By Jennifer Bendery, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
In anticipation of a heated floor debate on HB 2, House Democratic leaders this morning held a press conference to denounce the education reform bill and announce the filing of a floor amendment that would bring the school finance system to 100 percent equity while raising teacher pay by $3,200 over two years.
"Slip Sliding Away," a song by Simon and Garfunkel, is an "apt phrase" to describe the current state of HB 2, said Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine). The version of HB 2 offered during the special session offers even less revenue than the version filed during the 79th Regular Session, he said. For example, Austin loses an additional $25 million in the current version of HB 2, said Gallego, as compared to the bill filed during the regular session. HB 2 is "getting us further from our goal," he said, but a floor amendment filed by Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) "addresses the crux of this issue."
Hochberg's amendment, a modified version of his HB 15 plan, provides a school finance system that approaches 100 percent equity; offers a $3,200 teacher pay raise; restores teacher health care benefits cut in 2003; increases funding for comp ed programs for at-risk students, bilingual education and mentoring programs; provides funds for textbooks and technology; reduces class sizes with new facility funding; continues funding for gifted and talented programs; and provides across-the-board property tax cuts.
Hochberg explained that his proposed teacher pay raise provides $1,800 in FY 06 and $1,400 in FY 07, for a total of $3,200 over two years. This is significantly higher than the $500 pay raise offered in HB 2. "This gets us closer to the national average," he said, noting his amendment also offers incentives for teachers to go to low-performing schools.
At the heart of the measure is Hochberg's proposal to triple the homestead tax exemption to $45,000 and roll back the property tax rate by 13 percent. A district at $1.50 would be reduced to $1.30, which results in $4.4 billion less than offered under HB 2. Of this amount, $3 billion would go toward the homestead exemption while $1.5 billion would go to schools. Homeowners in 144 of 150 Texas House districts would receive greater property tax savings than they would under HB 2, said Hochberg, and over 75 percent of local districts will receive more state aid than under HB 2. The amendment also takes 35 districts out of recapture entirely.
"This is not a perfect plan, but it ought to be a no-brainer for legislators" since it provides three out of every four districts with more money and teacher pay raises, said Hochberg. It "proves you can do it," he said, referring to the ability to provide significant education reform while reducing property taxes. In addition, said the Houston legislator, it "ends for all time the divisiveness" between rural and urban districts with regard to where to direct state funds. "We all move forward together," he said. "We will not be back here in two years."
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) said she met with Harris County superintendents yesterday to hear their position on the governor's proposed property tax relief plan. "No one supported it," she said. "It offers less money than the plan offered during the Regular Session."
Thompson said she thinks the special session "is a waste of time" since the Texas Supreme Court is about to hear arguments on a case challenging the constitutionality of the state's school finance system. The court most likely will come up with findings that require legislative action, she said. It would have been "more prudent to wait" on those findings, said the Houston legislator, since it costs taxpayers $1.9 million to conduct a Special Session and that money could have been used to fund public schools.
"The governor's hands are not tied in front of him or behind him," said Thompson. "I want to know, 'What's the problem, governor?" Legislators need information from the court, she said. "We're putting the cart before the horse."
Ultimately, several versions of Hochberg's amendment were brought up on the House floor. The first version was killed on a point of order by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), who said its language relating to homestead exemptions was not germane to the bill. Hochberg offered a second amendment with the homestead exemptions stripped out. But by a vote of 75 to 74, with House Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) being the tie-breaking vote, the amendment was tabled. All Democrats and 12 Republicans voted for the amendment.
Hochberg eventually pulled down other versions of the amendment but asked that HB 2 conference committee members keep in mind the concerns that one-half of House members have with the bill.