Results are in from the Richardson ISD budget survey, and a few answers by stakeholders were surprising. With RISD looking to trim spending in order to make up for reductions in the state’s contribution to the education of Texas schoolchildren, trustees turned to taxpayers for advice. What really lit the voters up?
Do not, said respondents:
- Cut funding for core subject areas, such as math, science, social studies and language arts (79.1%),
- Reduce funding for fine arts (76.2%),
- Increase class sizes in secondary (69.3%) or elementary grades (62.9%), and
- Consolidate/close neighborhood schools (68.2%).
Some of the highest numbers in any single answer category were for people strongly disagreeing with cuts for those items.
On the other hand, stakeholders gave the okay to:
- Cut administrative expenses, including school landscaping and maintenance (83.3%),
- Reduce teacher pay (employees to be furloughed 1 day) (78.1%),
- Eliminate buses for magnet programs (64.7%),
- Increase taxes (63.6%), and
- Eliminate one teacher planning period (61.0%).
On my personal list of shockers:
- Yes to increasing taxes (63.6%),
- Yes to cutting teacher pay (78.1%),
- Yes to cutting athletic programs (50.9%),
- No to reducing fine arts instruction (76.2%), and
- No to eliminating field trips (51.4%) (yes to eliminating buses for magnet programs, yes to eliminating bus transportation altogether, but no to eliminating buses to field trips).
Who thought folks in Texas would give a nod to taking money from sports and giving it fine arts? Who anticipated that parents would protect their kids’ right to field trips more fiercely than teacher pay? And who expected taxpayers to agree to higher taxes? We must really love our children.
