Texans who follow the history of public schools in Texas are familiar with the story. The legislature passes mandates theoretically to improve schools but fail to provide sufficient money to pay the costs of implementing the new requirements. The latest example is Texas House Bill 3 (HB3). Except this time, it doesn't even pretend to improve education. It requires Texas school districts to have an armed officer on every campus, as if the secret to better reading scores is more guns. No, that's too absurd for even the Texas legislature. For them, it's the secret to ending gun violence in schools that is more guns. More guns seems to be their answer to every problem. In any case, for Richardson ISD, it's an underfunded mandate requiring the hiring of an additional 34 security personnel (plus two supervisors) and equipping them with handgun, duty belt, ballistic vest, and RISD Logo shirt.
HB3 doesn't come with no money. Superintendent Tabitha Branum explains: "We received an additional $0.28/student and $15,000/campus...For us as a district that yields us about $825,000 to put towards meeting the requirements of House Bill 3...Just to meet the requirements of 34 officers, it's going to cost us $2.4 million."
You do the math. It's an underfunded mandate. The Texas legislature say they want our children to be safe. They claim to know what is needed. They just don't want to pay for it. Maybe they expect it to be paid for out of our Strategic Thoughts and Prayers Reserve.
The RISD Board of Trustees voted 6-0 (with Eric Eager absent) to grant the Superintendent the authority to hire additional security personnel, and, until the additional officers are hired, declared a good cause exception to the state law and delegated to the Superintendent the authority to develop a temporary alternative standard. Nothing was said about where the money was going to come from. If not from new money from Austin, then it has to come out of money intended for some other purpose.
Texas HB3 was passed with the support of two of Richardson's four representatives, both Republicans: Angie Chen Button and Justin Holland. It was opposed by two others, both Democrats: Ana-Maria Ramos and Mihaela Plesa. Vote.
"State's distressing stance:
Hire more without funds' advance.
Texas public school dance."
—h/t ChatGPT
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