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Demand an Honest Budget

Kirk Watson — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:42:33 GMT

This was supposed to be the year when Texas finally did better when it came to budget honesty.

We were going to use parks money to pay for parks; clean air money for cleaner air; utility fees for utility relief ... The list goes on.

But taxpayers aren’t seeing the reform they expect, which means your money – tax dollars, fees and such – still aren’t being spent the way you were promised they would be.

Are you ready for an honest budget and an end to diversions? Sign this petition!

Here’s how they get you:

The state budget is honeycombed with hundreds of "dedicated" funds – little piggybanks where those in control collect your taxes and fees. The state promises to spend the money on a specific, usually popular purpose that you probably support.

But then, much of that money is hoarded in the accounts, diverted from its intended purposes and used to cover other costs.

Over the years, the state has allowed those accounts to get bigger and bigger, starving necessities (like parks, trauma care, 911 service and clean air) that it was meant to pay for and covering up for the failure to fund basic state functions (like schools and healthcare) in more honest, transparent ways.

And, as a result, nearly $5 billion was diverted away from its dedicated purposes in the current 2012-13 budget.

Do you think Texans deserve more transparency and fewer diversions? Click here.

At the start of this session, folks like the Governor and Speaker of the House promised to start weaning the state from its addiction to diversions. But, if anything, things are getting even less transparent.

Right now, those in control of the legislature are pushing a pre-election utility rebate gimmick that would divert more than $700 million from its purpose. That’s money Texans have given the state to help low-income families in deregulated electricity markets pay their utility bills.

The reason the money was collected – the need it’s meant to address – still exists. Hundreds of thousands of poor and elderly Texans still can’t afford their bills in brutally hot months.

Do the math; sign the petition!

Budget writers are using that broken promise to underwrite another one: they pledge to divert no more than $4 billion -- $4 billion! -- in the next budget.

That’s close to the $4.95 billion they’re diverting now, minus the $700 million they’re writing off in the rebate scheme.

In other words they’re still addicted to diversions, pursing business-as-usual while shrouding it in fake reform. Worse still, budget writers have rejected calls to craft a plan to wean the state off of this practice over the next few budgets. I filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would bring true, long-term reform to this process; it hasn’t even been given a hearing.

That’s not real reform. That’s like someone promising he won’t keep drinking any more without promising to drink much less, either.

Texas can do better. Demand honest budgeting. Fight diversions. Sign this petition.

A Down Payment, Not a "New Normal"

Kirk Watson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:42:08 GMT

Yesterday, the Senate passed its draft budget for 2014-15. It passed overwhelmingly – 29-2. Obviously, most Democrats in the Senate voted for it. So did I.

Does that mean this session’s budget undoes the damaging budget cuts that our schools endured two years ago?

Does it mean there's a permanent solution to the school funding crisis?

Does it show that this budget makes real progress in creating honest accounting and paying down the billions in dedicated funds that have been diverted from their intended purposes over the years?

Does it mean that the state is making needed investments in Texans’ health and the Texas economy by securing more Medicaid funding?

Umm ... no.

This budget passed with many Democrats’ votes for one reason: it’s a start, a down payment on the change we need to make this session. But no one should think our work is done.

I certainly don't.

The Good News

Even if it's a long way from perfect, there’s some good stuff in this budget.

The budget was put together in a very open, inclusive way. That's not been my experience with past budgets.

A chunk of the $5.4 billion that was cut from schools in 2011 has been restored. There’s substantial, meaningful investment in mental health programs. Most state employees will get a raise – and so many of my constituents who are state employees will tell you that it's been too long since they saw one. The state's retirement systems for former employees and teachers also will see funding increases.

(It was a remarkable moment in the Chamber yesterday when the gallery, packed with retired teachers wearing red T-shirts, burst into applause as they heard what the budget would mean to them.)

And let’s just say it: As horrendous as the budget was in 2011, when the legislature slashed $5.4 billion from Texas schools, pretty much anything that didn’t take out the state’s hard times on its kids is comparatively good news.

But we wouldn’t have been for this budget if we’d thought this was as good as it’ll get this session.

The bad news

This isn’t as good as Texas can do. It just isn’t. I love this state with all my heart, and I know that Texas can do better than this budget.

The state has been sued by most of its districts over the school finance system. A state district judge ruled more than a month ago that the system isn’t fair, isn’t adequate, and isn’t even constitutional. This legislature could – and should – have been working to craft a permanent solution to this crisis. Instead, it’s waiting on a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court, as if the state might yet get off on a technicality.

The fact is that this budget doesn't offer a permanent solution to Texas' running school funding crisis. It maintains a broken, inadequate formula – asking Texas kids and families to wait for the critical investments they need and deserve. We rank 49th nationally in per pupil spending, and after you adjust for inflation, we're actually spending less money per-pupil than we were in any of the last three years.

Really, from the first day of this session, it should have been the goal of every legislator to restore the resources that were cut from our schools in 2011 and renew the state’s investment in its future. That’s still the goal, and there will still be ample opportunities to do that between now and Memorial Day. If the legislature fails to do that, this session will be remembered as a failure – as it should be.

