make too much money, because after all we only work 9 months out of the year, and have great benefits.   I, with a Masters degree, make $48,000 a year.  I have three children that I pay over $1300 a month for their child care and I pay out of my salary over $600 per month for all those “free” benefits that you think I am getting.  So far this year my children have had two double ear infections, bronchitis, kidney problems with one of my twins that included an ER visit, CT scan and several other doctor visits.  It is only March and even with all my “free” benefits I have paid over $1000 in medical care, but hey, my benefits are free. Forget that last year my husband was struck with an illness that ran us over $3000 in medical bills.

Stewart: Fox News says teachers overpaid, but not Wall Street

These folks just want teachers to give back, because they believe that $50,000 a year in salary, plus medical and dental...benefits...are incredibly generous, bordering on avarice! And I imagine these same people will feel the same way about couples earning more than $250,000 a year being asked to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire so that they would have to pay a slightly higher Federal Income tax rate.

Federal Budget Cuts to Education Could Affect Texas

At the federal level, our government faces budget cuts similar to the ones Texas does. They too have a choice. They can cut education or protect it.

President Obama said this week that any budget that sacrifices a commitment to education is a budget that sacrifices our future:

"And I will not let it happen."

Here's why he's taking a stand:

Last Year's Riffs Caused Teacher Shortages in 2011

In the year of 2009-2010, hundreds of employees were given pink slips, asked to resign, forced to retire or otherwise convinced to leave Fort Bend ISD under the premise that FBISD needed to fix its budget problems.  The problem is that mistakes were made last year by Fort Bend human resources regarding whom to lay off and how many.  For example, many Special Education teachers were either riffed (let go due to reduction in force) or transferred because the district assessment was that there were far too many Special Ed. teachers compared to the number of students they had in classrooms.  Now in 2011 Special Education teachers are off of the potential riff list.  Why?  Because there is now a shortage of Special Education teachers.  This brings up a couple of questions.  One, can the teachers in Fort Bend ISD trust human resources to do a better job than it did last year?  Two, who will be sticking around to find out?

And now in 2011 there is an "incentive" to resign.  Ten percent of base pay will be paid to the employee if they are one of the first to resign.  Unless, of course, you are teaching in one of the critical need areas.  Question: Why are there critical need areas if FBISD was letting people go in those areas last year?  The critical need areas are high school Science, high school Math, foreign language or deaf education.

Clearly Fort Bend ISD human resources is in critical need of high school math skills as well.

22:1 Class sizes: Crowded classes mean limited learning.

As the Texas Senate Education Committee meets this morning to hear testimony in a public hearing on "unfunded mandates," thousands of teachers and parents are adding their voices to a call to "Keep the 22:1 Class-Size Law" amidst an attack on the law and other public education quality standards.
"Crowded classes mean limited learning, and that's something every teacher and parent understands intuitively," said Linda Bridges, Texas AFT President. "Lawmakers aren't fooling anyone by pretending that class size doesn’t matter. It does, and it's one of the most important education reforms passed in decades and has stood the test of time, study and plain old common sense."

The Texas state law enacted in 1984 establishes a class-size limit of 22 students to one teacher in public school grades K-4. However, the law includes a waiver provision that allows districts to exceed the limit when faced with financial hardship, shortages of facilities or teachers, unanticipated enrollment increases, or high levels of student mobility. The Texas Education Agency makes it easy to obtain waivers and has only denied five and granted more than 3,500.

Read more about the 22:1 class size and its effect on student learning here.

"If you already have thousands of waivers given out so that districts aren't hamstrung with added costs for a small number of kids over the cap, then why on earth do we need to permanently get rid of the law?" Bridges asked. "The class-size cap is a safeguard, one that gives parents notification that the cap has been exceeded. Would you want to show up to your child's second-grade class and find 28 kids and a teacher who is struggling to give them the attention and help they deserve?"

