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Texas growth to be non-Anglo

Gary Scharrer
Austin Bureau
AUSTIN -- A dramatic population transformation in Texas means that non-Anglos will make up 56 percent of the labor force and 80 percent of public school enrollment within the next generation, state demographer Steve Murdock said Saturday.

Unless current education and economic trends change, income will actually decline by $6,500 per household 35 years from now, Murdock emphasized during a legislative issues conference sponsored by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO, and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.

Between now and 2040, 96 percent of change in the state's population will be non-Anglo.

"The demographic reality for Texas is that our future is tied to non-Anglo populations and particularly the Hispanic population," Murdock said. "And how well they do is how well Texas will do.

"The reality is our fates are intertwined and interrelated in Texas, and we should not forget that," the demographer said.

But the trend line is not looking good. Texas ranked No. 45 in the country in the percentage of adults with high-school education, according to 2000 census information. Since then, Texas has fallen to No. 50. Murdock also told of a school superintendent who recently told him about one elderly Anglo voter's perspective after a school bond election failed: "'I'm not ready to raise my taxes to educate 'those' people.'"

"This is dangerous for Texas," Murdock said.

Anglos lost their status as the state's majority population in 2003.

Earlier in the conference, NALEO leaders highlighted the underperforming nature of the Latino electorate. Though 72 percent of Anglos are registered to vote across the country, only 57 percent of Hispanics are registered.

"Latino voting needs to improve dramatically to reflect the growing Latino population," said El Paso County Attorney José Rodríguez, who attended the conference.

The state's shifting labor force to one consisting primarily of Hispanics is especially noteworthy, Rodríguez said. "We're going to be the workers that are going to drive the economy of this state and unless we participate in the electoral process, we will not be making determinations about industry, about jobs, about education," he said.

Most Texans probably are unaware of the population transformation, Rodríguez said, and many of the politicians appear to be in denial about the implications.

Last session, "the state of Texas reduced health-care funding for CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program), and the highest percentage of those enrolled are Hispanic children," he said. "What is that telling us? That they are not thinking about having healthy children who will grow into the work force for this state."

Gary Scharrer may be reached at gscharrer@ elpasotimes.com; (512) 479-6606.

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20050130-17492.shtml

And a related story --- notice how it's unfair for the hispanics to be expected to pay their share of taxes but they need to vote to get ahold of the "anglos" money --

Ex-state judge has grim hopes for covering gap in Texas' school funding

Gary Scharrer
El Paso Times

AUSTIN -- Texas lawmakers won't have enough money to cover essential services, much less to adequately finance public education, several experts told a conference of Hispanic leaders Saturday.

They expressed concerns that legislators would increase consumer taxes that hit low-income families the hardest, and that equity gaps between rich and poor schools would widen.

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has projected that lawmakers would have a modest $400 million surplus this session. But that figure assumes again raiding the "Rainy Day" fund and ignores increases in higher education enrollment, said a retired state judge, F. Scott McCown.

"We are at least $1.5 billion short of having enough money to do in the next biennium (two years) what we are doing in this biennium," McCown told a conference of Mexican American Legislative Caucus and National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. McCown is executive director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a think tank based in Austin.

Lawmakers face a tough dilemma, McCown said: "Regressive taxes versus critical needs for education and other services. What do we do?"

Low- and mid-wealth school districts fear that lawmakers will allow rich schools to keep a sizeable revenue advantage after creating a proposed "local enrichment" tax tier to supplement a statewide property tax.

Every child should have similar resources for his education, said Wayne Pierce, head of the Equity Center, a consortium representing more than 600 property-poor and midwealth school districts.

"There should be no discrimination against a 5-year-old child," he said. "What is scary is that there are people who believe that to be radical.

"Children are God's gift to Texas, and we shouldn't turn our back on that gift," he said.

Texans have been fighting for equitable school funding since a San Antonio parent filed a federal lawsuit 30 years ago.

The current funding gap between rich and poor schools is about $450,000 per elementary school classroom.

"I am optimistic. We'll eventually get a better education system. Unfortunately, in Texas it just takes us longer," said Norma Cantu, a University of Texas law professor and a veteran of school funding battles.

Hispanic children make up 44 percent of the state's public school enrollment, compared with 39 percent who are Anglo, and the Hispanic student population will continue to increase.

That's why it's important for Hispanics to participate in elections, said El Paso County Attorney José Rodríguez, who attended the conference.

"If we do not vote, we will not have a voice on how we structure the funding of our public schools," he said.

Gary Scharrer may be reached at gscharrer@elpasotimes.com; (512) 479-6606.

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20050130-17499.shtml