The danger of the “New Normal”

I see the budget passed yesterday as the beginning of our work to do better by Texas and its future. What’s scary – what we need to fight – is the perception that this budget is all we need, or that it represents some sort of “New Normal.”

I worry that some legislators may consider this budget to be a new benchmark for what’s considered adequate or acceptable, even as teachers and students look for ways to do more and more with fewer resources, and Texas women, seniors and kids struggle to get health care.

Texas can, should and must do better by our schools, our kids, our people and our future – not just leave them all a little less worse off.

So this budget vote needs to set the stage for the changes we know we need: a permanent school finance solution that creates great schools, fundamental reform of the budget process, and major investments in health care, water supplies, transportation and Texas’ future.

Yesterday was a vote for progress and process. It’s going to take all of us – not just those who almost single-handedly cut $5.4 billion from our schools two years ago – to make the changes that will meet Texas’ needs, prepare its future, and lay the foundation for a 21st Century economy.

The End of the Beginning

Kirk Watson — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:27:51 GMT

There are any number of moments that could pass for the beginning of the end of a legislative session in Texas. But if you’re looking for an end of the beginning, that was probably Friday.

Friday was the last day to file bills without asking anyone’s permission. Starting this past weekend, we now have to get four-fifths of our fellow senators to agree before any additional bills can be filed.

The bill filing deadline is always a crazy day. A great many offices tend to have at least a couple of loose ends to tie up, and they rush to get their bills filed. Meanwhile, various advocates and interest groups – some totally legitimate, some ... less so – run through the Capitol in search of a legislator who will throw their idea a bone, letting it live for at least 80 more days as a bill and buying time to see whether it can become a law.

A lot of offices don’t much care for the scramble. Some put up signs on doors making it clear that they’re not interested in last-minute ideas. As one office down the hall from mine asked last week, “If this idea’s so great, where was it three weeks ago?”

Always a good question.

Read all about it, and get ready for more

The good news is that all of our stuff got in, and we’ve got a great collection of legislation that I’ll be talking and writing about more over the next few weeks.

I’ve already written some about my constitutional amendment to end budget diversions, my bill to reform investor-owned utilities, and a set of bills I filed on basic necessities and priorities such as budget honesty, education, water conservation and public safety.

Here are a few more that have attracted some notice over the past couple of weeks:

Modernize open meetings laws – make government more open & efficient

Government should function efficiently and effectively. And the public should know as much as possible about what government is doing. No matter where folks fall on the political spectrum, they should agree with both of those statements. And technology can help make them both come true.

Senate Bill 1297 would infuse technology into Texas’ public information laws by allowing government officials to communicate via an official online message board posted on their government entity’s web site. The idea is to give officials a way to communicate and allow the public to listen in on the conversation.

I introduced the bill on Thursday at a press conference with Attorney General Greg Abbott. It was a great event, and I hope the bill will continue to bring people together from different perspectives. Here’s a good summary from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Property rights issue: let folks xeriscape their yards

Any time you can protect property rights and the environment, you’ve got to do it, right?

My SB 198 allows for the installation of more drought-proof landscapes by limiting a homeowners association’s ability to block xeriscaped or more efficient yards and landscapes.

Landscaping can make up about 30% of residential water use. People should have the right to save water and money.

Here’s more from State Impact Texas.

Increased penalties for fatal hit-and-run accidents

I filed Senate Bill 275 to increase potential criminal penalties on those who hit and kill someone in an accident.

Under my bill, those convicted of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death could face a 20-year prison sentence, not just the 10 years that current law provides.

Here’s an article about it from the Texas Tribune.

Transparency for major events incentives

For years, Texas has had a program designed to lure big events such as the Super Bowl to Texas. I believe that anyone who supports programs like these (and I do) has a special obligation to make sure they work.

So this session, I filed SB 541 to increase oversight and transparency for these programs. My bill also would ensure that the state is getting its money’s worth – and not someone else’s – by severely capping taxpayers’ obligations for things like new scoreboards from which a sports team (or another private interest) will recoup most of the value after the event has ended.

Here’s an editorial from the Statesman on the bill and the controversy that helped to prompt it.

Like I say ...

These are all terrific bills. I hope to share good news about each of them – along with some other good ones I’m working on – before the session wraps up on Memorial Day.

The Legislative Session's Low Moment

Kirk Watson — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:36:09 GMT

Every session has its ups and downs, its highs and lows.

This session is no different, though the lowest point seems to have arrived early this session. It usually comes later – after short-sighted behavior, ridiculous lack of discipline, and terrible (albeit easily foreseen) outcomes.

This low point is my new high: I’m officially back to being fat.

I usually put on some serious pounds during a session. But I’ve porked up much earlier this year than ever before.

