Representative Rob Eissler: How a Hometown Hero Of Education Has Supporters Shaking Their Heads
by Fred Martin
Republican Rep. Rob Eissler of The Woodlands is one of the architects of HB8 and many of the measures that threaten the lives of educators across Texas. Who is he? And what does he want with public education? His background is extensive and his accolades are numerous. In the past he has been a hometown hero for education, but now he has many of his grassroots supporters confused if not down right angry.
Republican Rep. Rob Eissler of The Woodlands is one of the architects of HB8 and many of the measures that threaten the lives of educators across Texas. Who is he? And what does he want with public education? His background is extensive and his accolades are numerous. In the past he has been a hometown hero for education, but now he has many of his grassroots supporters confused if not down right angry.
Once a hero in education
Representative Eissler has spent twenty years dedicated to the public education system of Texas, 18 of which were on the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees, including two terms as President. He has served as a Junior Achievement Teacher for The Woodlands High School and Knox Junior High since 1993.
In 1999, he was named one of 25 "Original Hometown Heroes" for The Woodlands by The Woodlands Villager/Courier newspapers and The Woodlands Operating Company, L.P. The Chamber of Commerce named him "Citizen of the Year" in 1999, where he served as the Chairman of the Board in 1988.
In May, 2005 Representative Eissler was named one of the Top Texas Legislators of the 79th Legislative Session by Capitol Inside, an online guide to power in Texas Politics and Governmental Affairs. During the Second Called Session of the 79th Legislative Session, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Public Education Reform.
Funding and Common Sense
Rob Eissler has been a driving force in not just budget decisions but also fundamental changes in the way public education works. He is the author of the school finance part of SB8 which passed the house and senate in June of 2011. This article from the Texas Federation of Teachers sums up his latest attempts at legislative change in the Texas Congress: $4 Billion in cuts, removing class size limits and salary standards.
Attacks on Class-Size Caps and on Contract Safeguards Get Committee Okay in Texas House
Repeated attempts by Rep. Rob Eissler, Republican of The Woodlands, to pass a broad attack on class-size limits, contract safeguards, and salary standards failed in the regular 2011 legislative session. Opposition from parents, educators, and concerned citizens reinforced resistance from many House members, who blocked Eissler’s HB 400 and equivalent bills. Now Eissler is trying to pass his package of bad policy ideas in piecemeal fashion during the special session that began May 31. His own HB 18 reprises his attempt to turn the 22-to-1 class-size cap per classroom in grades K-4 into a meaningless district-wide average.
While Rep. Eissler believes removing the class size limits will save money, many argue that removing the 22-1 class size could be one of the most damaging things we could do to public education in Texas, and that they can already be removed if needed by requesting a waiver.
Texas lawmakers consider class size, teacher measures
Lubbock Avalanche Journal: Posted: June 3, 2011 - 11:24pm
Rep. Rob Eissler, R-Woodlands, said that while probably a good idea, small class sizes are "one of the most expensive things we do." Current law already allows districts to apply for waivers for larger classes if they lack classroom space or can't find teachers for additional classes. More than 140 school districts received waivers this year for larger classes at more than 500 elementary schools. Currently, waivers expire at the end of the year. "There's no need for this bill," Raab said. "A school district that wants a waiver, needs a waiver, gets a waiver."
It should be noted that while Rep. Eissler is claiming that his remedies with public education are the best way to fix our hole in the Texas budget, he has had his fair share of mistakes. The Texas Ethics Commission fined him for misuse of campaign funds in 2008. According to the Houston Chronicle, "Eissler paid his wife Linda $54,000 for undocumented services, which he told the TEC were to manage his campaign. Linda Eissler was his bookkeeper, scheduler and secretary, and he hired her as a “cost-saving measure,” Eissler told the TEC, according to the report."
Eissler fined $10k for misuse of funds
Houston Chronicle: Posted: Saturday, November 8, 2008 12:00 am | Updated: 11:34 pm, Mon Nov 22, 2010.