Bridges said thousands of teachers, parents and concerned citizens have signed a petition at www.22to1.org to keep the law. Additionally, some 1,500 took the extra step of submitting comments—many of them detailed and impassioned—on why the law is crucial to their children's success. Bridges added that several other public education quality standards are also at risk, including teacher contract rights which provide a minimal level of due process to prevent cronyism, discrimination or arbitrary dismissals. Also under review are state salary standards, the loss of which could lead to districts essentially nullifying state pay raises for teachers. "The issue of 'mandate relief' is simply a diversion and distraction from the real problem. In the 2011 session, the goal should indeed be to ease the financial squeeze on school districts--not by undercutting valuable reforms but taking a balanced approach to balancing the state budget and properly funding our schools," Bridges said.

Pflugerville ISD to consider layoffs

Meeting is open to parents

Updated: Tuesday, 08 Mar 2011, 3:30 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 08 Mar 2011, 3:30 PM CST

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) - Pflugerville Independent School District parents can meet with school officials to discuss the school funding crisis Tuesday night.

The school district will have to reduce its budget by at least $20 million. PISD is considering laying off 100 or more employees.

School officials ask parents to come to the meeting to talk about the cutbacks.
The meeting is at Westview Middle School cafeteria at 7 p.m. The school is at 1805 Scofield Lane in Austin.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/p%27ville-isd-to-consider-layoffs

Texas teacher layoffs could hamper some local economies

Texas teacher layoffs could hamper some local economies

Associated Press  March 6, 2011, 10:32AM

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry can't quit talking about jobs.
He used the word 19 times in his recent state of the state address and has made it a top spending priority. But if Perry realizes his vision of a budget balanced through cuts alone, 100,000 teachers could lose their jobs.
That's about a third of the 333,000 teachers employed by Texas public schools.
"In a small town, the school is the largest employer," said Deborah Ottmers, assistant superintendent for business and finance at the Fredericksburg school district. These proposed cuts would be "a huge hit on the economy in any town."
Plans for layoffs are stirring panic from Houston to far West Texas. And while the Legislature has until May to write a budget, districts can't wait to see what happens. The pink slips have already started in places such as Austin, Round Rock and Dallas.
Perry, meanwhile, keeps talking about jobs. Just not teaching jobs.

Read the entire article here:  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7459448.html

House Budget-Writers Vote to Use Part of Rainy Day Fund; Governor Says the Rest is Off the Table, Fiddling While Rome Burns; Senators Keep Looking for More Revenue

House Budget-Writers Vote to Use Part of Rainy Day Fund; Governor Says the Rest is Off the Table, Fiddling While Rome Burns; Senators Keep Looking for More Revenue

Today the Texas House Appropriations Committee made a small step toward common sense on the state budget, voting unanimously to spend $3.2 billion of the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund to cover a portion of the state’s huge revenue shortfall. The committee did so as Gov. Rick Perry, House Speaker Joe Straus, and state Comptroller Susan Combs issued a joint statement backing the move as a necessary one “to help our budget deal with the impact of the national recession” on state revenue for the current 2011 fiscal year.
However, Gov. Perry, having erased his original line in the sand against any use at all of this so-called Rainy Day Fund this session, immediately drew a new one concerning any further use of the fund, for the next two-year budget period. Said he: “I remain steadfastly committed to protecting the remaining balance of the Rainy Day Fund, and will not sign a 2012-2013 state budget that uses the Rainy Day Fund.”  The governor added that more than $6 billion remaining in the fund must not be used to address the current budget emergency but must be reserved instead “to cover unexpected emergencies in the future.” Speaker Straus also spoke of the need to “preserve” the fund.
But the limited use of the Rainy Day Fund these leaders endorsed today still leaves the state deep in a yawning hole for the coming 2012-2013 biennium—more than $23 billion in the hole, by generally accepted estimates. That reality prompted a sharp response to the governor from a leading advocate for a more balanced approach to balancing the state budget. Said Scott McCown, director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities:  “Governor Perry has things backwards. Texans aren’t supposed to protect the Rainy Day Fund. The Rainy Day Fund is supposed to protect Texans. Voters created the Rainy Day Fund by constitutional amendment in 1988 to offset unforeseen falls in state revenue just like the state faces in 2012-13. The Legislature and Governor should use the Rainy Day Fund to bridge the revenue hole created by the Great Recession.”