This is a session of firsts: the first time my pants have been let out before March; the first time I’ve eaten a sleeve of cookies by declaring to myself that “I deserve these” before I’ve even passed a bill out of the Senate; the first time I’ve stood behind my desk chair for a picture with a page to hide my belly (and the strained button on my coat); and the first time I’ve methodically eaten a box of beef jerky in an afternoon while telling myself it was okay since jerky has no carbs.

I’m way up, which means I’m sort of down.

A big fat falsehood

One of my biggest priorities remains ending the diversion of money that you pay for specific things like clean air, trauma care, or state parks, but that’s used instead to pay for other budget items.

I’ve written repeatedly about the dishonesty of this practice. I’ve worked session-after-session to curtail it. And I’ve even filed a proposed constitutional amendment this session to end this process with a big dose of openness and accountability.

My amendment does four things that I believe are essential to ending diversions:

It puts this vital decision in the hands of Texans by allowing them to vote on the amendment.

It enshrines these limits in the state constitution so future legislatures can’t simply write around them with a bill.

It creates a responsible “glide-path” that gives the legislature more than six years to end this practice.

It allows disciplined discretion that permits a supermajority of the House of Representatives and Senate to redirect this money, but only in the most open and transparent way possible.

I’m very proud of this legislation, but it’s not like my ideas were handed to me on a stone tablet. I’ll work with anyone, from either party, who’s willing to stop playing games and get serious about acknowledging this deep honesty deficit and what it will take to close it.

It’s time to get real

The problem, I guess, is that old habits die hard, and this is one of the oldest bad habits in the state budget. As I’ve said repeatedly, the budget is balanced with a toxic mix of debt, diversions, deception and denial, and it’s not clear that everyone’s willing to throw out those rotten crutches.

In 2001, the state diverted about $1.6 billion in dedicated funds. For the current budget, the total is about $4.95 billion, an increase of more than 200 percent. The state now diverts nearly as much in parks fees, clean air charges, utility bill surcharges and other fees as it collects in business taxes.

That $4.95 billion represents years of broken promises to Texans and spells out the size of the state’s honesty deficit. You simply can’t address this issue without at least coming up with a plan to pay down that debt or creating a mechanism to prevent budget writers from diving back into these diversions in the future.

New normal

That $4.95 billion total is a 10-figure indicator of how badly those in control of the budget have allowed this reliance on diversions to get. This isn’t a matter of just letting bygones be bygones. The legislature has to reckon with its past actions. It’s not enough to say, “We won’t let it grow any more than this.” That’s the equivalent of saying the system is too broken to fix.

It also isn’t possible to fix this deception without constitutional language ending it and a plan for paying back this debt.

Some may claim this measure of responsibility is too hard to live up to. They say they need discretion to write the budget. But “discretion,” and the abuse of it, created this problem, deep distrust among Texans, and distaste for these diversions and broken promises.

So those in control can’t simply say, “Trust us; we mean it this time.” How can anyone believe that this practice will end for more than a session or two without a constitutional provision short-circuiting it?

Besides, approaches like mine still allow some flexibility. Legislators could redirect dedicated funds with a two-thirds vote. They’d simply have to do it in the light of day, declaring fund-by-fund what they were doing and explaining why to their constituents.

That’s what I call “disciplined discretion.” It offers a real change, not just more promises. It allows taxpayers to trust the state by verifying that the legislature’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing. And it requires those in control to be honest about how they’re using taxpayer dollars while still allowing them to do what they need to do to balance the budget.

These diversions have been going on for more than 20 years. They now total billions of dollars. I think Texans will be willing to trust the state with this money again, but the state is going to have to earn it.

Texas Kids Deserve Better

Kirk Watson — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:21:00 GMT

On Saturday afternoon, about 3,500 people (according to the Texas Tribune) from around the state marched up Congress Avenue for a rally in support of Texas’ children, its schools, its economy and its future.

I was honored to welcome the crowd to the Capitol and to talk about what’s going on with Texas schools — and what we can do to make sure the state does better by them.

Please take a few minutes to watch the video of my speech. My prepared remarks are below, but I’ll bet you already know the gist of it:

“When our kids make a mistake, we expect them to fix it. When our kids have an assignment to do, we don’t let them procrastinate. When our kids have a test, we expect them to show up and do well. It’s time to demand as much from this legislature as we demand from a child.”

Thank you all for being here … Isn’t it a great day to be in Austin, Texas?

And isn’t it great to be supporting Texas schools?

I’m honored to welcome you all here to your state Capitol, and I’m proud to stand with you today.

We’re here because we love Texas and we love Texas schools. We’re proud of our state’s great history when it comes to fighting for our schools and defending them from harm.

And we know Texas can do better, Texas has done better, and Texas children and schools deserve better than they’re getting from this legislature.

Now, we all know our state’s future depends on whether our kids will learn enough to thrive in the 21st Century economy. That isn’t news to any parent or teacher in this audience or in this state. And let’s face it: you have to talk a lot about the economy to get anywhere with the folks in control of this building.

But it’s time — it’s past time — to talk about the kids, too. Let’s focus on the young Texans who will owe so much of their lives to the things they’re learning in school right now.

