Texas Deficit Budget

     In studying the Texas budget deficit, one see’s how Perry’s collection predominately takes the form of taxes. In the last ten years Governor Rick Perry’s spending takes place the form of salaries, defense spending, aid programs, and other cash outflows. In Texas, the government spends more than it collects. This means a budget deficit exists. Let’s discuss the budget deficit facing Texas in the upcoming two years.

   The state faced a budget gap for the 2012-13 biennium that had been estimated to be as high as $27 billion. The budget was not completed during the regular legislative session and lawmakers went into special session to make cuts of millions of dollars in state services in order to balance the budget. Texas’ two-year budget cycle slashes billions from schools. The budget cuts state spending by $15.2 billion, reduces funding for education and healthcare, and cuts more than 5,700 jobs from the state workforce. The budget would reduce state funding to school districts by $4 billion and shrink the state workforce to 235,135 by fiscal 2013, a decrease of 5,727 from the current 2011 level. Most commonly we’re talking about the cuts on education and health care. The Texas Legislature was in session, and had scissors in hand. With the budget deficit we are facing as a nation, and particularly here in Texas, the Legislature is cutting wherever possible.

   The first area of financial cutting by Perry has repeatedly been Texas school funding. So much funding has been cut already and has been dwindling down over the years. If we continue to allow such cutting, our children’s future will continue to lose important education and fall further down the list internationally. It is time for a priority check. This is a situation where being narrow-minded could rob your own child of a quality education, or even cause many children to go without health care. Lastly, Perry states:  “I having been the government of Texas for the last ten years, and most expert on the budget should be me”. Let us also remember about what Mr. Perry has been claiming for the past ten years; “Pro-business, low-tax policies mean that Texas' investments in education and other crucial areas are lagging behind?”

   Perry's funding decisions undermine the enhancing of student learning, those who will but follow the history of Texas education can begin to see that the school system is about to fall off the edge of a funding cliff. I hope that Texans observe closely that deficit budget cuts are a huge part of the legacy of Perry's governorship.

http://www.window.state.tx.us/
http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/