Thousands Of Texas Educators Protest Budget Cuts At Capitol

As spring break kicks off, thousands educators from around the state are hardly vacationing. Instead, they're protesting budget cuts at the state capitol.
A large rally Monday in Austin, organized in part by the American Federation of Teachers, arrived on the heels of another large protest on Saturday against a proposal to cut $10 billion in state education spending. Monday's rally drew about 4,000, according to local NBC station KXAN.
There were conflicting estimates for Saturday's protest attendance. The Associated Press, among other news outlets, reported about 5,000 people descended upon Austin, whereas local ABC station KTRK, among other news outlets, said the turnout was 11,000.
Amid Saturday's large crowd of protesters -- some carrying umbrellas to symbolize their request for lawmakers to dip into the Rainy Day Fund -- a middle schooler revved things up, local CBS station DFW reports.

"Because my teachers and people like you believe in me, and it rubs off on me."

Texas will have to plug a hole of up to $27 billion, a budget shortfall caused by the recession and a new business tax that hasn't raised the forecasted funds.

Gov. Perry: Not my fault if teachers are fired

In this article Governor Rick Perry is making it clear to the state of Texas:  He'll cut school budgets, not use the rainy day fund, but as for the hiring and firing?  "Don't look at me"

Gov. Perry: Not my fault if teachers are fired
By Peggy Fikac And Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle
Updated 12:24 p.m., Thursday, March 10, 2011

Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday the state's not to blame if teachers lose their jobs as school districts grapple with the potential loss of billions of state dollars.

School groups took issue with Perry's effort to distance the state from the effects of budget cuts, which by one estimate could cost up to 100,000 school district jobs through the next two years.

"The lieutenant governor, the (Texas House) speaker, and their colleagues aren't going to hire or fire one teacher, best I can tell. That is a local decision that will be made at the local districts," Perry said when asked about a Texas Capitol rally planned Saturday by teachers, parents and others concerned about the potential cuts.

Families and small businesses across Texas "are making decisions about what's a priority," Perry said, "… and I think school districts are no different."

He said if he were deciding, he'd focus on "non-teaching" staff - which a number of school districts have said wouldn't suffice to meet the cuts.

"Let there be no mistake, the decisions being made in school districts across the state regarding staff layoffs are a direct result of state funding cuts proposed by lawmakers," an alliance of education groups said in a joint statement.

"We urge lawmakers to use a balanced approach in developing a state budget, including accessing the rainy day fund" state savings account, said the Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of School Boards and Texas School Alliance.


Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/default/article/Gov-Perry-Not-my-fault-if-teachers-are-fired-1061543.php#ixzz1Gi14paOX

The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Handle the State Revenue Crisis

Letters are going out to state legislators regarding the state budget.  Texas education will continue to fall way below the nation's average if more cuts are made.  The letter is below:

Destructive cuts in funding for education and other essential public services are not the answer to the state budget shortfall that confronts the 2011 legislative session. State funding for public schools already lags behind growth in enrollment, inflation, and the cost of meeting rising state achievement goals. Texas needs to invest more, not less, in the nearly five million children attending our public schools.

Destructive cuts in funding for education and other essential public services are not the answer to the state revenue shortfall that confronts the 2011 legislative session. State funding for public schools already lags behind growth in enrollment, inflation, and the cost of meeting rising state achievement goals. Texas needs to invest more, not less, in the nearly five million children attending our public schools.

To address the short-term revenue problems caused by the recession and avoid destructive cuts, I urge you to declare publicly your support for the full use of the state’s Rainy Day Fund. This economic stabilization fund is intended to counteract exactly the kind of economic downturn accompanied by revenue shortfalls that we are experiencing now. Fully using the $9 billion available in the Rainy Day Fund will go a long way to prevent needless harm to our state’s schoolchildren and their families.

There also are long-term, structural revenue shortfalls in the state’s finances that require long-term solutions. The 2006 bill that reduced school property taxes did not produce nearly enough replacement revenue. That bill at the same time made it much harder for elected school boards to raise revenue locally above $1.04 per $100 of value. The state also has exempted business and professional services from the state sales tax, leaving untaxed the main growth sector in the state’s economy. The legislature should rethink all these policies. Taxing most business and professional services (while preserving the exemption for “lifeline” services such as health care and child care) would raise $5.6 billion per biennium.

