Last week, the Austin American-Statesman ran an article which revealed the frustration Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and other legislators have when discussing education funding:

Austin American-Statesman – July 28, 2011

Schools shouldn't be painted as winners in budget debate

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is just exasperated.

The presiding officer of the Texas Senate and leading candidate to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison next year often laments that the media won't say that the Legislature, despite a mammoth budget shortfall, increased spending on public education this year.

Perhaps the media would repeat Dewhurst's claim if it weren't so misleading.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/schools-shouldnt-be-painted...

Folks, here are the facts that most folks in the MSM refuse to report:

Education spending makes up 57 percent of the general revenue funds, proving that education is important to our state leaders and that priorities get the lion’s share of the funding.

This wasn’t easy to do, considering that the federal stimulus spending put around $3.2 billion more in the Texas school system this biennium. Those were one-time dollars, and although schools were advised not to use the money for recurring expenses, many didn’t heed the warning.

Legislative leaders vowed not to raise taxes or to deplete the state’s rainy day fund. In the meantime, many of the more than 150 education lobbyists and numerous superintendents advocated depleting the state’s savings account and putting all of the money toward increased education spending.

Texans have been generous in funding public education. Funding has grown five times faster than student enrollment in the last 10 years.

From the 1998-99 school year to the 2008-09 school year, elementary and secondary education spending increased 95.3 percent, going from $28 billion to $54.7 billion. Enrollment growth is partly responsible for the increase, but during this time enrollment only grew by about 20 percent. That means spending grew almost five times faster than enrollment! As a result, per pupil spending increased by 63 percent over the last decade, up to $22,567 for the 2008-09 school year.

If enrollment isn’t driving spending growth, then what is?

According to the Texas Comptroller, 59.4 percent of state education spending goes to salaries, wages and benefits for employees. In the last decade, salaries, wages and benefits grew 80 percent, four times the growth in enrollment.

Capital costs increased 130 percent while non-payroll operating costs increased 195 percent. This rapid growth, well in excess of enrollment, is taking more and more funds out of Texans’ wallets and out of classrooms.

Unfortunately, teachers aren’t the beneficiaries of much of the higher payroll costs. The average teacher’s salary in Texas is $48,440. Other professionals in the school districts make an average of $8,392 more than teachers, and teachers earn $22,399 less than the average campus administrator.

More than 200 superintendents earn more than the governor of the Great State of Texas!

This salary disparity provides a disincentive for teachers to stay in the classroom. We should herald the day when the best teacher earns at least as much as the most mediocre administrator.

On average, only 48 percent of school district education dollars are used on instruction. That equates to less than 50 cents out of each education dollar actually going to the classroom.

These funding allocations within school districts are made by the local school districts and school board members – they are not mandated by the Texas legislature. And school districts across the state are at least $103 billion in debt, much of that taxpayer-approved, and the bulk of it for facilities. Not all of the bond money is for educational facilities.