No doubt, the Texas Legislature under Governor Rick Perry had a problem, not unlike the problem faced by state legislatures all across the country.  It started writing its latest budget already about 27 billion dollars in the hole.  Determined to hold the line on taxes, the legislature began looking for places to cut…and cut, and cut.  Public education did not avoid the ax, and the amount of cash sent to schools by the state has diminished dramatically.  Many school districts, also unwilling or unable to raise taxes, began to look for places to cut.  In at least one Texas school district, one of the larger cuts came in transportation.  There will be no more free bus rides in the Keller Independant School District.  Parents will pay hundreds if they choose to bus their kids to school. [Read more...]