Scary stuff-parents, you need to be paying attention

[Slowhand]

I have been a computer consultant in the Texas education space since 1982. I have seen the budgets of virtually every school district in Texas and most of of the community colleges as well. In my business - knowlege is power. It is the only tool I have. To be able to sell solutions to these schools, I have to know what they spend money and how much they are willing to spend on services I wish to sell. It does me no good to try to sell a million dollar solution to a district that can't afford it. I will have lost a sale and maybe even permently damaged a relationship. To that end I have become very adept at reading school budgets. So if you want to know how much money your spends on athletics here is what you do...

Request last years budget. You need actuals not projections. As a tax payer you are entitled to this. You will have to ask several times. The district will not provide you with a detailed breakdown without some prodding. Then, realize that the school district is very adept at hiding the money. You will need to do some digging. Here is where they hide most of costs:
Bond payments - there will be several for athletic facilities. These will be hidden in the total costs.
Facilities maintenance - Costs of stadiums, ball fields, Gyms, tracks, etc are a large part of the total maintenence budget. Remember to include to cost of extra employees as well. (ie a groundskeepers job is mainly athletic fields)
Transporation - ditto for the cost of transporting teams to games
Teachers salaries - if a coach teaches a single math class, his salary comes out of the Math and Sciences budget. Only his coach's stipend (uplift) is counted in the athletic budget.
Utilities - Electric and water costs are significant.
Everything else - Although it is a small percentage, Uniforms, team jackets and shirts, banquets, awards, etc also cost money.

All in all, I have found that most Texas school districts spend 25%-35% of their total budget on athletics. Most spend less than 30%, a few spend more. On the other hand, I have rarely seen income from athletics (contributions, gate reciepts) exceed 8% of the total budget. An exception - I once saw a very poor class B school do 11% income for a single year. But then they had a football team that almost won state. (Expense that year was 38%)

Don't take my word for it - check the facts yourself. As a taxpayer you have the right to know how your money is spent.

I've always suspected that the revenue argument for continually dumping money into athletics was bullshit, so what you've said here is pretty interesting.

[S_K]

Do you have data that supports your position?

I have been a computer consultant in the Texas education space since 1982. I have seen the budgets of virtually every school district in Texas and most of of the community colleges as well. In my business - knowlege is power. It is the only tool I have. To be able to sell solutions to these schools, I have to know what they spend money and how much they are willing to spend on services I wish to sell. It does me no good to try to sell a million dollar solution to a district that can't afford it. I will have lost a sale and maybe even permently damaged a relationship. To that end I have become very adept at reading school budgets. So if you want to know how much money your spends on athletics here is what you do...

Request last years budget. You need actuals not projections. As a tax payer you are entitled to this. You will have to ask several times. The district will not provide you with a detailed breakdown without some prodding. Then, realize that the school district is very adept at hiding the money. You will need to do some digging. Here is where they hide most of costs:
Bond payments - there will be several for athletic facilities. These will be hidden in the total costs.
Facilities maintenance - Costs of stadiums, ball fields, Gyms, tracks, etc are a large part of the total maintenence budget. Remember to include to cost of extra employees as well. (ie a groundskeepers job is mainly athletic fields)
Transporation - ditto for the cost of transporting teams to games
Teachers salaries - if a coach teaches a single math class, his salary comes out of the Math and Sciences budget. Only his coach's stipend (uplift) is counted in the athletic budget.
Utilities - Electric and water costs are significant.
Everything else - Although it is a small percentage, Uniforms, team jackets and shirts, banquets, awards, etc also cost money.

All in all, I have found that most Texas school districts spend 25%-35% of their total budget on athletics. Most spend less than 30%, a few spend more. On the other hand, I have rarely seen income from athletics (contributions, gate reciepts) exceed 8% of the total budget. An exception - I once saw a very poor class B school do 11% income for a single year. But then they had a football team that almost won state. (Expense that year was 38%)

Don't take my word for it - check the facts yourself. As a taxpayer you have the right to know how your money is spent.

[Broncojohnny]

Interesting you say that because I don't know exactly what kind of "orchestra" that fifth and sixth graders could play in. I can see a band class but let's not get crazy...

[TENGRAM]

Eliminate two coaches at each high school: $624,000
Eliminate one fine arts teacher at each high school: $312,000
Eliminate fifth- and sixth-grade orchestra and sixth-grade band: $1,000,000

It's about time. What a waste.

[Leah]

Simply not true. No K-12 athletic program in Texas generates enough money to support itself. Even in districts with stellar programs, it is a major expense. But Hey! the tax payers love their football.

Do you have data that supports your position?

[S_K]

actually just the opposite.

Football is a money generator. With the ammount of money given by boosters, ticket sales, etc. Football makes money for schools, and pays for most other sports like softball, women's volleyball, swimming, etc.

