Since the [Texas State] Legislature eliminated more than $5 billion in financing from public education in 2011, some early results are easily quantifiable — like the approximately 25,000 employees shed from the state’s schools and the more than 6,200 additional elementary school classes that have more than 22 students.
Other potential consequences of the budget cut are not as easily measured. Several organizations — some with a stated agenda, like the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, and one from the nonpartisan Houston-based education advocacy group Children at Risk — have conducted studies that investigate the impact of budget-related changes, like the loss of one-on-one time with students and teacher planning periods. Educators have reported a loss of morale and an increase in stress levels in the classroom.
via Budget Cuts and New Policies Put Strain on Texas Teachers – NYTimes.com.
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