Exposing Financial Corruption in the Texas Education System

Have you ever wondered where Texas school funds actually go? Despite boasting an $18 billion budget surplus in 2023, why does the state rank among the bottom 10 states in educational spending? Even more baffling, Texas approved a tax abatement program worth well over $31 billion in property tax breaks for corporations. Even though these deals promised supplemental school payments, they traded long-term financial benefits. This leads me to ask, isn't Texas supposed to be a land of educational opportunities? Are these decisions really in the best interest of Texas students? This corruption in our schools not only wastes our public funds but also our nation's potential.

Corruption generally refers to dishonest or unethical behaviors by individuals in positions of power, often involving the abuse of authority for personal gain. This affects schools in many ways, including misappropriation of our funds, public funding, and the well-being of our communities. A good example is a 2019 case where a former school superintendent and several trustees were investigated for misappropriation of funds and contract irregularities. An investigation later showed that district officials had awarded contracts worth millions of dollars without proper bidding processes and oversight. As a result, the district implemented new policies to increase scrutiny of the district, but who's to say that they will abide by those rules?

The financial corruption in Texas schools has severely impacted our community's public funds. This affects our students and removes the sense of trust between school administrators and their local communities, leading to the withdrawal of many students and further loss of state funding. One of the ways that corruption in our schools has affected hard-working taxpayers' funds is through the misallocation of resources. When funds are mishandled or mismanaged, they aren't reaching their intended educational purposes. This leads to less money for essential resources like textbooks, technology, and other classroom essentials. Another way, and arguably the most important one, is that this creates a loss of educational opportunities, which is the whole purpose of the educational system. If funds are misappropriated, schools miss opportunities to implement new programs, hire additional teachers, and improve facilities that could benefit students. In all, this also increases operational costs, meaning the districts pay more for necessary basic needs. However, this isn’t the only issue that disrupts our students' educational flow.

We can't forget the very muscle of the educational system—our teachers. The people that we walk past and talk to every day. The people who work day and night to ensure that students progress, but unfortunately, they aren’t immune to this. There are several ways that Texas educators are affected by financial corruption, including inadequate compensation, limited resources, and even increased workload. According to the National Education Association, Texas teachers are paid below the national average of $69,544; this makes it hard to attract new and retain quality educators. Another way that Texas educators are affected by financial corruption is the limited amount of resources. Often, teachers have to spend money out of pocket on classroom supplies like books, paper, and art supplies due to funds not reaching their intended destination. This creates an additional financial burden on already underpaid educators. I find it absorbing that even though our educators are already being affected by this, their workload is still increased. Financial mismanagement leads to larger class sizes and fewer support staff. This, in turn, forces teachers to take on more responsibilities without any compensation. Above all, we as a community should care about the mental health of our educators; this constant struggle, on top of an insufficient resource supply, leads to a decrease in job satisfaction and burnout, which ultimately affects their ability to provide a quality education.

The Texas education system has many issues that need to be resolved for the well-being of our students and educators. A problem that the state of Texas has ignored is the politicization of the education system. If I’m not mistaken, isn’t the US the land of the free? Isn’t our right to choose what we believe in? How is it that state officials have banned over 1,500 books? Isn’t public knowledge our right? Think about it. In the long term, this could leave an incomplete picture of the world for our kids, yet these people are more worried about other subjects. The real question here is how, despite knowing about these issues, our government decides to focus on other things and leave out the real problems. **

Here’s an idea to combat financial corruption in Texas schools let’s make an approach to increase transparency and oversight. By implementing more stringent financial reporting and involving independent committees to monitor spending, we can ensure that public funds are managed appropriately. This measure would not only help prevent corruption but also build trust within our Texas communities. When taxpayers see where their contributions are going, it fosters a sense of accountability among school administrators. We should also empower our educators by advocating for better compensation and support. By ensuring that teachers receive competitive salaries and necessary resources, we can retain quality educators who are passionate about their students’ success. Together, these strategies can create a more equitable environment for both students and teachers, paving the way for a brighter future in Texas education.

I know this can be overwhelming, but all hope isn’t lost. Together, we can fight against corruption and ensure that every child or adult has an opportunity to succeed. I encourage you to speak about these issues, share your stories, and find out what your local communities can do. Reminder: we are the voice of Texas. I leave you with this quote from Arielle Fodor: “Education is not a business. When we treat it like one, kids lose, teachers lose, and communities lose.”