And let’s imagine how great the Great State of Texas would be if every single child could get a world-class education right in their neighborhood school. No matter what she looks like. No matter where her parents are from. No matter where she lives — in the ’burbs or the barrio; the gated community or the ghetto.

Just imagine what we could become if every last one of Texas’ children was prepared to succeed and prosper in the 21st Century.

People under that Dome speak all the time about issues like individual liberty, individual prosperity and economic development. But as soon as the subject changes to how to help those kids, it’s like these so-called leaders forget how to talk.

There’s no excuse to wait any longer. The verdict is in, and it says Texas’ school system isn’t adequate, isn’t fair, and isn’t even constitutional.

This legislature is failing our children.

It’s failing them by refusing to restore the $5.4 billion that was unconscionably cut away from schools, teachers and kids two years ago. It’s shameful and immoral that the legislature isn’t working right now to restore these resources — especially now that we know Texas has the money to do that.

The legislature is failing by refusing to even talk about finding a permanent solution to the school funding crisis. Instead, those in control are sitting around like some litigious, deadbeat dad, waiting for an even higher court to force them to meet their responsibilities.

It’s failing by entertaining a deceptive, destructive voucher scheme that could take money from public schools and funnel it to unaccountable private ones.

Those in control fail every time they refuse to be honest, open and accountable in describing what’s happening in our schools. Every time an elected official uses deception and denial, or plays fast and loose with basics like funding levels or graduation rates, our kids suffer.

And the legislature is failing our kids by trying to stake out this new normal — one that allows Texas to do less and less for our kids even as the 21st century demands more and more of them — at this instant where the state’s changing demographics and economy make free, public schools more important than ever.

The good news is that we can fix all of these things. Your state representatives and senators could walk into this building right now and start addressing all of these failings.

So it’s time to stop waiting to do the right thing.

When our kids make a mistake, we expect them to fix it. When our kids have an assignment to do, we don’t let them procrastinate. When our kids have a test, we expect them to show up and do well.

It’s time to demand as much from this legislature as we demand from a child.

Thank you for being here, and thank you for fighting to save Texas schools and to build a better Texas.

Four Promises, No Labels

Kirk Watson — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:25:29 GMT

With all due respect to Congress, nobody’s nailed down the “politics at its worst” thing quite like Texas’ State Board of Education.

Our board has one policy area to not screw up: what kids learn in Texas schools. And yet, for years, it’s been wrought by conflicts that have been initiated, in my estimation, by folks who care more about propagating what they themselves believe rather than what kids actually need to know.

The dynamics have gotten so bad that two legislative sessions ago, in 2009, the Senate actually busted the Governor’s appointee to chair the board. Last session, there was so little support for the Governor’s chair that she didn’t even get a vote. There's even a PBS documentary about it called "The Revisionaries," which you can watch online until Feb. 27.

Well, yesterday, the Senate Nominations committee, on which I’m the only Democrat, took up the nomination of Barbara Cargill, the third nominee for SBOE Chair that the Governor’s given us in the last three sessions.

And the committee recommended her confirmation. Unanimously.

Why vote yes? Find out below the jump.

As I said yesterday, this was a tough vote, and it’s one I thought about a lot.

Chairwoman Cargill and I will always disagree on some big issues. We think about and approach politics and public education – at least on some fundamentals – from different places.

But I used the nominations process and my position on the committee to ask her important questions and to be sure we got answers to those questions. She's made the commitment – to me, the Senate and the people of Texas – that she won’t allow her personal politics to dictate how she leads the board or what kids learn in schools.

Specifically, there were four big commitments I got from her during last week’s hearing that promise she’ll do her job in a way that’s less political – and better for children and schools – than either of her previous two predecessors (or, significantly, the likely alternatives that the Governor might appoint if she’s rejected):

1. No creationism in school, no pressuring publishers: Texas deserves a (to borrow a phrase) fair and balanced Board of Education chair, and Cargill has agreed to work in this way. Regardless of her personal beliefs, she assured us that if creationism is going to be taught, it should be taught at home or in church . . . not in Texas textbooks. Critically, she also pledged not to use her position to put pressure on national publishers or try to force them to teach a single set of beliefs.

2. No political litmus tests: Cargill admitted she'd made a mistake in the past when she applied a political litmus test (i.e. “Is this person a conservative”) to potential curriculum experts and fellow board members. She said she no longer asks potential experts about their political beliefs, and she spoke to the importance of reconciliation and communication with her colleagues. She also said clearly that she values diversity among the board members and diversity of opinion on the Board.

3. Better definition of an expert: She also promised to clarify and strengthen the definition of an expert through SBOE rules. That’s a big deal: right now, you’re considered an “expert” (at least for curriculum-writing purposes) if you have nothing more than a bachelor's degree in a particular subject. We all love Texas schools, and I hope we all agree that Texas can do a better job establishing basic education standards for all of its schoolchildren.

4. Board transparency: Cargill pledged to make the Board more open and accountable. This is a big priority for me, and I truly believe it will pay off in better a better education for Texas kids. I'll work with her and with other Board members to see to it that this happens – and she committed to do the same. I also have legislation to improve transparency on the board.

