It is easy to believe, in times of high economic stress, the age old notion that everyone is going to have to suffer a little bit. Unfortunately, easy solutions are rarely good ones, and regular Texans, so many of whom fell below the poverty line last year, should demand more from their representatives as the Legislature comes together again in 2012. State leaders must craft a workable budget solution that pulls funds from underperforming projects and reinvests them in efforts that make the most difference for the most Texans. Programs that empower struggling communities are thirsting for resources, especially now, with a growing number of Americans falling below the poverty line and becoming dependent on free and low-cost programs that often thrive on state funding.
Without question, agencies and programs that are ineffective or wasteful deserve to be cut. This is as true as it ever was, but as we look for places to make cuts, we must also seize the opportunity to identify and strengthen those operations that continue to exceed our expectations. For instance, after school programs that support families in middle and low-income neighborhoods often receive high praise from the same leaders who are bleeding them dry during heartless budget-slashing sessions. By cutting $1.3 billion in grants and funding that support these types of programs, Texas legislators are sending a clear message to more than one million youngsters who are forced to care of themselves after school: You’re on your own, kids!
On hundreds of Texas campuses, publically-funded after school programs are often the only barrier standing between at-risk youth, in the most formative years of life, and the many dangers that stalk them. With 91% of parents saying that after school programs have made a positive difference in their families’ lives, how can our leaders justify such a drastic decrease in support? With 1.7 million Texas students asking for after school programming in their communities, how can our leaders so easily say no? You’ll be hard-pressed to find a good reason. The archaic approach taken by legislators to solving our state’s budget crisis, lazily siphoning funding from programs across the public spectrum, with no little or no reward for those programs that are actually working, is disappointing and deserves a vicious public rebuke.
It makes plenty of sense to take a second look at the budget, to reevaluate our priorities, and to take steps to end the excessive spending and corrupt practices that led to the current budget shortfall. It makes no sense, however, to punish those individuals and organizations that have been doing the right thing all along. Community-fortifying programs that exceed performance expectations year after year, like the after school programs that have increased reading and math scores by more than 40% and raised grades and end-of-year test results across Texas, do not deserve a billion dollar budget cut.
We deserve a better plan.
And better planners.
Hublius