Simply not true. No K-12 athletic program in Texas generates enough money to support itself. Even in districts with stellar programs, it is a major expense. But Hey! the tax payers love their football.

[Leah]

WHAT! i thought it was gonna be spring break! guess i didnt get the memo. We both have school this weekend! Has this weekend been confirmed?

I haven't confirmed it, just heard a rumor this afternoon. I'll try and find out.

I don't mind paying taxes to support public education even though I have no children. Education is important and I don't want to live in an area full of morons. Unfortunately, the public school system has not eliminated them.

Public schools are not tasked with educating students anymore; they are now a place for your kids to stay out of the house while both parents are working. Parents "hope" that their kids are receiving some sort of education, but that is secondary to the primary function of babysitting.

Just like the USPS, government-funded public education is a complete loss. They are not teaching kids useful skills any longer. We aren't all going to become chemists and mathematicians. Schools need to determine students' aptitudes at an early age and teach toward those. Teach art to artists, teach math to mathematicians, and teach trades to tradesmen. Right now they are teaching mediocrity to everyone equally.

Well said, Danny.

[46Tbird]

I don't mind paying taxes to support public education even though I have no children. Education is important and I don't want to live in an area full of morons. Unfortunately, the public school system has not eliminated them.

Public schools are not tasked with educating students anymore; they are now a place for your kids to stay out of the house while both parents are working. Parents "hope" that their kids are receiving some sort of education, but that is secondary to the primary function of babysitting.

Just like the USPS, government-funded public education is a complete loss. They are not teaching kids useful skills any longer. We aren't all going to become chemists and mathematicians. Schools need to determine students' aptitudes at an early age and teach toward those. Teach art to artists, teach math to mathematicians, and teach trades to tradesmen. Right now they are teaching mediocrity to everyone equally.

[A+]

There has been talk of a march the first weekend of Spring Break, but I've heard that's been moved to this weekend.

WHAT! i thought it was gonna be spring break! guess i didnt get the memo. We both have school this weekend! Has this weekend been confirmed?

[Leah]

i heard my wife talking about this...i dont know i wasnt really paying attention. I think a lot of the teacher at her school are gonna protest at Austin or something, i just told her i got her back so looks like were gonna be doing that soon. Rick Perry FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There has been talk of a march the first weekend of Spring Break, but I've heard that's been moved to this weekend.

[A+]

i heard my wife talking about this...i dont know i wasnt really paying attention. I think a lot of the teacher at her school are gonna protest at Austin or something, i just told her i got her back so looks like were gonna be doing that soon. Rick Perry FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sc281]

I hear they are calling in the Bobs to see where they can cut some fat.

Soooooo what would you say....ya do here?

[Baron Von Crowder]

My wife, mother in law and my mom are all teachers. Two at Arlington.

While I dont like the instability of the whole deal, I think there will be some good that will come from it. My wife's school has a new principal that is already shaking up things. A couple of teachers have already been told they would not have a contract next year. They have low passing rates, and classroom control. GREAT. Too many good teachers out there for a shitty one to keep their job because of time at the district. They are also killing the coaches positions that dont teach.

They are going to do performanced based reviews, and take one conference period away from teachers and give them another class. Great.

One of the reasons I did not continue on the path to being a teacher is that GENERALLY the people who are running the schools are educators, not buisness people. It takes someone who is qualified to run something that large to make it work. I hear they are calling in the Bobs to see where they can cut some fat.

*posted from my phone, blow me on the spelling and such.

[Leah]

My wife is ex AISD. Yesterday she spoke to one of her former co-workers who is fairly high in the school administration and chose to retire this year. Two things she said really annoyed me. Arlington claims to have eliminated a bunch of admin positions at the headquarters. What they did was shuffle positions around. Now the high-paid administrators have different job titles and are still making the same money they were. So that little story is just a shell game.

Secondly, at the school board meeting they planned to allow teachers to speak. One requirement was that probationary teachers were required to wear a blue ribbon so the board would know who they were. I don't know what the official reason was, but it was very clear that speaking while wearing the blue ribbon was an immediate termination.

When did (or will) all this supposedly happen?

[JP135]

My wife is ex AISD. Yesterday she spoke to one of her former co-workers who is fairly high in the school administration and chose to retire this year. Two things she said really annoyed me. Arlington claims to have eliminated a bunch of admin positions at the headquarters. What they did was shuffle positions around. Now the high-paid administrators have different job titles and are still making the same money they were. So that little story is just a shell game.

Secondly, at the school board meeting they planned to allow teachers to speak. One requirement was that probationary teachers were required to wear a blue ribbon so the board would know who they were. I don't know what the official reason was, but it was very clear that speaking while wearing the blue ribbon was an immediate termination.