Texas Tax Breaks Cost Schools, Benefit Select Few

Some tax breaks have become par for the course

By Patricia Kilday Hart

March 17, 2013

Twenty years ago, the Sunday front page of the Houston Chronicle reported that in Harris County "a dozen posh country clubs are receiving a special tax break that allows the exclusive clubs to avoid paying almost $1.6 million in property taxes each year."
Chief among them was the River Oaks Country Club, whose well-tended golf course is the playground of Houston's elite. Nestled next to downtown, that property was taxed at a fraction of its market value.

Nothing has changed in the subsequent two decades, except the lost tax income - at a time when the Houston Independent School District is considering a tax hike - now exceeds $4.5 million annually.

Long Term Substitutes: Beware of False Promises

This is the story of a long term substitute in a Houston area school district, and it is not an isolated event.  The purpose of this post is to bring to light misinformation brought on by district administration that directly affects the teachers and students that work and learn there.*

Flood of Education Bills at Texas Legislature

Flood of Bills as Legislature Hits Bill Filing Deadline Several School Voucher Bills Among Them

The 60th day of the legislative session came and went on Friday with a tidal wave of last minute legislative proposals being filed. According to the Dallas Morning News, more than 2,300 bills were filed during the last week, with 763 filed on Friday.

Regrettably, a number of harmful school voucher bills were among them, including:

Tax Credit Voucher Bills

• SB 23/SB1410 by Senator Patrick (R-Houston)/Senator Paxton (R-McKinney)
• SB 1015 by Senator Paxton (R-McKinney)
• HB 3245 by Rep. Callegari (R-Houston)

While they vary slightly in their particulars and the labels attached to them, these tax credit voucher bills all share a common theme—they use a corporate tax credit against taxes owed to the State of Texas to divert state dollars to private schools through a private non-profit corporation that picks students to receive “scholarships” to attend private schools. Private schools get a government subsidy using taxpayer dollars, corporations get a tax break, a small handful of students are benefited, and the 5 million students in Texas public schools get nothing.

Matt Damon Speaks before Save Our Schools March

"I had incredible teachers. And as I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all of these things came from how I was parented and taught.