No Labels

I’ve often preached the importance of throwing away labels. It’s my most important ground rule for governing.

This is a case, I believe, where it’s better for everyone – and especially our kids – if we put aside political preconceptions and consider that the board is better under Chairwoman Cargill than it has been in the past, and better than it could be under other potential appointees.

Regardless of the alternatives, from several conversations with her and from her testimony last week, I do believe Cargill approaches her role as chair very seriously. She seems to be working to lead the board in good faith, and I appreciate that.

She didn't answer every question perfectly, and there's plenty for people to legitimately point to as revealing ideas and approaches they – and I – disagree with.

Frankly, I naturally wish every nominee would agree with me on all (or at least most) issues. I wish each appointee would be able to eliminate everyone's fear about how they will serve.

But that's not realistic, particularly in a political environment. We have a nominations process that's meant to mitigate that fear and protect our state from harm. Because of that process, two SBOE chairs rightly weren't confirmed. That process also allowed me to ask hard questions of Chairwoman Cargill and have her make public promises about how she'll serve.

We all must work to hold her accountable for what she's committed to do. And I'm looking forward to working with her to make sure the Board operates fairly and in the best interest of Texas kids.

We've given the SBOE a lot of responsibility for our curriculum and Texas’ future. I take this responsibility seriously and hope she will too. Her testimony gives me sufficient confidence that the process will make her a better chair than she would have been otherwise. I'm also confident we’ll all be watching her actions closely.

What "Unconstitutional" Means

Kirk Watson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:39:06 GMT

I wrote some last week about a judge’s ruling that the way Texas finances schools and education is unconstitutional.

But that word, “unconstitutional,” doesn’t really do it justice. The ruling was a sweeping condemnation of the way Texas has failed to invest in our schools and our future, even in violation of our history, our identity and, yes, our constitution.

“The Court declares that the current school finance system violates ... the Texas Constitution," state District Judge John Dietz declared. He called the system "inefficient, inequitable and unsuitable," and he found that it "arbitrarily funds districts at different levels below the constitutionally required level.”

He later called the school finance system “inadequate,” saying it doesn’t give schools the resources they need to achieve that constitutional standard of “a general diffusion of knowledge.”

It’s hard to think of a way that the system could be much more broken. Maybe if someone were stealing something ...

Read more below the jump.

Time for action? Not so much

In a normal world, this ruling would bring, at the very least, some level of shame for the folks who created this system.

Something like this should fire up legislators – folks who are already in Austin to pass laws on things like, you know, school finance.

It should end the charade that our schools are good enough – that they don’t need to be better or that Texans don’t deserve better.

It should jump-start reforms leading to a permanent solution in how we finance Texas schools, ensuring that our kids all have access to an equitable and excellent education.

But in the world of the Capitol, this ruling has become a reason NOT to take action. That’s because it’s going to be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court. Those in control have made it crystal clear that they aren’t going to take action until the litigation wraps up, despite the roadmap that the lawsuit and ruling lays out.

So no matter what the ruling says – no matter what truth it reveals about the state of our schools, no matter what it tells us about what our teachers and kids are dealing with right now, no matter how much we all know that something must change – it’s not something they’re going to deal with.

Those in control don't even seem to be seriously entertaining our work to restore the roughly $5.4 billion that was cut from schools two years ago.

What else is there to talk about

So what are those in control talking about this session?

Well, there’s vouchers – or, if you prefer, backdoor vouchers that reward companies with tax breaks for putting money into private schools, thereby reducing funding for public schools that our constitution is trying to protect.

Actually, scratch that. The concerns about backdoor vouchers (and doubts about their chances for passage) are so deep that last week, the voucher talk was actually talk about whether we should be talking about vouchers at all.

And what about the Governor? Well, he devoted precious little of his State of the State speech last month to even the possibility of providing more funding for public schools – backdoor vouchers seemed like a bigger focus for him, especially when it came to education funding.

So where was he in the days after this critical ruling, this moment that cries out for leadership? Naturally, he was in California.

Wouldn’t it be nice if he were thinking about kids in Texas and making sure they were educated enough to seek and create these jobs?

Better schools for a better Texas

One of the things about Texas that folks should be proudest of is our shared commitment to schools and education. That commitment was clear from Texas' declaration of independence.

The truth, once again, is that Texas can do so much better – and Texans deserve so much better – when it comes to providing this essential economic infrastructure.

Texas kids and parents deserve a fair system that produces truly excellent schools and opportunities, not excuses or delays. They deserve the necessities that vanished with the 2011 budget cuts.

It’s ridiculous that, instead of helping these hard-working middle-class Texans, those in control are instead waiting on another court ruling that may or may not help them fix something they know is broken.

Texas can do better.

We're ALL Popeye the Sailor Man ...

Kirk Watson — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:12:20 GMT

Some political commentary is just timeless.

I’m talking, of course, about the cartoon Popeye.

