Texas schools get state OK to exceed class limits

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN - More than 1,200 schools across Texas have been granted a state exemption that allows them to exceed limits on class sizes.

The Texas Education Agency allowed 1,272 elementary schools to exceed the 22-pupil limit in kindergarten through fourth grade. The Dallas Morning News reports (http://bit.ly/TS2wcy ) that most of the schools cited "financial hardship" or "unanticipated growth" in requesting a waiver.

Most school districts in Texas boosted class sizes across all grade levels over the last three years, but they're not required to receive the state's permission to put more students in grades five through 12.

School officials say a $5.4 billion cut in education spending approved by lawmakers in 2011 caused educators to increase class sizes as a cost-saving measure.

Lawmakers restored $3.4 billion in 2013.

http://www.caller.com/news/education/texas-education/texas-schools-get-state-ok-to-exceed-class-limits

[yeoman6987]

1. They best make that number even higher for September

because I think we are going to keep the majority of the folks coming over the border and the will need to go to school. I don't think we have time to build any new schools before September, but increasing the number of students in the class may be a forced decision.

[DhhD]

2. In my opinion they would have to have a green card number, and a sponsor, to be able to attend

school in a neighborhood public school. A detention center may set up a school inside the center, as the children are here illegally and are awaiting a hearing. I believe most will be deported.

[DhhD]

3. The loss of funding made it mandatory that school districts lay off many teachers. The Texas Tea

Party controlled Legislature removed the funding and spent money instead on testing and trying to privatize education. Jeb Bush spoke during Legislative sessions to allow profiteering of taxpayer money to be moved from public schools to private schools as soon as testing could be used to say that Texas children were doing poorly. 22 or less students in an elementary class is a big plus in educating and being able to work with each child present. Learning suffers if more students are added. Using testing, privatizers could show that there was a need for something other than strengthening neighborhood schools; private charter schools were the answer by businesses. Since the Texas Tea Legislature refused to restore ALL of the funding, then more than 22 students per elementary classroom, is the only thing independent school districts can do as their budgets will not allow the re-hiring of enough teachers.

And the Tea Legislature has refused to fund education for the incoming citizen students moving south/or in to Texas. Many enrichment and remedial programs have been cut.

It is sad how GOP legislators and business profiteers treat the children of Texas and the taxpayers.