Rhetorical Observations of the Religious Dogma Taxes and Education in Texas.
I attended the Board of Trustees monthly meeting of the Lone Star College System this past Thursday. I have a right to do so as a property owner, tax payer, citizen, and a few other rights. It's an open meeting, though the Board exercises its right to go into an executive session per Texas statute.
First Page of September Board Agenda
The rhetoric of such meetings is not dissimilar to corporate stockholders meetings -- everything is good, everything is rosy, and only discuss the positive, or always put a positive spin on any troublesome data. But corporate stockholders meeting is not quite right -- it's more a convocation of the righteous, a sectarian coven with a ritual in itself that claims openness, but in fact is designed to permit only the chosen to attend and participate. The meeting itself is held out of the way for most property owners of the huge college district (several hundred square kilometers) and starts promptly at 5:00 p.m., which means that most working class property owners cannot attend the meeting, getting off work at 5:00 or 6:00 and having to battle Houston traffic, especially the levels of hell that Interstate 45 really is. After the pleasantries of patriotism -- the obligatory pledge of allegiance, somehow certifying that everyone has the same ideals and intentions in this multicultural world -- a quick and efficient rah-rah plug for the Honors College by my colleagues. I don't criticize them -- it's an important program that I've benefited from and needs to be highlighted for multiple reasons that can be addressed later. Still, the new Chancellor and the Board members present beam confidently at the presenters, some spiritual manifestation within their hearts that they are members of the true church, the validation of the college mission statement. This opening homily of self-praise sets the stage for the rest of the evening, where self-worship is the real purpose of the Board meetings, the public display of ethos and sanctity to tell themselves repeatedly that all is well in the world, with nary a word of the underlying problems, kept invisible, out of the public eye, to be wrestled with and fought over in inter-nicene battles back in the trenches of holy of holy offices and offices within offices, some protected by bullet-proof glass and stern older priestess keeping the unholy from despoiling the sanctity of vice presidents and presidents performing sanctifying rituals out of sight of the gentile population.
Not surprisingly, considering the geography, politics, and class realities of the whole district, most people who attended were white and dressed in business clothes. I was actually under-dressed in mere chinos and a dress shirt without a tie. Some administrators, functionaries, are black; the Board member-elect Mr. Alton Smith of the Acres Home area was present and introduced; I saw only one Latino. Plenty of BMW and Mercedes in the parking lot. Some time ago, food was provided for the public, but the former chancellor apparently thought this encouraged public criticism of the Board, so food service was stopped and provided only for the Board now. That story is apocryphal, but I wouldn't be surprise. Now the sacrament is provided for the holy ones, and ice water in small plastic cups is provided for the masses.
Once out of Executive Session, the Board reconvened publicly, smiling, a bought of loud laughter coming from their sanctum sanctorum just before reentering public space. Public comments were open, and only one public voice had asked to be heard -- the American Federation of Teachers, comments below, provided with permission.
AFT Address to the Board of Trustees on the Ad Valorem Tax Rate – Sep. 4, 2014
I am John Burghduff, representing the American Federation of Teachers.
I have asked to speak on behalf of the union regarding Action Item 3 on tonight’s agenda setting the Ad Valorem Tax Rate for the current year.
Since Lone Star College’s tax rates are historically among the lowest among community college systems in Texas and since, in the presentation of the budget at the August meeting, the Chief Financial Officer indicated that there was an expectation to lower the rate even further, we are hopeful that the new rate to be announced tonight will not be burdensome to the citizens of this district.
We hope that the rationale for the new rate will balance the public’s need to keep taxes reasonable with the college’s need for revenue to solve some of the expensive issues we will need to face such as improving the ratio of full time to adjunct faculty and adequately filling staff positions.
We do wish to express our concern, however, that the published agenda for this meeting does not state what the recommended tax rate will be. It only states “recommended tax rates will be presented to the Board at its September regular Board meeting.” We understand that the college is reliant on the offices of the Tax Assessors/Collectors of three counties to provide needed information and that these calculations are complex.
However, in the spirit of openness and transparency, it is also important that taxpayers of the district be able to view the recommended rates in advance of this meeting in case they have concerns or questions they would like to pose to the Board. Understanding the constraints the Administration and Finance Office is under, the union would like the Board and the Administration to explore measures that will, in future years, make the tax rate visible to the public by the time the agenda is released for taxpayers to study those rates and prepare questions before the evening of a Board vote.
Thank you for your consideration.
A few clarifications and questions, the assurance from the Board that the actual tax figures could not be released earlier because county assessors haven't provided necessary numbers early enough.