Think about the plot of what I recall to be just about any episode (and I say this not having seen an episode of Popeye in about 50 years; that’s how timeless it is): Things are bad in ... whatever town it is that Popeye lives in. He’s getting beat up and/or neglected, and things are looking pretty well hopeless. Then some spinach appears, often in a can, often falling out of his shirt – and yes, it’s totally appropriate to ask why he didn’t know there was a can of spinach inside his shirt that whole time. Popeye eats it, and order is restored.

There are several lessons here: Disorder and tribulation are bad. People should strive to do better. And doing better is a whole lot easier when a can full of green stuff falls out of your shirt.

Fight to the finish when you eat your spinach

Last week, a metaphorical can of spinach fell out of the state’s metaphorical shirt. The Comptroller revealed her estimate of the state’s revenue for the current budget (covering 2012 and ’13) and the next one (for 2014 and ’15).

The numbers were staggering. The current budget will end up with $8.8 billion more than had been expected when it was passed in 2011. And the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which is basically a savings account, is expected to swell to $11.8 billion by the end of the next budget cycle.

If you’re a teacher who’s been laid off – or who’s avoided being laid off by foregoing a raise and adding a couple more kids to an already crowded classroom – feel free to be a little indignant right now.

For the rest of us, let’s try to set aside the fact that the Comptroller’s revenue forecast was off by ALMOST $9,000,000,000 two years ago. Or the fact that had that colossal error been less egregious, the legislature could have come together and avoided many or even most of 2011’s education cuts – the first time in memory that the state cut funding for enrollment growth in our schools.

Now, there’s only one real question: are we going to make things better, fix what’s broken, and undo the damage that’s been inflicted on Texans (especially our youngest ones)? Or are those in control of the Capitol going to just shut their eyes and hope things work out?

We need a better budget

We got an early answer to that question yesterday, and it wasn't encouraging.

Read more below the jump.

Budget writers in the Senate laid out an initial draft budget that wouldn't even try to fix what's been broken when it comes to basic necessities such as schools, transportation networks and health care for Texas children, seniors and women.

It would fail to restore the $5.4 billion that was short-sightedly cut from schools in 2011, and instead would lean even harder on homeowners and property taxpayers to replace state funding.

One redeeming quality is that this budget, unlike years and years of earlier versions, would rely less on the diversion of money that's supposed to be dedicated for specific purposes such as parks, hospitals and clean air, but that isn't used for those purposes. Ending these diversions has been a priority of mine since I was elected to the Senate, and I'm glad to see budget writers and others responding.

But there's still a deceptive gimmick to intentionally underestimate the state's Medicaid responsibilities, and I suspect there will be more examples of debt, diversions and deception that come to light in the coming weeks.

Texas can do better than that, especially with the resources we now know we have.

Texas can do better

As I said in a statement last week, the state's thriving economy speaks very well of the entrepreneurs, business owners and workers who are fueling it.

But as much as politicians want to take credit for others’ success, it doesn’t speak well of the Texas budget, those in control of it or the decisions that shaped it.

There are a few basic things that a typical business person needs government not to screw up – the schools have to be strong enough to attract parents and train future workers; the health care has to be able to keep workers and their kids healthy; the roads and transportation networks have to be good enough to move people and products around; everybody’s got to be able to trust the water supply; etc.

In all of these areas, Texas can do much better than it's been doing. At some point, those in control of the Capitol will run out of tricks and diversions covering up the problems they’ve created.

So as we begin this year's budget debate, and especially as you hear budget writers talk of tightening belts while bragging about an alleged “surplus,” it’ll be helpful if you remember a few things:

If your state isn’t paying its bills, you don’t have a surplus.
If your state ranks near the bottom in vital necessities like education funding and health care, you don’t have a surplus.
If most of your state’s school districts are suing you over an inadequate and inequitable school finance system, you don’t have a surplus.
And if there’s an honesty deficit in the way your state balances its books, you don’t have a surplus.

We now know, without question, that Texas could have done better by its kids, parents, employers and its future in 2011. Now that we know we have the resources, there should be no more excuses.

It’s time for Texas to do better.

A Sobering Snapshot of Texas Schools

Kirk Watson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:25:03 GMT

If you want see how tough things are getting for the children, parents, teachers and administrators who are all trying to make Texas schools work, I'd like to point you to one thing:

Last Thursday.

Or, more specifically, the school news that bubbled up on Thursday. It was a harrowing day.

The bad news didn’t start last week, of course. It dates back in part to last year’s legislative session, when those in control of the state’s budget decided to slash about $4 billion – I say again, FOUR BILLION DOLLARS – from what local school districts were promised and needed to pay for increasing costs and numbers of students.

Now, $4,000,000,000 is a big number. It’s tough to get your arms around all of those zeros – particularly when legislating is all mixed up with politicking, and when ostensible leaders are running around the state and the country ignoring or denying the damage they’ve caused to our kids and Texas’ future.

