Feds Reject Texas ’ Education Jobs Fund Application

by Donna Garner

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) has informed Governor Rick Perry that Texas ’ application for $830 million in federal education jobs funding has been rejected because of language the governor inserted into the original application.

The governor amended the application to state that any assurances made "are provided so long as no assurance conflicts with the powers conveyed and limitations imposed by the Texas Constitution or other applicable laws or regulations, including limitations on assuring maintenance-of-effort in a way that would bind future Texas legislatures to specified funding levels."

Gov. Perry argued that the requirements of the Education Jobs legislation ran afoul of Texas Constitution provisions prohibiting the governor from dedicating funds on behalf of future legislatures.

The Department told the governor’s representatives during their August meeting in Washington , D.C. , that an application with conditional assurances would not be accepted.

This may not be the end, however. The Department seems open to distributing the $830 million to Texas provided that the governor submits an unaltered application, even if it is after the original September 9 deadline.

The reason Texas is in this mess over the distribution of $830 Million in federal funds to our public schools from the recently passed jobs bill is because of what the Texas Congressional Democrats did. 

Lloyd Doggett, Chet Edwards, and the other Democrat delegation tried to flex their political muscles and get kudos from their Democrat base by writing and passing the Doggett Amendment.  Instead, they have “laid an egg” because their amendment is illegal.  

Under the Texas Constitution, the Governor cannot promise what the legislature will do with its future spending.  He has no authority to ensure that the Texas Legislature will maintain school funding at the same level for three years as the Doggett Amendment requires…

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has produced a spreadsheet (attached) that shows how each school district in Texas would “win” or “lose” under the Doggett Amendment.  The TEA’s figures are accurate and are based upon what Texas schools would normally receive from the $830 Million under the Texas school funding formula established by the Texas Legislature COMPARED to what the Doggett Amendment requires based upon its provisions.  

Why did the Doggett Amendment require a certain type of disbursement?  This is called “redistribution of wealth” which has become the mantra of Obama and the Democrats.  

Most of the “winner” districts are located in historically Democrat voting areas of Texas . Most of the “loser” districts are located in rural and suburban schools where historically most Republicans live.

In other words, the superintendent and taxpayers of Allen ISD think they are going to receive $217,733  from the jobs bill when in reality they will lose - $2,620,712.93 if the money is given under the provisions of the Doggett Amendment rather than through the Texas state funding formula.  Readers should have been given the correct information by the media.

For instance, the Austin American Editorial Board lists Rount Rock ISD as receiving $1.57 Million whereas in reality if the Doggett Amendment is followed instead of the Texas school funding formula, Round Rock would lose -$ 5,074,825.66.  (On the TEA’s attached spreadsheet, losses are indicated in parentheses.)

These “loser” districts (the ones with the minus or parentheses) and their taxpayers should be furious, and they should direct their wrath where it belongs -- at Lloyd Doggett, Chet Edwards, and the rest of the Democrat Congressional delegation.

Below are two sets of tables.  The first shows the erroneous information that the Austin American-Statesman posted, and the second shows the erroneous information that the Dallas Morning-News posted.  Karel Holloway of the DMN has since retracted her earlier figures.  Here are some excerpts from her 9.4.10 story:

Another Doggett provision says the money must be handed out according the Title I formula used to distribute money to poorer schools. Other states may use their regular state funding formula or the Title I formula...

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Strauss protested the requirement last week in a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The provision was mentioned in Perry's letter and the application...

Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Fort Worth Superintendent Melody Johnson were among 38 school superintendents and state education organizations representing teachers, administrators and school boards that asked Doggett and other congressional leaders to specify the Title I formula in the law…

[In other words, the big city superintendents -- many of whom run the Texas Association of School Boards -- went to the all-too-willing Democrat Congressmen and encouraged them to insert the Doggett Amendment into the jobs bill.  I am quite sure that the Democrat Congressmen never meant for the public to find out how many school districts would suffer huge losses from the Doggett Amendment. -- Donna Garner]

AAS ED. BOARD’S MISLEADING DATA         TEA’S DATA

Austin ISD -- $17.49 Million                                       $ 3,791,126.59

Round Rock ISD -- $1.57 Million                                        -$ 5,074,825.66

Leander ISD -- $606,503                                              -$ 4,229,541.91

Pflugerville ISD -- $1.18 Million                                  -$ 2,566,738.74

Eanes ISD -- $130,728                                                 -$ 962,211.32

Killeen ISD -- $5.14 Million                                         -$ 1,513,610.27

San Marcos ISD -- $1.19 Million                                 -$ 16,388.08

Hays ISD -- $575,451                                                   -$ 2,049,848.65

Georgetown ISD -- $536,868                                       -$ 1,103,591.96

Manor ISD -- $391,149                                                -$ 1,012,991.52

Lake Travis ISD -- $198,648                                       -$ 765,564.60

Bastrop ISD -- $849,345                                              -$624,232.39

DMN WRONGLY LISTS                  TEA DATA

Allen ISD $217,733                            - $2,620,712.93 

Dallas $52.29 million                         $25,870,581.62  

Carrollton-Farmers

Branch $2.59 million                        -$1,660,019.71

Frisco  $136,187                              - $6,532,325.79

Garland $7.90 million                      - $ 1,692,013.00

Grand Prairie $3.60 million              - $869,244.41 

Irving $5.51 million                            $178,340.96

Keller $631.001                                 -$4,558,580.64

Lewisville $936.803                           - $6,984,207.31

McKinney $1.053 million                   - $2,609,085.25

Mesquite $4.69 million                         - $1,662,287.06

Plano $2.89 million                             - $5,557,948.38

Richardson $5.72 million                      $ 7,909.96

Rockwall $400.013                             - $1,967,161.56