Education Policy in Texas - Research Paper Example

College Issues in Texas Texas is one of the competitive s in terms of economy in United s. Many people move to thisstate for job opportunities. This movement has increased the population in this area. Its pollution in the next 50 years is estimated to increase to 55 million from the current 25 million. This economic growth is also challenged by many issues. Some of these issues experienced include transportation, water, electric utility capacity, healthcare and education. Education is one the areas which faces many issues. These issues are experienced in most of the education levels starting from K-12 to the universities and college levels. A part from education, there are some other issues that must also be addressed in Texas. These issues involve poverty, budget and tax payment. These issues have been there for long time but there are current reforms that have been put in place in orders to control these challenges. Education policy (university & colleges) There have been many challenges that are affecting the education sector in Texas. Some have been there for long while others have been caused by the current legislation and the type of education system that have been put in place. One of the major issues facing Texas colleges and university education is the lack of funds for both the students and the schools. The cost of colleges and universities are very high in Texas. This blocks many students from pursuing there postsecondary schools courses. In the past, the cost of colleges was average. Many parents were able to take their children for high education. This dream has been erased by the rise of school fees. Recently, college costs have risen at a very high rate. This rise has even exceeded the rate at which inflation goes up. Parents and students now feel they are being exploited by the government due to the rise in school fees. Some cannot afford to pay all the fees and their children are forced to drop out of college. This rise of education fees has been caused by Texas failure to pay taxes. There has been a big hole in Texas budget that has forced the tax payers’ lot money in trying to reduce the budget deficits ("Challenges Facing Career and Technical Education"). This issue of rise in school fees has been dealt with to some extent. There are some policies that have been put in place in order to reduce the rise in school fees. These measures also help parents and students raise enough money for high education. One of the measures that have been put in place includes giving financial aids to the students who are studying in colleges and universities. This aid is made effective by giving loans to the students. These loans are given through private financial institutions or federal government. These institutions include education tax credits, state loans, work-study programs and federal grants. These loans help many students in colleges. Those who are in the two-year community colleges can also benefit from the loans. They will be able to give back to the society after completing college. The loan is also available for those who are going for five years in their high education. Most of the students who are going for four years have high chances of getting these loans as compared to those who are going for two years. This is because the four-year courses are known to cost more money than the two-year courses ("Challenges Facing Career and Technical Education"). From my opinion, this policy of giving financial aid to students is very important. It helps many students whose dreams were to study in colleges and universities. It is also very essential for students who come from poor families. When these students complete their education, they will be able to help the other members of their families. This means that the financial aid important will help the whole society. K-12 Education There many issues that is associated with K-12 education in Texas. Some of the issues are caused by larger number of students in the lower grade schools. This large population in schools makes teaching cumbersome. Teachers do not have time to go through all work that has been given to students. Another issue faced in this K-12 is the case of high rate of school drop outs. This is caused by the increased cost of studying. Those who cannot afford fees are forced to drop out. There are many reforms that have been put in place to ensure that these issues are solved. One of the reforms includes the No Child Left Out Behind. This ensures that all children in Texas are able to complete their K-12 education and proceed to the institution high learning. This is the best reform because the government will ensure all children are able to complete K-12. Poverty issue Texas is one of the largest states in United States in terms of population. In fact, it is the second largest after California. It has large cities but most of the people are still living in the traditional lives of cowboys and ranching. It has diverse economy but its history of the 1980’s is still show that most of its population is still living below poverty line. Many people in this state are poor and cannot afford most of the family needs. In 1980, statistics show that Texas had higher poverty rate than the entire United States. A survey done last year shows that 18.5% of the Texas citizens live below poverty line. The rate of the poor people increases. This rise in poverty rate leads to an increase in gap between the poor and the rich. This means that, people who are living above the poverty life are improving while those living below the poverty line are not progressing at all ("Poverty in Texas: Our Responsibility - TFBN"). This issue of poverty should be looked into seriously. The government should not watch the American citizens live in poor conditions. Some policies should be put in place to ensure that this issue is solved once and for all. One of the ways of solving this issue is through education. The government has invested in the education sector staring from pre-K to the university level. This helps students from poor background study. This education also reduces the rate of illiteracy ion the society. Reduced illiteracy leads to direct decrease in the poverty level because people will be more educated and will earn sustainable income. This education policy has been applied through the reforms like No Child Left Behind. This reform helps in encourage children from poor families to attend schools. Therefore, improved education program is one of the ways of addressing poverty issue ("Poverty in Texas: Our Responsibility - TFBN"). Another policy that has been put in place by the legislation to address poverty issue is the Balanced Diet Act. In this act, deep cuts have been made in sectors like education, healthcare and other sectors that are very important. This has been done to ensure that many people are able to access these sectors regardless of their financial status. Furthermore, if Farm Bill is passed by the Congress is passed, then most of the Texas families are going to benefit. This is because farm product costs will be reduced thus making every family afford daily meals. I think reform for ensuring improved education helps in solving poverty challenges. This is because most of the poor families which are poor are those with low level of education. Education reduces illiteracy rates in the society. With increased literacy in the society, poverty level will also be reduced. Furthermore, when food prices are reduced, the poor will be able to have the daily meals on their tables. Budget issue Texas also experiences budgeting issues. Many leaders have warned for this budget issue in Texas. More money is required for solving problems in education and health care but the budget can guarantee that. From the past, Texas has been known to have the least revenue collection in United States. This has caused a big issue in drafting budget. In 2008, the per capita that was spent was $3, 380. This shows that Texas spent less than what the entire country spent. The policy makers were not able to balance the state budget by collecting taxes. The budget issue is still a challenge in Texas. There are some suggestions that have been made by some leaders on how this issue can be solved. State gen. Leticia Van De Putte says that Texas cannot raise tax that can sustain both the education and the health care sectors. This is a fact about Texas and ways of solving this matter should be put place. Due to the mandated Medicaid by the federal government, Texas will be spending a lot of money on it. This issue can be solved if the legislature curtails the expenditure burden on the state. A controlled government should be applied to foresee the tax and revenue collection in order to be able to have a balanced budget. If this is not applied, the problem will still remain for very long time. Education and health care sectors should be allocated adequate money to avoid using a lot of money only in two areas. Tax policies should be put in place to ensure that every pays taxes. This is going to helping balancing the budget. Tax and tax policy There are many issues that are associated with tax in Texas. The tax that is collected is not enough to balance the budget. The debt of the debt is very high. It has risen to $31 billion in the last ten years. The government is relying on property taxes but this should be discouraged the amount of debt is to be reduced. Due to the lack of income tax, Texas was ranked 43rd in terms of tax collection. From research that has been conducted by Texas Public Policy Foundation, is was found out that property taxes cause a lot of problems to the state. Property taxes are block to economic improve and this should be discouraged. Much is lost through this property tax. To regain the lost amount, the government should switch to a tax system that is consumption-based. This is because this type of tax system will stimulate economic growth of the state. Stimulated economic growth makes the state more competitive when comes to other business matters. It will attract more investors into the state. Economic prosperity can only be achieved if the property tax is abolished. From my own point of view, I support the abolishment of property law. This is because more tax will be generated for the state. Therefore, the economic status of Texas will improve. This state will become as competitive as the other states. Work cited Maxwell, William E, Ernest Crain, and Adolfo Santos. Texas Politics Today. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2014. Print. "Challenges Facing Career and Technical Education." Challenges Facing CTE. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. . "Poverty in Texas: Our Responsibility - TFBN." TFBN Poverty in Texas Our Responsibility Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. . Read More