More education for our money please

More education for our dollars, not more dollars for education


According to the Houston Chronicle, in 2006, the HISD superintendent was making over $300,000 base salary. The article is worth a read and cited information provided by education associations:
http://blogs.chron.com/schoolzone/2006/12/can_you_guess_the_average_sala.html


$180,000 salary; $1,000 a month car allowance; $20,000 signing bonus

Perks for a CEO?

Try some Central Texas School Superintendents”

This is the promo for an investigative news report airing on CBS KEYE-TV. Award-winning investigative reporter Nanci Wilson contacted me and asked for my on-camera reaction to the research she had compiled on how Austin area school districts spend tax dollars.

The CBS News investigative report is slated to aire Monday, Feb. 25 and Wednesday, Feb. 27. The link for KEYE-TV’s investigative reports: http://www.keyetv.com/content/news/investigates/default.aspx

The promo quotes me several times, expressing my outrage that taxpayer dollars are being misspent and some expenditures hidden from taxpayers. The promo also provides a glimpse of an interview with a very defiant Austin Superintendent.

Background: AFP launched a campaign “More education for our dollars” to get more education dollars directed to the classroom, when three years ago we traveled the state with a ruler with “How Does Your School District Measure Up?” and a link to the Comptroller’s web site and the School District Watch List. The data reveals that most districts have one non-teaching staff for each teacher, only 50% of the education dollars are spent in the classroom and most school districts are rated as “acceptable” – this is not acceptable to most taxpayers.

Update: Comptroller Susan Combs changed the listing to be called “School District Listing” and has now taken the listing off her new website, though the information is still available. AFP has worked with the Texas Education Agency to get the information posted there – http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/snapshot/2006/district.srch.html and the information is still at: http://www3.cpa.state.tx.us/districts.nsf, though not visible on the Comptroller’s website. Comptroller Combs said that she no longer has the responsibility to do the school district audits. True, but the funding to do that project didn’t get withdrawn.

Stay tuned -- I'll keep you posted as the sparks fly when the powerful CBS-TV Affiliate reveals just how our education tax dollars are being spent. -- Peggy Venable