"Six for the Money" I Agree!

I agree with the opinion shared in TX: Affairs of the State’s blog titled “Six for the Money.” The funding of the public education is continuing to decrease while the number of students has continued to increase. It is disturbing to the number of schools closed due to low test scores, and the other schools that closed due to the lack of funding by the state. In my opinion the funds that were saved by the permanent school closures should be used to help adequately provide for the needs of the current schools that are struggling to provide for the needs of the students as well as services and supplies for the staff and educators The Texas School funding program has been in question a number of times over the years and now they are facing six lawsuits directed to the financial issues in the school systems covering three major topics: efficiency, adequacy, and meaningful discretion.

The increase in property taxes, the Texas Lottery, and the funding that the U.S. Government offers or tries to provide some assistance with the funding of Public Education. This all depends on whether Governor Perry will except funding from the U.S. Government or reject it.  Something needs to happen and soon to help remedy the current dilemma between the state and the schools. All children in America have a right receive and education without any discrimination of any kind.

 The courts will hear from six different schools around the State of Texas on how the districts are continuing to fall short. What is it truly going to take for the Texas Government to open their eyes to the reality that the education system needs updated and that the funding needs to increase or the dropout rate will continue to increase due to the lack of teacher support in the overcrowded classrooms. Hopefully in January we will have some new information to determine what is going to be done to improve the Texas’s School for the good of the parents and the children. Then it can be good for all. The passing of the new voucher system by the Texas Legislature next session will make a big impact I think by give families more options when they go to register their children for school. Let’s hope these lawsuit generate some necessary changes.  

Editorial about Low Income Housing in Austin and code enforcement

        I found an article titled “Apartment Walkway collapse could lead to tougher code enforcement” in the Statesman on November 1, 2012 written by Jasmine Ulloa very informative. I think the city of Austin has let the slumlords get by with below minimum standards in low income housing for way too long. Attention needs to be paid to ensure that the City of Austin increases their enforcement of  code violations that fall below minimum standards.
    As Ulloa states in her article, “But some community leaders say the city’s plans to improve code enforcement aren’t strong enough and could meet roadblocks. The city and taxpayers have to decide whether they want to pay for the repair incentives, they said, and the city hasn’t discussed consequences for those not willing to participate in a restoration program”
       What allow a property to fall below the minimum includes: backed up sewers, severe cockroach infestation, rats, faulty wiring, leaky roof, or not having  hot water. Dirty carpet and faulty appliances (malfunctioning dishwasher) are not violations. This information can be found in the Texas Constitution  Tex. Prop. Code SS 92.052(a). It is legal to rent an apartment  that has dirty carpets and has cockroaches, just not severe infestation,to someone. What is wrong is that City Council thinks that  because  someone is low income means that they are  second class citizens and thus not deserving of adequate housing regulated properly by the City. Tenants of the apartment complexes described in this article as well as many other complexes around the Austin area were built before 1985.Those code standards do not meet today's standards. Not to mention the number of absentee landlord/owners who live out of state or in a different country that are almost impossible to contact for any reason.
       What will it take for the Austin and  local taxpayers to see that people  suffer in substandard apartments and  there is no solution to these problems? The tenants complain to the city about the problems with their apartments and what repairs need to be made and are evicted. Instead of getting support from the city for reporting the code violations, they have to move. The places that are available for  low- income citizens who have been evicted are worse in most cases. This is a vicious cycle. No one sees the elephant in the room. Do you truly think that people choose to be poor? Life happens. What ever happened to love thy neighbor? I  researched this topic for over three hours to find out what the minimum standards were and discovered that we are one of the few cities in Texas that does not have  health housing   information available for public viewing online. Is it an oversight that Austin is not included on this website? I think not.