The problems are huge, too. Hundreds of Texas school districts have sued the state in an effort to create a better and more fairly funded system. That in itself is extraordinary – those in control of the Capitol have so bungled their responsibilities to our kids that local school boards have been forced to bypass their representatives, senators, Governor and Lieutenant Governor and start asking judges to clean up the mess (more on this later).

Inevitably, the human costs of misplaced priorities were going to surface. A lot of them came up late last week.

Dallas: School closures

Let’s start off in Dallas, where Dallas ISD trustees voted Thursday to shutter 11 schools.

The decision was teed up by the legislature’s budget cut – Dallas ISD had already cut $76 million from the current budget, according to the Dallas Morning News, “largely by offering employees incentives to resign and increasing class sizes.”

But despite that fairly extreme action, the board still had to cut another $38 million for next year. And, as one trustee put it, either the 11 schools had to be closed, or 171 teachers would have had to be fired.

Heck of a choice for anyone who cares about helping kids learn.

You can read more about it in this article (subscription required) or get a blow-by-blow from this blog.

South Texas: No sports

Also on Thursday, the Texas Tribune brought word of the tiny Premont ISD in South Texas, a district of 570 students that was already struggling. Then those in control of the state’s purse strings yanked more than $400,000 out from under the district – which, as the article points out, was already among the most poorly funded districts in Texas.

So, again, faced with a handful of very painful options, the district went for a clearly radical approach that, it hopes, will nevertheless cause the least amount of damage – it put all sports programs on hold for a year.

In the article, some students raise the prospect of fleeing Premont for a district that continues to field teams. Others clearly worry about losing the activity that helped keep them out of trouble.

But most students and parents, it seems, are resigned to the decision. After all, given the circumstances, what else can the district do?

The Houston Chronicle followed up over the weekend with a great column looking at funding inequities among Texas school districts. It showed that districts rated "exemplary" by the state receive over $1,000 more, per student, than those rated "academically unacceptable."

If you're looking at the students that districts are working the hardest to teach – and the costs of meeting those kids' needs – the numbers are even more sobering. Just 17 percent of the kids in exemplary districts qualify for free-and-reduced lunch programs (based on federal poverty guidelines), the column said. In academically unacceptable districts, that figure's around 85 percent.

Keep those numbers in mind if someone – particularly someone who's part of the power structure at the Capitol – tries to lay the blame for these problems on Premont or other victims of the state's school finance system.

Texas: A broken system

That equity issue was the focus of an editorial by James "Kal" Kallison, the president of the Eanes ISD school board, that the Austin American-Statesman published on its website Thursday.

The editorial goes into some detail about the lawsuits I mentioned earlier that school districts are pursuing against the state. You should read the whole thing, which you can find here. This, to me, is the key passage:

“School districts represented in two of the lawsuits believe that ... the finance system still does not produce complete equity among districts. Regardless of the equity issue, most districts do agree that the current amount of revenue ... afforded to all districts in the state is simply not enough to provide for an adequate education of our children, as required by the Texas Constitution and defined in statute.”

Those questions – whether the school finance system is equitable, and whether it’s adequate to educate the children of Texas – are going to be litigated over many months, and it’ll probably be more than a year before the courts finally settle the issue.

But after a day like Thursday – after seeing so many of the issues that our schools have been left to deal with – does anyone believe that the state’s doing right by our schools and our kids?

Austin: The achievement gap

Finally, in Austin, business and civic leaders sat down at a summit on Thursday to talk over the state of early childhood education, particularly pre-kindergarten programs.

Of course, Pre-K has become one of the most important factors that educators look at in gauging how successful students will be. The numbers show that kids who show up to kindergarten with basic language, problem-solving and other skills are far more likely to pass achievement tests in later years – and far less likely to drop out of high school.

So what did those in control of the Capitol do with this inside knowledge about what works in education?

They ignored it. They eliminated a critical grant program and the $200 million it would have contributed to make Pre-K programs stronger and more accessible across the state.

It was a devastating decision – and that devastation was front-and-center at the business and civic leader summit Thursday. There, the United Way Capital Area discussed results of a report it produced as part of its "Success by 6" initiative.

The report found that for children as young as 3 – barely older than babies – an achievement gap already can be seen between kids from low-income families and students as a whole.

As the Statesman summarized, “Fifty-two percent of Central Texas children entering kindergarten are ready for school, according to the results. But in Dove Springs, Manor and Quail Creek [three generally low-income neighborhoods that were studied for the project], the proportion considered well-prepared for school ranged from 12 to 15 percent.”

It's a giant problem. All of these stories demonstrate giant problems. And the problems will only grow as this cruel budget and broken finance system settle over the parents, teachers and administrators who are trying to cope with it all.

So the worst thing about Thursday might not even be Thursday. It might be that there'll be more days like it.

A Good Old Fashioned Goat Rope

Kirk Watson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:55:25 GMT

K. R. "Doc" Vanderslice was a true cowboy. He was also my maternal grandpa.

He grew up in Northwest Oklahoma working as a cowboy. When I was a kid, my brother Kyle and I spent time on his place getting to do "cowboy" stuff.

