The effort to kill the ill-conceived and little debated school finance bill SB 1811, was carried out on both sides of the Capitol with House Democrats carrying out a valiant effort that fell short on Saturday, leaving only the courageous act by Senator Wendy Davis (D – Fort Worth), who effectively filibustered the bill past the Senate midnight deadline on Sunday, as the mechanism that would prevent the bill from passing. “My democratic colleagues have displayed an relentless and undying spirit, as we have fought to defend the interests of children, parents, and teachers. We have stayed the course on a long and difficult journey, we have been unwavering in our determination to fight, we have stayed true to our purpose, and we have repeatedly refused to concede on proposals that would cause irreversible damage to our state’s education,” added Rep. Reynolds.

“The decision to not tap the state’s savings account, in the midst of our budgetary crisis, was a bad one from the beginning, and one that will surely come home to roost. The final version of the budget cuts over $15 billion in state spending, from a state which currently ranks last in per capita spending. The budget cuts $4 billion from public education, over $1 billion from higher education, decimates funding for early childhood education, and further undermined our school teachers. The final budget put together by a select few lawmakers, relied on a wide range of gimmicks and financial engineering to push through a budget that fails the people of Texas.”

“The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over again while expecting to yield different results. The voters elected us to lead, set priorities, and to protect those priorities. We must uphold our statutory obligations to properly fund our State’s programs and not short-change our future opportunities for development and business growth. We must proceed forward by making responsible spending cuts, closing corporate tax loopholes, adequately funding healthcare and education, and making use of the Rainy Day Fund to avoid a further deepening of this economic recession.”

“With the special session convened, there is little time to for reflection, rather I would urge that the time is now for Texans to seize the moment, and add their voice to the debate and demand that leadership moves in the direction of using the Rainy Day Fund to provide additional funding for public education and healthcare; our future depends on it,” stated Rep. Reynolds.

“Lastly, let me add that I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in Austin as the elected representative of the people of House District 27 in Fort Bend county. While we have had some success this session, we have not done it alone. For all those who continue to toil in the daily struggle, I stand with you in solidarity and know that our work cause is just and our work is not in vain.”

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About State Representative Ron Reynolds
Ron Reynolds is State Representative for District 27 of Fort Bend County in Texas. Rep. Reynolds serves on the Economic and Small Business Development and Environmental Regulation committees. He is a former Associate Municipal Judge for The City of Houston. For more information, please visit: www.ronaldreynolds.com

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House Bill 3068 will provide additional unemployment insurance benefits to individuals who are unemployed due to a separation from a declining occupation or a permanent reduction of operations at their last employment, and are enrolled in training programs approved by the Texas Workforce Commission.

“With the extreme budget cuts proposed by the leadership, Texas will have a record loss of jobs. The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) predicts that the state budget approved by the House Appropriations Committee would result in 272,000 fewer jobs in 2012 and 335,000 fewer in 2013. The LBB also predicts that we would eliminate 117,000 private sector jobs. This bill will help provide temporary relief to the unemployed and individuals who will be losing their jobs due to the draconian budget cut,” said Rep. Reynolds.

“I encourage my fellow colleagues to join me in supporting and passing this legislation that will help Texans get the assistance and training they need to get back to work,” commented Rep. Reynolds.

About State Representative Ron Reynolds
Ron Reynolds is State Representative for District 27 of Fort Bend County in Texas. Rep. Reynolds serves on the Economic and Small Business Development and Environmental Regulation committees. He is a former Associate Municipal Judge for The City of Houston. For more information, please visit: www.ronaldreynolds.com

Today, Rep. Reynolds single-handedly defeated legislation, which would have stripped educators of their due process rights. “I am proud to stand with teachers and fight to protect their rights in the workplace,” commented Rep. Reynolds. The bill would have forced school districts to put employees on a probationary contract in the event of a promotion, for example, a teacher being promoted to a principal’s position. Educators on probationary contracts have virtually no due process rights. The district can simply notify them of their intent to terminate, and there is nothing the employee can do to challenge that.

“Teachers work to open students’ minds to ideas, knowledge and dreams, and they serve as role models and mentors to our children on a daily basis,” said Rep. Reynolds. Teachers continue to influence us long after our school days and they deserve full appreciation from every student they have ever taught. “As a father and legislator, I will continue to respect and value teachers and the important role they have in the lives of our children,” noted Rep. Reynolds.

“I encourage all Texans to stand up for our great teachers and honor them for all they do to educate and prepare our kids for their bright futures ahead,” said Rep. Reynolds.

About State Representative Ron Reynolds
Ron Reynolds is State Representative for District 27 of Fort Bend County in Texas. Rep. Reynolds serves on the Economic and Small Business Development and Environmental Regulation committees. He is a former Associate Municipal Judge for The City of Houston. For more information, please visit: www.ronaldreynolds.com

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As you are aware, the LBB predicts that the state budget approved by the House Appropriations Committee would result in 272,000 fewer jobs in Texas in 2012 and 335,000 fewer in 2013. The LBB also predicts that the budget would eliminate 117,000 private sector jobs in 2012 and 146,000 in 2013. In 2006, you pushed through a tax swap that you said would better fund public education. Not only has your promise not proven true, but it has actually drained money from schools, leaving the state with a permanent shortfall that has reached $5 billion a year. Texas currently ranks near the bottom in funding for public education.

Although you and the politicians in control are responsible for this record shortfall, you have chosen to focus your sights on local school districts, proposing billions of dollars in cuts to public education to offset the shortfall in the upcoming biennium. As you are well aware, this will result in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs across the state and poorer quality education for children of all ages. Furthermore, extreme cuts to education pose a great threat to the future prosperity of our state. We need to make Texas school children a priority, and it is economically shortsighted to increase class sizes, fire teachers and underfund classrooms. Education is the key to innovation, and the technology jobs of tomorrow will require students with a strong background in math and science to compete in the 21st century global economy.