The Texas Ethics Commission fined state Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, $10,600 for using campaign funds to pay his wife to manage his campaign and on rent for an Austin condominium he and his wife own, in violation of the state election code. The fine is the second largest levied by the TEC this year. In addition to the fine, Eissler will have to reimburse his campaign funds $18,106.53, which he paid his wife and spent on the condo.
Will this legislative session be a bridge burner for his connections to teacher organizations? Eissler doesn't think so. “I’ve always gotten along with the teacher groups, and I still do,” he said. “Other than this.”
Education Legislation Struggle Breaks Old Alliances, Builds New Ones The Texas Tribune By MORGAN SMITH Published: May 19, 2011
Lawmakers who philosophically endorse reduced spending can balk at what [passing this legislation] means practically: teachers losing jobs, getting paid less and managing larger classes. “There’s an ugliness to a lower-funded environment that people don’t like to face,” Mr. Eissler said. “These are management issues that shouldn’t be discussed when the Legislature is talking about way underfunding public education,” said Lonnie Hollingsworth, a lobbyist with the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, adding that the bill could be described as a “divide-and-conquer strategy.” Mr. Hollingsworth said the legislation had strained his group’s relationship with Mr. Eissler. Mr. Eissler vowed that his measure would return to the floor — and pass. He also said his relationship with teachers associations was not in danger.
Supporters
According to his website, Rep. Eissler's supporters range from the NRA, Pro Life groups, to Teachers' Unions such as ATPE, TSTA, and the Texas Classroom Teachers' Association.
But looking at overall money donations, it's easy to see who's really wearing the pants: Legal, medical associations and oil and gas.
Eissler has, on many occasions, been known to support causes relating to number two on that list, "Health Professionals". While honoring a Dallas physician, he made comments regarding the national problem of childhood obesity. Whether it was intentional or not, he even exaggerated the truth to raise awareness of childhood obesity.
Politifact: Honoring Dallas physician Kenneth Cooper, who has spent much of his career promoting aerobics, state Rep. Rob Eissler warned against the dangers of obesity. It "kills 34 children per hour," The Woodlands Republican said on the House floor May 23, 2011.
However, CDC spokeswoman Karen Hunter told us the agency lately estimates that obesity accounts for less than one-third that number: 112,000 deaths a year, or about 13 deaths an hour. According to an undated CDC sheet of frequently asked questions about calculating obesity-related risk, the estimate has dropped in recent years because CDC scientists started using newer data and different methods of analysis. Note: All these estimated death rates, from the outdated to the most recent, are for adults, not children.
Wouldn't it be nice if this kind of passion and support for childhood health was now on the side of our children in public education?
Travel Industry
Rob Eissler was given an award for his work with the Travel Industry by a few of his peers. It seems he was given the credit for changing the uniform start date for schools, which helped the tourism industry much more than it helped education in Texas.
Rob Eissler was given an award for his work with the Travel Industry by a few of his peers. It seems he was given the credit for changing the uniform start date for schools, which helped the tourism industry much more than it helped education in Texas.
The Silver Spur is awarded to public officials who have demonstrated leadership and exemplary service to the Texas travel and tourism industry. Recent past winners include: Governor Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Tom Craddick.Oil and Gas connections
“As Chairman of the House Public Education Committee, Rob Eissler has been a strong advocate of education and travel and tourism issues that are critical to our industry and to Texas,” said David Dunham, Chair of TTIA’s Legislative Affairs Committee. “His leadership in supporting a uniform school start date for Texas public schools has resulted in a school calendar that is both family and business friendly...” Dunham added.
Education isn't the only interest of Rob Eissler, he has had several connections to the oil and gas industry. Every successful politician knows that you need donors with deep pockets and educational entities usually aren't part of that group. This raises the question, does any political financial support ever come with no strings attached?
Eissler is the CEO for Algeternal Technologies, LLC in Austin, TX which is a private company categorized under Oil and Gas Field Machinery. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $830,000 and employs a staff of approximately 10. Curiously enough, the AlgEternal web site site states, "AlgEternal Technologies specializes in development of transformative technologies to enable mass production of algae."
