The proposed budget for the state of Texas came out this week. I have been pretty interested in state budgets since my sophomore year in college. I was an intern at Youth Villages, and the state of Tennessee had to virtually shut down for several weeks because the legislature could not come to an agreement on the budget. Mental health facilities were some of the only state funded organizations that stayed open, so I kept my job for the summer. I learned then that even though I worked for a private organization, my salary was indirectly tax-payer funded. My husband also teaches at a public university (and has for the past 6 years) so I also pay attention to state budgets and tax debates because our family's financial well being is tax payer funded.
Governor Perry has pledged that taxes will not increase, nor will the state dip into its 'rainy day fund.' That means budget cuts. Unfortunately, many of the cuts proposed are in public education. Scholarships for public universities are being significantly cut, which means that many low income students will not be able to attend. In elementary schools, the new budget proposes cutting hundreds of jobs, specifically in art, music, physical education and librarians. I recently heard the comment, "If I don't have children in school, why should I have to pay taxes for public schools?" Comments like those cause me to die a little inside. Imagine our future if children today do not have the opportunity to express themselves artistically, exercise using parachutes, or explore libraries.
I would gladly pay more in taxes to ensure that my son's future elementary school has art, music, PE, and a cranky librarian! I wish my crazy Kara could have been his librarian : )
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