THE LAW DAWG – Unleashed by Jim Walsh
News bulletin: Money matters
W
ell, what do you know? Money does make a difference. According to Rep. Scott Hochberg, districts in Texas that are rated “exemplary” by the Texas Education Agency are spending, on average, more than $1,000 more per pupil than those rated “unacceptable.” In fact, there is a direct and clear correlation between money spent per pupil and accountability rating all the way from “unacceptable” to “exemplary.” Hochberg cited the following from the TEA database: Exemplary Districts: $6,580 per student Recognized Districts: $5,751 per student Acceptable Districts: $5,662 per student Unacceptable Districts: $5,538 per student Coincidence? I think not. I continue to be baffled and mildly amused by the “no new revenue” crowd that insists that there is no correlation. Money matters in every other area of life. Why would it not matter in education? My wife and I recently bought a new car. As we were shopping around, it was pretty clear that more money bought more car. I notice this same phenomenon everywhere I go. Take something as simple as breakfast. More money gets you more eggs, and some bacon on the side. Being a sports fan, I notice the same thing there as well. In baseball, for example, the big-money teams are always going to be competitive. The little guys will have their occasional triumphs, but if you want to have a team that consistently competes for the Big Prize, you better spend some money. But there are those who insist that there is absolutely no connection between the amount we spend and the quality of our schools. Of course, they can cite lots of examples to prove their argument. There are schools that spend large amounts of money and continue to have poor student perfor-
mance. There are schools that operate on a shoestring with stunning success. But you can make the same argument with cars, breakfasts or baseball teams. The most expensive car I ever bought (relative to the times) was a gorgeous 1976 Audi. It was completely unreliable and incredibly expensive to maintain and repair. Bad decision. I have known people who have bought stripped-down basic cars from used lots and driven them happily for years. I once went to a breakfast buffet that was priced at $25, for which I got nothing better than what I would have gotten with the senior special at IHOP. The baseball movie “Moneyball” argues that really smart management can overcome gobs of money. Which it can — for a year or so. But these are all exceptions. Do we want to subject our children to the fortunes of good luck and exceptional leadership? We will not always have good luck, and we cannot count on exceptional leadership. Over the long haul, when you look at it on a statewide level, money matters. How we spend the money matters. What our priorities are matters. Of course. But could we please acknowledge that the sheer amount of the money matters also? If we could at least agree on that, perhaps then we could agree on two simple propositions. First, that everyone should have access to the same amount, at the same tax rate. If spending $1,000 more per pupil significantly increases the likelihood that the district will earn an “exemplary” rating, shouldn’t every district have an equal shot at that extra $1,000? Second, that when more kids are moving to Texas, when more kids are showing up with greater educational needs, when the state is committed to raising standards for student achievement, the overall pot of money should be more — not less — than in the past. Seems pretty simple to me. JIM WALSH, an attorney with Walsh, Anderson Gallegos Green and Treviño P.C., serves as editor in chief of Texas School Businss. He can be reached at jwalsh@ wabsa.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @jwalshtxlawdawg.
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March 2012 • Texas School Business
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