The House Committee on Public Education will hold a hearing Tuesday April 16th, 2013 on Debbie Riddle’s bill HB 945. HB 945 requires the assets, liabilities and contracts of the board be transferred to Commissioners Court in trust for the component school districts. I’m wondering if the programs and services provided by HCDE for a fee are sufficient for them to remain an entity providing services to educators and business managers if their taxing authority didn’t exist.
HCDE states their mission is to meet the needs of educators and business managers (silly Yvonne thought the children would be the primary beneficiaries of HCDE).
NOPE.
From HCDE’s own website:
At HCDE, our services continually evolve to meet the needs of educators. Our specialists use their field-service expertise to work together with our school district clients and business managers.
The third paragraph of HCDE’s website states their mission is maximizing the return on our (who is our?) education dollars:
We leverage limited resources and maximize the return on our education tax dollars – a valuable tool for the community.
Not until the fourth paragraph does HCDE acknowledge student achievement in the classroom is what they are regarded for:
Today, HCDE is home to award-winning programs. As an innovator, we are highly regarded through the county, state and nation for our commitment to student achievement in the classroom. Always HCDE.
Let’s take a look at the some of the services aligned to student achievement in the classroom, shall we?
Once again, from the Press Release section of HCDE’s own website:
Property tax summit April 23rd explores economic trends in Harris County.
This summit must be for the children, right? Nope, HCDE is promoting this summit be attended by leaders in school districts, cities and special jurisdictions for a fee of $10 (which includes a box lunch).
HCDE launches www.texasctrgrants.org for best practices in grant writing
When did grant writing become part of the elementary, middle school or high school student curriculum? But wait? There’s more! There’s a membership fee in Texas Center For Grants Development ranging from $210 to $490.
And if those two programs and services aren’t enough for you to consider the fees from services could eliminate the need for HCDE to levy taxes, there’s the Summer 2013 Best Practices Conference June 11, 2013 which costs $160, including lunch of course. With maximum seating for 250 students…err, administrators, the conference fees would be $40,000.
How about the “High Impact Instruction for Coaches, Administrators and Teachers – 3 Days May 20-22, 2013 Workshop Number 01-03950? Cost? $450. I picked up a flyer advertising that workshop but had trouble locating this workshop on the HCDE website using the workshop number:
If 200 students….err, coaches attended this workshop, the fees generated could amount to $90,000
My point here is that HCDE’s own website and own press releases promote fee-for-service programs, courses, workshops that could generate sufficient monies that could abolish the need for HCDE to levy taxes.
That’s a debate worth having.