Grandpa was a cattle guy. I don't recall him ever having a goat and am certain he never thought too highly of what my mother called "goat ropers."

Now, most folks know that a "goat rope" refers to a big fiasco and mess. While he never would have allowed his grandsons to participate in a real goat rope, Grandpa did get a kick out of putting us in situations that led to utter chaos, particularly when he was partnering with my dad. Those two loved to make each other laugh, including at the expense of their progeny.

One of my strongest memories is of being 6 or 7 (heck, I might have been all of 8), when Grandpa had picked up a new Shetland pony named Dusty. Somehow, it was decided that I'd be perfect to "break" the horse.

I chased that mean little jackass of a horse around the corral, occasionally caught him without help, and tried to avoid getting bit as I fought to crawl on his back. Every time, over and over, he'd jump and buck and throw me hard to the ground.

All the while, as I'd get up, I'd look to Daddy and Grandpa, two men I loved who were, uh, keeping an eye on me – probably to make sure I didn't get hurt, but certainly to have a little fun, too. They were ceaselessly encouraging (and not just a little teasing), telling me "You almost had him that time," or "I think he's worn out," or "Hang on. You'll get it."

But, no, this was a goat rope, only with a pony. It had all the signs:

It went on forever and seemed to get worse and worse.
There was no end in sight.
Nothing seemed to work.
What I thought I knew one time didn't work the next time.
I couldn't figure out what success was supposed to look like.
It really hurt.
I was covered in filth and it stunk.

A goat rope with, y'know, democracy.

But this Watson Wire isn’t about cowboys or dubious moments of family history. No, this is about redistricting. (If that's the sort of rapid change of subject that makes you feel like you've been bucked from a horse, well, as Doc Vanderslice would say, "Just hang on. You'll get it.”)

Redistricting is the process of redrawing lines for districts represented by state legislators, Congressional reps, and other elected officials. Basically, people move out of one place and into another, so district lines have to shift with the population (legally every 10 years, though you can try doing it more often depending on how little shame you have) to make sure that an elected official represents about as many constituents as his or her colleagues.

If that sounds boring and technical, well, that’s probably how it should be. The problem is that it’s a very political exercise – always has been – that can affect which political party controls a particular legislative delegation or chamber. So things have a way of getting unpleasant and nonsensical really fast.

And that’s before the folks running the redistricting process in the Texas Capitol decided to make this goat rope even more messy.

Take this redistricting. Please!

Last year, the Texas legislature passed maps for state senators and representatives in its regular legislative session, and passed another map for Congressional representatives in a special session.

A number of us argued at the time, over and over, that the maps frequently failed to allow minority voters in some parts of Texas to elect candidates of their choice. Those in control ignored us.

The state, which is required by the federal Voting Rights Act to get preclearance before using the new maps, had a choice to seek approval from either the U.S. Department of Justice or a three-judge federal court in Washington, DC. The state chose to seek this preclearance from the court instead of the Department of Justice.

At the same time, some folks sued the state, claiming – quite persuasively – that some parts of the maps violate the U.S. Voting Rights Act. That case ended up being before a different three-judge federal district court in San Antonio. So the Texas redistricting process was falling apart in two federal courtrooms about 1,500 miles away from each other.

The DC federal court denied the state's request for a quick, summary decision approving the maps. It said that the court needed more time to investigate if there was discriminatory intent or effect, and that there needed to be a full trial to do so.

The court opinion said the state needs to use a more comprehensive definition of what it means for a group of minority voters to have the "ability to elect" the candidate of their choice. The full trial finally started last week. It's still going on and won't wrap up for a while.

Then, last fall, the federal judges in San Antonio – sensing that the legislative maps would not be approved or denied in time for Texas' 2012 primary elections – drew some so-called "interim maps." That shuffled all of the timelines for when candidates have to file for office and even required new election dates.

And last week, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the maps that the San Antonio federal judges drew – yes, the same maps that replaced the not-quite-legal maps that those in control of the legislature drew. The Supreme Court sent the San Antonio judges back to the drawing board.

Good news and bad news

But there was some good news: the Supreme Court ordered the judges to keep Voting Rights Act-related concerns in mind as they work through this. That’s a big deal, because some had worried that the Supreme Court would use this case to throw out vital portions of the Voting Rights Act. That doesn’t seem likely to happen at this point.

The bad news, however, is that almost everything else is up in the air right now, particularly when it comes to this year’s legislative and Congressional elections:

We basically have no maps.
Thus, if you live in Texas, you have no way to know for sure who you’ll be voting on this year to represent you in the legislature or in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The primary elections, which had already been postponed from March until April, now probably can’t be held until sometime after that – unless both of the courts in San Antonio and Washington really hustle.
The whole mess is now split between a court in San Antonio, which is trying to draw interim maps that the Supreme Court will like, and the court in Washington DC, which is evaluating the legislatively drawn maps in the context of the Voting Rights Act and trying to figure out a permanent solution.

I’m missing Daddy, Grandpa and even Dusty right about now.