Imagine picking up the Snyder Daily News one day and the front page headline reads “Amid budget cuts, governor threatens Texas Tech football season.”
Do you think that would raise some eyebrows or cause a massive phone tree that makes it all the way to Austin?
Well, that was a headline many people saw coming out of Louisiana last week.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards discussed the possibility of cancelling the upcoming LSU football season in order to help ease budget strains.
He had previously announced cuts to the state’s free college tuition program, known as TOPS.
However, at least one Louisiana lawmaker did not appreciate the scare tactic by the first-term governor.
“I appreciate that he is trying to get a point across to the public and to the Legislature, but (to say that) if we don’t raise revenue ... you’re going to shut down universities, shut down TOPS and shut down LSU football is a little over the top,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Cameron Henry, R-Metairie.
In a statewide speech, Edwards said college students “will receive a grade of incomplete, many students will not be able to graduate and student-athletes across the state at those schools will be ineligible to play next semester. That means you can say farewell to college football next fall.”
While not drawing as much attention as threatening to cancel LSU football did, two Scurry County school superintendents have talked to state lawmakers about the importance of Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction (ASATR) funding.
Ira ISD Superintendent Jay Waller hosted a meeting with Rep. Dustin Burrows in December and Sen. Charles Perry earlier this month to let them know that cutting ASATR would be a mistake.
Waller said that he could keep Ira ISD open without ASATR funding, but it would call for him to eliminate 19 of the 21 teaching positions.
Snyder Superintendent Jim Kirkland said in December that letting ASATR funding expire, which is set to happen with the 2017-18 school year, would mean $6.5 million less in state funding, or the equivalent of half of the district’s teaching positions.
Those are not scare tactics by our local school officials. Those are real figures and a real possibility.
The concern in Waller’s voice during both meetings was genuine.
I hope state lawmakers begin to address this situation soon. If not, more than 200 school districts in this state will be in trouble.
Perry asked Waller to be among those to testify when hearings begin either this year or during the 2017 session. A voice like Waller’s would carry a lot of weight in Austin. Ira ISD does it by the book and the results show.
It would be a sad day if we had to write the headline, “Ira ISD closed due to state lawmakers cutting education funds.”
Ben Barkley is the managing editor of the Snyder Daily News. He has covered news and sports for more than 25 years in Louisiana and Texas. Comments about his column can be emailed to barkley@snyderdailynews.com.