Carolyn Bruton of Magnolia has been the District Coordinator for State Representative Rob Eissler for the past six years. Her husband, Randy, is an attorney/consultant specializing in the oil and gas field.
Eissler is on the board of directors for The Woodlands' Epic Energy Resources, a multi-million dollar company that provides services to the oil and gas industries. And "according to a Reg D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Epic Energy Resources Inc. (OTC: EPCC) has raised $6.71 million..."
By way of comparison, Governor Rick Perry's oil and gas connections outweigh all others. In fact, they're astounding. No one in Texas and, I'd wager, in most, if not all other states can claim that kind of support in contributions to a state official.
Rick Perry's overall contributors:
What happened in 2006
Is there a connection between large corporations like oil and gas and education? Of course. Sometimes companies provide grant money to schools to help programs and teachers. Corporations have quite often supported our children's education from Pre-K through high school. And sometimes they donate to state legislators. So what has the state of Texas done for them lately? Plenty.
In 2006, Rick Perry signed a school finance bill supported by Rob Eissler and Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro that completely changed the face of funding for public schooling by making it extremely difficult for districts to raise property taxes that fund schools (see below). The decrease in local property taxes was devastating to schools in the long term, but a boon to local residents - somewhat. Who did this tax decrease help the most? The multi-million and billion dollar corporations that reside in those districts. No one can say without at doubt that hurting schools and helping very large corporations was the intended effect, but overall, that's what happened. And Rob Eissler and Florence Shapiro stand by it.
In 2006, Rick Perry signed a school finance bill supported by Rob Eissler and Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro that completely changed the face of funding for public schooling by making it extremely difficult for districts to raise property taxes that fund schools (see below). The decrease in local property taxes was devastating to schools in the long term, but a boon to local residents - somewhat. Who did this tax decrease help the most? The multi-million and billion dollar corporations that reside in those districts. No one can say without at doubt that hurting schools and helping very large corporations was the intended effect, but overall, that's what happened. And Rob Eissler and Florence Shapiro stand by it.
Few Texas school districts have asked voters to raise tax rates since 2006 law took hold By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News tstutz@dallasnews.com Published 08 September 2010
For decades, local school boards could raise property tax rates just by voting on it. But now, school boards live in a different world. As part of a massive school finance law passed by the Legislature in 2006, school districts for the first time were put under a mandate that required voter approval for tax rate hikes. Generally, districts can now levy up to $1.04 for maintenance and operations, but exceeding that level requires an election. The maximum tax rate that can be sought is $1.17. Four years after lawmakers put school districts on notice that they would need voter approval for tax hikes, just three out of 10 districts have pulled the lever and sought a higher tax rate - despite the financial pinch gripping many districts. An estimated 224 districts - a little over a fifth of the 1,025 in the state - have won voter approval to raise their tax rates by as much as 13 cents per $100 valuation. Seventy-eight districts have been turned down by their voters, including 17 that have lost twice, according to www.TexasISD.com, which tracks tax rate elections in the state. So there's little doubt the new requirement - adopted by lawmakers in 2006 - has had a chilling effect on school tax rates, just as some legislative leaders predicted when it was approved. Senate Education Committee
Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said she applauds the decision of so many school districts to hold the line on property taxes four years after the Legislature cut the maximum school property tax rate by a third.
Her House counterpart, Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, maintained that the requirement for voter approval of tax increases is working.
What now?
“There’s an ugliness to a lower-funded environment that people don’t like to face,” Mr. Eissler said. Confronting that ugliness makes legislators from both parties skittish, particularly those who represent rural districts, where schools can be the largest employers — and where the lines between labor and management are much less defined.
As in 2006, Eissler is determined to reduce funding from schools, this time in the amount of billions of dollars. If those in education think things are bad now, before the bill passes, imagine how ugly it's going to get in the coming years. Yet, Eissler is determined: “I’m going to move my desk up to the front mic,” Mr. Eissler said, “so I can watch every bill that goes by.”
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