Please support the necessary and feasible short-term and long-term solutions to the state’s revenue problems and don’t shortchange the future–our schoolchildren.

Ronald Reagan on Unions

"Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost." - Ronald Reagan, September 1, 1980

Comment: How does the school district hold a meeting to allow public comments, but NO BOARD MEMBER nor the SUPERINDENT bothers to show up?? In the 27 years I have lived in this school district, I have never seen such disrespect of the parents and, more importantly, our children in regards to their legitimate concerns. The board members chose to accept comments by having attendees fill out comment forms.

Parents express concern about Fort Bend ISD rezoning plan

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Parents showed their concerns Monday as the Fort Bend ISD school board gathered to vote on its Option 3 rezoning plan, which would affect about 1,700 students if approved at all levels.
During the meeting, the district’s school board approved the plans for its elementary and middle school students. It changed its plan for middle schools at the last minute to allow both incoming sixth and seventh graders to stay at their current schools if they choose, but without any transportation provided by the district.
The most contentious part of the plan involves the high school shift, which was still being debated and amended late Monday night.
The entire rezoning process, the district’s third in the past 10 years, had plenty of people in the community up in arms.
"Keep neighborhoods together. Have a long term plan that doesn’t ping pong our kids from school to school every couple of years," said parent Sharon Evans.
Another parent said it was time to put her foot down.
"It doesn’t matter what neighborhood you belong to," said Miriam Ahrendt. "If you are in their target zone, they consider us to be expendable, that we are not going to complain. That is what happens from year to year. We are going to be here and stand up for our kids. Enough is enough."
The rezoning process is just one issue Fort Bend ISD was dealing with Monday, as the school board spent a significant amount of time discussing the district’s budget problems.
District officials say the budget could have a deficit as much as $74 million, which could mean potential layoffs of more than 1,000 teachers.

Union Takes Stand Against Unreasonable Clause in Teacher Contract

“Employee’s salary includes consideration for all assigned duties, responsibilities, and tasks, regardless of the actual number of days (including weekends and days designated as “holiday” on the District duty schedule) that the Employee works during the contract period.”

The Federation’s position is that the document fails to meet basic legal requirements of a contract, that educators are have no way to know how much they will be expected to work in the upcoming year or how much they will be paid, even after they lose the unilateral right to resign (the unilateral right for every teacher to resign occurs 45 days prior to the start of school), usually around the second week of July. Based on this contract, an educator could in effect be required to work anywhere from 187 to theoretically 360 days and that an amendment to the days worked could actually create a situation where the district would fail to meet state minimum salary requirements.

A previous legal precedent has already been set.

Texas AFT General Counsel Martha Owen Cites North East ISD v. Kelley, the Commissioner of Education and the Texas Education Agency

 

Kelley was contesting North East ISD’s attempt to enforce a ten month contract by forcing him to work an extra day and the District’s ability to modify the number of workdays an educator was required to work beyond the 187 days originally published in the District’s calendar.

 

The Hearing Officer noted that both the District and the Federation acknowledged that the Kelley case could have an effect on the disposition of this grievance.

 

On December 9, 2010, the Third Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision, held that “the North East ISD’s work and salary schedules were incorporated by reference into the educator contract and that the contract required the educator to work only those number of days as designated by the calendar during the contract period.”

Troubled North Forest ISD laying off 90 teachers

Even more job cuts likely as district tries to reduce potential $17 million shortfall

By ERICKA MELLON Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

March 26, 2008, 10:56PM

The financial crisis in the North Forest school district is about to get personal for some 90 teachers who will get pink slips in coming days as part of a major staff-reduction plan.
In a rare unanimous vote, trustees agreed late Tuesday not renew the teachers' contracts next school year as they work under intense pressure from the Texas Education Agency to reduce a looming $17 million budget shortfall.
Even more job cuts, expected to involve principals, nurses, counselors and central office employees, are likely in coming weeks, said Interim Superintendent William Jones. Already, layoffs have affected about 10 percent of employees, based on data from the district.
Betty Robinson, president of the local teachers' association, said she has accepted the fact that the district's staff needs to shrink.
''I know we've got to lose some people to keep the district alive," said Robinson, a 30-year veteran of North Forest, who also runs its American Federation of Teachers chapter. ''I hope they are keeping the very best, people who are dedicated to the children."

