How State in Fear Pours More Money But It's Unbalanced Budget--Keeps on Tipping To The Breaking Point
Alabama like most states are being pushed by fear--it comes from everywhere from fears for the health of its citizens (hence the need for Obamacare) or for better education for children (hence the call for the common core standards also known as federalized take-over of education) etc.
Here is an example on education:
1. Alabamians have tried to show their love for children by pouring more money.
" Alabama's fiscal year begins in October and ends in September. Alabama's budget is unique in that 84% of tax revenue is set aside by the state constitution or state law for specific purposes, which is the highest percentage of any state budget in the nation." Read more...
2. Alabama has a General Fund Budget of $1.67 billion and an Education Budget of 5.4 billion
"Lawmakers approved both a General Fund budget (the operating budget spends $1.67 billion from the General Fund) and a $5.4 billion education budget for FY2013 on May 17, 2012. "
3. "Alabama has a total state debt of $60,412,502,000, when calculated by adding the total of outstanding official debt, pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities, Unemployment Trust Fund loans, and current budget gap." Read more...
The education budget provides enough money for state-funded teachers to maintain class sizes in elementary and secondary schools at current levels. It would spend $5.42 billion from the Education Trust Fund in fiscal 2013, a cut of $208 million, 3.7 percent, compared to this year's expected trust fund spending.
4. "Besides the Education Trust Fund, the education budget next year also appropriates $7.77 billion in federal grants, other state taxes and other funds." (more).
5. Alabama feels the loss of stimulus funds:
The loss of federal money includes $313 million in stabilization money that will be spent this year and definitely won't be available next year: $185 million for public kindergarten through 12th grade, $19 million for public two-year colleges and $109 million for public universities, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. Also $149.5 million directly to Alabama's K-12 public schools, for the schools to spend this year or next year (more...)
6. What does Alabama's Education Budget buy?
Where state-by-state rankings are concerned, however, the Quality Counts report by the magazine Education Week may offer the most reliable single overall score. The organization takes a number of factors and gives each state’s schools a letter grade.
In 2011, Alabama gets a C-plus. Some of that score is derived from areas like school finance — important for a school system’s health, but not the nitty-gritty most parents care about.
On K-12 Achievement, Alabama gets an overall D, ranking 43rd. But a few years ago, Alabama hovered around 47th place. Read more...
7. Reality check--how much money is enough and when will Alabama voters stop the path of hoping more money will fix the education system?---Apparently another 100 million more is needed for tablets for 9-12th grades as approved in HB 165--Alabama Ahead Act. The legislature felt it would save money by buying tablets, computers vs textbooks. Unfortunately they have not fullly weighed both sides of the story.
8. Who wants computerization?
Obama. Guess why...read this and this and this sums it up for parents--from Donna Garner.
Also the cost to our First Amendment, our children and culture of today's trend in education--read this and beware!!!
9. And guess who do not ...
Parents in Silicon Valley but in this back to basic school 94% of their students go to college (watch video)
Listen to this interview with John Rice--there is a better way if Legislators will try to see through the fears...