HCDE Declares War on Texas Taxpayers

Since the video surfaced of HCDE’s superintendent outlining his battle plan AGAINST the taxpayers, Texans deserve to know exactly who declared war on them….

It is the two obsolete county school boards left over from 100 years ago when counties operated Texas public schools:




1. Dallas County School Trustees–dba-DCS,Texserve
2. Harris County School Trustees–dba-HCDE,Choice Partners

All other counties in Texas quit electing County School Trustees after all their students moved to Independent School Districts. 

But these two dinosaurs have refused to close.

They continue to operate and tax under a loophole (TEC 11.301) even after the laws governing county schools were repealed in 1995.

The archaic 1930s county school property tax they still collect is called the “equalization tax.“ It was supposed to be used for the public schools in the county. Instead, they use most of it for themselves.

Why should the average Texan care?

Becasue in recent years, these two have developed a new 

“Texas government business model.”

They use public funds from property taxes, fees and bonds to start-up, purchase, and/or operate business enterprises – 
everything from cloud computing to charter bus services.

They aren’t limiting these business enterprises to their own counties. They are selling “services” across the US. 

And…

because both are actually leftover “county school districts”…. 

their 3000+ employees qualify for the Texas Teacher Retirement System. 

That means the State taxpayers are responsible for providing their employees LIFETIME benefits, as if they were teachers, even when their work has nothing to do with public education – like storing records for the City of Houston or chartering buses for church trips.

If the Legislature allows these tax exempt subsidized business operations to continue, they will be sanctioning public debt to purchase private companies, and using public funds to supplement government owned businesses.

Government businesses which can put private sector companies out of business, and their private sector employees out of work. 

In other words, taxpayers are at war with subsidized public sector, socialistic businesses that are working to undermine our capitalist system.

If you want to join in the battle, you can contact your Texas State Representative and Senator and let them know you expect them to support a bill to close the two remaining county school boards.

You can find who represents you: here 

Note: 

You can view the Texas Senate Education Committee Hearing held on 8/3/16 when some of their business practices are discussed here. It was a long hearing, but very informative.  (start at 4:28:57)

Colleen Vera

colleen@TexasTrashTalk.com