The Crisis is Misspending
What to know: Bryan ISD officials claim they’re facing a “budget crisis.” If so, then it’s self-inflicted. The district spent $11,990 per pupil in the 2021-22 school year, employs one of the highest paid superintendents in the state ($257,482 annually), and has borrowed a total of $313,095,378, or more than $19,500 per enrolled student.
The TPPF take: Public school district have a spending problem.
“As has been extensively documented, Texas’ public schools have squandered tax dollars on water parks, private planes, lavish taxpayer-funded homes, and more. These entities are not lacking for revenue in any way, shape, or form,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “It’s time for public education to get its spending addiction under control.”
For more on public school spending, click here.
Stalling Our Future
What to know: The federal phase-out of gas-powered cars has begun. And it won’t be cheap.
The TPPF take: The federal government is already propping up the EV industry with subsidies that serve to hide the real costs (as well as lack of demand). TPPF’s new study shows how much is being picked up by taxpayers.
“Proponents of EVs have falsely pushed the claim that EVs will soon cost less than gas-powered cars; our study shows that EVs are still a long way from being competitive without massive subsidies,” says TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “The Biden administration’s stringent fuel economy standards and regulatory manipulations are driving American automakers toward bankruptcy and adding thousands of dollars to the cost of every gasoline vehicle.”
For more on electric vehicles, click here.
Who Knows?
What to know: California spends millions and millions of dollars on homelessness each year, but it fails to track its spending or outcomes, a new audit says.
The TPPF take: It’s not just California; the City of Austin has no idea where its money has gone—or whether it even helps.
“The left’s solution of rapid housing without requiring sobriety or psychiatric fitness, known as Housing First, had its weakness on full display in a KVUE report of a local shelter showing a cache of drugs, drug paraphernalia, and weapons,” says TPPF’s John Bonura. “It’s time we turn the page and begin eliminating ineffective programs and policies, and instead refocus our resources on services that are effective.”