See the rest of the article here:  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5648971.html

Texas Superintendent Salaries: 2010

Texas Superintendent Salaries: 2010

Facing an unprecedented budget shortfall, some lawmakers are questioning whether public schools spend too much on administration.

Reporter: By Matt Stiles, Texas Tribune


AUSTIN (March 1, 2011)-- Facing an unprecedented budget shortfall, some lawmakers are questioning whether public schools spend too much on administration, or, more specifically, administrator pay.
Atop that list are Texas' superintendents, the chief executives at more than 1,000 districts statewide.

These officials are paid on average about $108,000 a year, according to the Texas Education Agency's list of salaries from the 2009-10 academic year.
But at least two-dozen are paid more than $200,000, and not all run the largest districts.
More than 50 school districts have more students than Beaumont Independent School District, for example, but its superintendent, Carrol Thomas, makes the most: $346,000.
The top paid superintendents in Central Texas are Killeen’s Robert Muller, who makes $215,000 and ranks No. 56 on the state list, and Midway’s Brad Lancaster, who makes $179,000 and ranks No. 103 on the statewide list.  

Fort Bend Superintendent, Dr. Timothy Jenney is currently ranked 24th in pay at a staggering $260,339.  In other words, he is paid four dollars for every student in Fort Bend I.S.D.

The average secondary school teacher salary in the United States is currently $42,266 according to the site, Payscale.com.  Texas ranks just above the middle at $44,347 in teacher salaries.
 

Check Out Superintendent Salaries

Teachers' Right To Join A Union

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE LAW AND YOUR RIGHTS

The Texas Education Code States:
§ 21.408. RIGHT TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION. This chapter does not abridge the right of an educator to join any professional association or organization or refuse to join any professional association or organization.

As a public employee your rights are protected by State Law and Federal Constitution.

Article 5152. Revised Civil Statutes of Texas sets forth the RIGHT to ORGANIZE. "It shall be lawful for any and all persons engaged in any kind of work or labor, manual or mental, or both, to associate themselves together and form trade unions and other organizations for the purpose of protecting themselves in their pursuits and employments." (Acts 1899)

Article 5154c, Section 4 "It is declared to be the public policy of the State of Texas that NO PERSON SHALL BE DENIED PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT BY REASON OF MEMBERSHIP or non-membership IN A LABOR ORGANIZATION."

Article 5154c, Section6. "The provisions of this act shall not impair the existing right of public employees to PRESENT GRIEVANCES concerning their wages, hours of work or conditions of work, individually or THROUGH A REPRESENTATIVE that does not claim the right to strike."

Article 5154g, Section 1. "It is hereby declared to be the public policy of the State of Texas that the right of persons to work shall not be denied or abridged on account of membership or non-membership in any labor union or labor organization and that in the exercise of such rights, ALL PERSONS SHALL BE FREE FROM THREATS, FORCE, INTIMIDATION OR COERCION."

STATE LAW-ACTS 1947, 50TH LEGISLATURE,P.231,CH.135

A Teacher's Right to a Duty-Free Lunch

The Texas Education Code States:
§ 21.405. DUTY-FREE LUNCH. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), each classroom teacher or full-time librarian is entitled to at least a 30-minute lunch period free from all duties and responsibilities connected with the instruction and supervision of students. Each school district may set flexible or rotating schedules for each classroom teacher or full-time librarian in the district for the implementation of the duty-free lunch period. (b) The implementation of this section may not result in a lengthened school day. (c) If necessary because of a personnel shortage, extreme economic conditions, or an unavoidable or unforeseen circumstance, a school district may require a classroom teacher or librarian entitled to a duty-free lunch to supervise students during lunch. A classroom teacher or librarian may not be required to supervise students under this subsection more than one day in any school week. The commissioner by rule shall prescribe guidelines for determining what constitutes a personnel shortage, extreme economic conditions, or an unavoidable or unforeseen circumstance for purposes of this subsection.