AFT rep returned to his seat, and some System functionary who explained that the proposed tax rate will be dropped from 11-something cents to 10-something cents. Then this very strange rhetoric ensued. The Chair of the Board, the Chancellor, and this functionary went into something approaching a mystic vision of how this tax decrease is the best of all things - the second largest since the first year of the college district 41 years ago. Other self-praises about having one of the lowest tax rates in the state, about having a low tax rate for the other community colleges, and more. Faces beaming. Money saved. Budgets balanced. Property values increasing, Exxon coming, new sources of income. Everyone happy. The choir began to sing hallelujah to the Lord of Neoliberalism.
Yet students were mentioned not once. The sad irony of this tax decrease is -- while middle class and upper class property owners won't lose any of their overall net worth -- students will increase their debts every year. They will need to take out more loans, work more hours, make more C's and D's and F's because of long work hours and late school work, fewer opportunities to receive personal tutoring, many not affording textbooks at all. The priority of the Board and the System as a whole was pronounced as a doctrine of fiscal responsibility, ignorant of how much my students struggle, some of them actually homeless, some of them not eating nutritious meals every day. Not once were students mention. The entire liturgy was one of salvation through lower taxation, but never was the possibility of maintaining taxes at their current rate and lowering the tuition of students mentioned. This wasn't even considered. The vote was taken, the communion consumed. Transubstantiation complete. All were one.
Ironically, the first of the system's "value statements" is the one most overlooked:
And the students lose. Like the pariahs, the lepers from the temple, they were not asked to present their perspectives, they were not invited to the meeting, the priests on campus did not reach out to their student government associations, did not call public meetings, did not poll the students. The lepers were kept at a distance. Some of my students can't afford textbooks, can't afford tuition, are falling behind because of their textbook problem, can't stay late for tutoring because they need to get to their minimum wage jobs. I've arranged for seven students to work as writing tutors, having them certified over the summer. They still haven't been hired. Those who have jobs have to rush to work; those without jobs simply don't have cash. Textbooks now cost more than the classes themselves. Tuition reduction would improve each and every student's experience with the college. But the religion of "taxes are evil" is the primary religion in Texas, more popular than Baptist or Church of Christ or high school football. The Board is oblivious of student needs, safe in their distant temples far away from working class students in Aldine and Spring, feeding themselves with catered food while some of my students struggle in class to pay attention because they don't have healthy meals at home.
I need to stop. I can't say more without sounding bitter. But I am bitter. Just nothing more to say about it.
Be strong, and courageous.
AFT rep returned to his seat, and some System functionary who explained that the proposed tax rate will be dropped from 11-something cents to 10-something cents. Then this very strange rhetoric ensued. The Chair of the Board, the Chancellor, and this functionary went into something approaching a mystic vision of how this tax decrease is the best of all things - the second largest since the first year of the college district 41 years ago. Other self-praises about having one of the lowest tax rates in the state, about having a low tax rate for the other community colleges, and more. Faces beaming. Money saved. Budgets balanced. Property values increasing, Exxon coming, new sources of income. Everyone happy. The choir began to sing hallelujah to the Lord of Neoliberalism.
Yet students were mentioned not once. The sad irony of this tax decrease is -- while middle class and upper class property owners won't lose any of their overall net worth -- students will increase their debts every year. They will need to take out more loans, work more hours, make more C's and D's and F's because of long work hours and late school work, fewer opportunities to receive personal tutoring, many not affording textbooks at all. The priority of the Board and the System as a whole was pronounced as a doctrine of fiscal responsibility, ignorant of how much my students struggle, some of them actually homeless, some of them not eating nutritious meals every day. Not once were students mention. The entire liturgy was one of salvation through lower taxation, but never was the possibility of maintaining taxes at their current rate and lowering the tuition of students mentioned. This wasn't even considered. The vote was taken, the communion consumed. Transubstantiation complete. All were one.
Ironically, the first of the system's "value statements" is the one most overlooked:
Hardly.
- Affordable Access - We believe that the Lone Star College System provides an affordable and accessible educational experience which meets the needs of its diverse communities.
And the students lose. Like the pariahs, the lepers from the temple, they were not asked to present their perspectives, they were not invited to the meeting, the priests on campus did not reach out to their student government associations, did not call public meetings, did not poll the students. The lepers were kept at a distance. Some of my students can't afford textbooks, can't afford tuition, are falling behind because of their textbook problem, can't stay late for tutoring because they need to get to their minimum wage jobs. I've arranged for seven students to work as writing tutors, having them certified over the summer. They still haven't been hired. Those who have jobs have to rush to work; those without jobs simply don't have cash. Textbooks now cost more than the classes themselves. Tuition reduction would improve each and every student's experience with the college. But the religion of "taxes are evil" is the primary religion in Texas, more popular than Baptist or Church of Christ or high school football. The Board is oblivious of student needs, safe in their distant temples far away from working class students in Aldine and Spring, feeding themselves with catered food while some of my students struggle in class to pay attention because they don't have healthy meals at home.
I need to stop. I can't say more without sounding bitter. But I am bitter. Just nothing more to say about it.
Dixi et salvavi animam meam
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