Federal and State Governments Play Chicken With Texas Education Funding

It's looking like our pesky budget crisis, you know the $10 billion one, is getting national attention again. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Texas Republicans and Democrats are "dueling" over $830 million in education funding currently sitting at the federal Department of Education.

The math seems simple - Texas education needs money; the federal government has money to give… but the strings attached have made federal education funding a huge political debate. Those strings are that the money must supplement existing spending. It can't be a windfall that allows Texas to move its own state education money elsewhere. Gov. Rick Perry has maintained that Texas schools are entitled to the money, without the strings. Democrat Lloyd Doggett, disagrees, ""Federal aid to education should actually aid education in our local Texas schools, not provide a bailout to the governor for his mismanagement of the state budget."

The issue has reached a standstill, with neither side willing to blink. Currently, AISD is looking at a $94 million shortfall and has declared financial exigency. Already Austin has seen the possibility of multiple school closures and the loss of 1,100 education jobs. At last night's Board Meeting, Trustees were considering a proposal that would pay teachers up to $10,000 to resign, a plan that has proven popular in Dallas.

The state has until September 30th to apply for the federal funding. If not, there's always bake sales and lemonade stands.