A Teacher's Right to Planning and Preparation Time

The Texas Education Code States:
§ 21.404. PLANNING AND PREPARATION TIME. Each classroom teacher is entitled to at least 450 minutes within each two-week period for instructional preparation, including parent-teacher conferences, evaluating students' work, and planning. A planning and preparation period under this section may not be less than 45 minutes within the instructional day. During a planning and preparation period, a classroom teacher may not be required to participate in any other activity.

Do Texas Schools Spend Too Much on Administration?

by Morgan Smith
2/25/2011

Reference Material
Texas Superintendent Salaries 2009-10 CSV (96.8 KB) download

Beaumont Independent School District is the 64th largest in Texas. It is also the home of the state’s highest-paid public school administrator. Superintendent Carrol Thomas takes home $346,778 annually — a fact that could soon bring an uncomfortable spotlight to the community.

For lawmakers scrutinizing every possible saving, the broad category of “administrative costs” presents an easy mark.

State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston and the vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee, called the 58,575 people employed in nonteaching support positions by Texas public schools —”your math department supervisors, your curriculum experts” — a "soft target" for budget cutters. Those positions “must be seriously addressed,” he said. “That number is not based on reality.”

According to Patrick, the ratio of teachers to nonteachers, which includes those employed in administrative and support capacities, in districts has grown to nearly 1 to 1 today from 4 to 1 in the 1970s.

Senator Rodney Ellis Weighs In On Texas Education

Senator Rodney Ellis of District 13 of Texas weighed in on the budget cuts that Texas faces and the consequences of cutting education.  Since the unions in Texas don't have the power that those in most other states do, cutting teachers' benefits and salaries shouldn't be as big of a problem for the Texas Legislature and Governor Perry.  Or will it?

http://www.ellis.senate.state.tx.us/

As you know, the biggest issue facing Texas this legislative session is the unprecedented
$27 billion budget deficit. Thus far, the budget solution to this crisis has been
proposed cuts to services and programs vital to Texas families. Today I want to
focus on the reckless cuts to public and higher education which betray our school
kids and mortgage their future.

A decade ago we were talking about putting a computer in every classroom and wiring
all schools; today we're talking about closing schools and tearing the wiring out
of the walls. For a generation, we pushed kids to take AP courses to better prepare
for college; now we're doing away with them. We used to have a teacher shortage;
 now school districts are offering teachers $10,000 to quit; 10 years ago, every
 eligible student received a TEXAS Grant; under this budget, less than 30 percent
will.

This is a blueprint for building the Texas of the 19th Century, not the 21st.

These deep cuts represent a giant leap backward for Texas and will damage our ability
to compete in the decades ahead.  If this budget -- or anything like it -- passes,
public education in Texas as we know it will be irreparably harmed. The progress
 we have made over the decades -- and the progress we still need to achieve -- will
end and we will spend the rest of this decade climbing out of the hole we have dug
ourselves.

Public Education Budget Cuts: An Overview

If education is the key to the future, Texas is set to change the locks and barricade
the door. The proposed budget slashes nearly $10 billion from public schools, fires
potentially 100,000 public school teachers, threatens to shut down hundreds of public
schools, eliminates Pre-K and Advanced Placement courses.  The budget crisis has
 also led to calls to roll back a landmark education reform --class size limits
-- which has been instrumental to Texas' educational improvement.

Here are how these destructive public education cuts could impact Texas families:


* Spending on public education is cut by $9.8 billion.  This is could lead to the
reduction of nearly 100,000 teachers' jobs statewide, a severe problem in an already
struggling economy;
* Layoffs at the Texas Education Agency are already underway and the agency has
already cut $153 million from its current budget;
* HISD alone faces up to $350 million in cuts to our kids; over 3,800 teachers could
lose their jobs;
* HISD also may have to consider closing schools in our community;
* Fort Bend ISD faces nearly $74 million in cuts and a potential loss of at least
1,000 teachers;
* Alief ISD, which serves an 80 percent economically disadvantaged student population,
could see a $47 million cut, which could cost 900 jobs;
* Pre-K and Early Childhood School Ready programs are eliminated;
* Advanced Placement college readiness courses are eliminated.