You and some conservative Republicans originally refused to commit any of the estimated $9.4 billion in the Rainy Day Fund. At the urging of numerous members of both parties, you struck a deal to use $3.2 billion of the Fund to close the current deficit; which will keep the state running and help the State avoid a shortfall for six weeks over the summer. This expenditure, however, will do little to help public schools for the next two years, leaving them $7 billion short.

You have stated that you would reject a bill that spends one additional cent of the Rainy Day Fund for the next two years. Moreover, you have said that school districts should spend down their reserve balances, which they are required by law to maintain, creating fiscal insecurity and devaluing financial accountability ratings. I believe it is disingenuous for the state to require school districts to hold a specific amount of money in their reserves, only to later tell those same districts to spend it down so that the state does not have to take responsibility for its mistakes.

Governor Perry, we need real solutions to our budget problems. The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over again while expecting to yield different results. Anyone can apply across the board budget cuts without thought. However, the voters elected us to lead, to set priorities, and to protect those priorities. The right priorities include responsible spending cuts, closing corporate tax loopholes and using some of the Rainy Day Fund.

I am incredibly concerned about what the draconian cuts to public education will mean for preparing our children and protecting their future. We cannot afford to balance our budget on the backs of our children, and more importantly I believe that we should put party politics aside and do what’s in the best interest of our state.

Sincerely,

Ron Reynolds
State Representative
HD 27

“When given an opportunity to come clean about the real issue facing the state, the Texas budget, Governor Perry went back to his usual tactics of diversion, deceit, and delay,” said Rep. Reynolds.  “With a $27 billion shortfall that is being balanced on the backs of our seniors in nursing homes, college students, and kids in pre-K, Texans deserve a budget process that is open and transparent.”

Perry proposed that public colleges and universities should have a $10,000 path to a bachelor’s degree.  Currently, $10,000 will buy you two semesters at the University of Texas-Austin.

“I’m glad that Governor Perry has joined our call for lower tuition rates.  Since 2003, tuition at Texas public colleges and universities have skyrocketed,” added Rep. Reynolds.  “Unfortunately, the proposed budget underfunds higher education by $1.1 billion.  Now that too many students are priced out of college tuition, Rick Perry wants to pull the brake on his runaway train and set a new mandate without picking up the tab.”

“The budget cuts don’t stop at higher education,” continued Rep. Reynolds. “The proposed cuts mean our school districts will be forced to lay off good teachers. Long-term, our state may pay a high price with an uneducated workforce and resulting high unemployment rates.”

Texas currently ranks at or near the bottom among states in funding for public education.

Texas House Democrats have called for an honest and transparent process in deliberating the budget this legislative session.

With the $27 billion budget shortfall faced by the state this session, we must put protections in place so that increased costs do not transfer to the local governments. Budget cuts are inevitable this session and payments to local governments will almost certainly be reduced. However, the mandates to the counties to provide services remain in place. This would be a tremendous burden for entities whose budgets are also currently strapped.

Of particular concern is how the burden of tax cuts and budget cuts could affect school districts which have increasingly numerous mandates issued by the state that restrict their ability to find relief and their flexibility to shift costs to meet their local needs. Community colleges could also suffer as costs shift downward and tuition exemptions and financial aid is reduced. Student needs become more difficult to meet and the shift in costs hinder our ability to have an educated workforce and vital economy in the future.

Criminal Justice is another area that already has huge disparities in state and local shares of costs. The indigent defense fund which requires legal counsel for any who needs assistance is in desperate financial condition. There are also mandates which include jail standards, prisoner expenses, witness reimbursement, and health care. There are many other local programs and activities affected by practically insurmountable mandates without raising taxes on local residents.

This legislation (HJR 56) that I am supporting will put in place safeguards that will protect our local governments from out of control budgets while we maintain financial responsibility at all levels of government.

The projected budget appropriates a combined $156.4 billion in State and Local funds, which is $31.1 billion less than the prior biennium, while the State General Revenue appropriation of $72.2 billion is $8.4 billion less than the previous two-year budget.

“This budget proposed by the State’s leadership underscores the uncertainty for the future of Texas’ working families, children, students, and senior citizens,” stated Reynolds. The current working draft proposes a 23 percent cut to public education, zero funding for some of the smaller community colleges, a reduction in healthcare and social services, cuts to higher education and research funding, and the elimination of the TEXAS Grants (the state’s primary financial aid program for new college students).

“More alarming,” expressed Reynolds, “is the daunting reality that school districts will be compelled to lay off good teachers, increasing the likelihood of even more of our children being left behind.” Analysts estimate that the proposed and cuts could adversely impact approximately 10,000 state employees and over 80,000 teachers, costing them their jobs.

Rep. Reynolds continued saying, “I am very concerned, to say the least, that no consideration has been given to tapping into the State’s ‘Rainy Day’ fund, which is currently $9.4 billion dollars. With a proposed budget that eliminates Pre-K, depriving nearly 200,000 Texas children of an early childhood education — well I’m no meteorologist — but, if this is not a rainy day, I don’t know what is….”

“This proposed budget fails Texans, specifically our most vulnerable communities: our children and seniors.  In spite of what lies before us, my unshakable faith and commitment to serve, fuels my passion to work tirelessly with leadership to protect Texas families, and to help maintain the quality of life that we as Texans enjoy,” added Rep. Reynolds.

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