Pandemic relief funds for schools about to end
Texas public schools received more than $19 billion in pandemic relief funds over the last four years, but that pipeline of cash will largely end on Sept. 30, The Texas Tribune reported.
That means many Texas schools already struggling with budget deficits will begin the school year with even more serious deficits, especially since the Texas Legislature has not increased base per-student pay since 2019 — a year before the pandemic began.
Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief package in 2020 to help schools deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused enrollment declines, teachers exiting the profession and falling test scores. That funding is about to end, with essentially nothing to take its place for many school districts already at the maximum allowed property tax rate.
“It’s not about making up ESSER, because we all knew that was one-time funding,” La Joya ISD Superintendent Marcey Sorensen said. “I just would ask, without getting political whatsoever, that everybody just look in the mirror and say, OK, if we really haven’t provided additional funding since 2019, maybe it’s time that we just give school districts a little bit more of what they need, knowing that kids have different needs now.”
A recent survey conducted by the Texas Association of School Business Officials concluded that out of 313 school districts across the state, nearly 80% reported deficit budgets or a lack of resources as one of their top challenges.
Abbott orders hospitals to report immigrant care data
All Texas hospitals enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program have been ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to report costs incurred by treating undocumented immigrants, the Austin American-Statesman reported. In a news release outlining his executive order, Abbott blamed the Biden administration’s border security policies for health care costs related to those immigrants.
“Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants,” Abbott said.
Some Democratic lawmakers criticized the order.
State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Austin, posted on X: “Texas has the HIGHEST uninsured healthcare in the nation. Texas has the WORST mental health care in the nation. Texas has one of the worst (mortality) and infant mortality rates in America. But these are the Republicans' priorities.”
Five more counties added to disaster list
In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, five more Texas counties have been added to the federal disaster list, the governor’s office announced.
The counties of Austin, Bowie, Shelby, Trinity and Waller have been added to the list, which already included Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker and Wharton counties.
Texans can apply for FEMA disaster assistance online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.
School about to start; watch for the kiddos
With school about to start, drivers are urged to stay alert and exercise caution in school zones, the Texas Department of Public Transportation advised. School zones can be chaotic, and 748 crashes were reported inside them last year. In addition, 2,523 collisions involving school buses occurred in Texas last year, killing 11 people and injuring 63.
TxDOT has launched its “Be Safe. Drive Smart Back-to-School” campaign in hopes of reducing crashes. The most common causes of crashes are preventable, such as speeding, distracted driving and failure to yield the right of way. Among the tips offered by TxDOT:
· Be aware. Traffic patterns around schools may have changed since last school year.
· Stay alert and put your phone away. Using a handheld electronic device while driving in an active school zone is against the law.
· Stop and yield the right of way to a pedestrian, bicyclist, or other vulnerable road user in a crosswalk. The Lisa Torry Smith Act of 2021 enhanced the penalties for failing to follow the law and protect people in crosswalks. Seriously injuring someone who is lawfully in a crosswalk is now a state jail felony.
· Obey school zone speed limit signs. Remember, traffic fines increase in school zones.
· Know where to go. Drop off and pick up your kids in your school’s designated areas, not the middle of the street.
· Be on the lookout. Keep an eye on children gathered at bus stops.
· Watch for children who might dart across the street or between vehicles.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: [email protected].