Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Needs Your Help

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is faced with a $4.6 million budget shortage caused by record heat and drought, devastating wildfires and a resulting decline in visitation and revenue. TPWD is appealing to the public for support to enable state parks to keep operating and to avoid laying off staff. TPEA encourages state employees and retirees to consider helping by making a donation to TPWD or by visiting state parks.

There are three simple ways you can help:

• Make a tax-deductible donation.
• Make a donation when it's time for you to renew your vehicle registration.
• Most importantly, because visitor fees pay for about half of all park operating costs, visit a state park with your family and friends.

Click here to make a tax-deductible donation or to find other information on how to help.

Visit the TPEA Facebook page to recommend the TPWD campaign on your own Facebook wall. If you’re not on Facebook, please also share this information with family and friends.

SAO Report Shows Troubling Increase in State Turnover Rate

Source: Classified Employee Turnover for Fiscal Year 2011, State Auditor's Office

In FY 2011 Texas experienced a 15.1 percent increase in state employee turnover, rising from 14.6 percent in 2010 to 16.8 percent for the fiscal year that ended on August 31, 2011. This is the highest state turnover rate since FY 2008 and it is troubling since turnover increased despite persistently high unemployment in Texas. Excessive turnover costs the state hundreds of million dollars to attract, recruit and train new employees and in lost productivity.

Available data indicate that lagging state employee pay was the major cause of turnover for employees who were not retirement eligible. Numerous studies have found that state employee pay is 15 to 20 percent less, on average, than what other private and public employers in Texas pay for comparable positions. The number of state retirements also increased, which has been expected since many “baby boomer” generation employees are beginning to reach retirement eligibility.

While turnover generally increased, roughly a third of the state workforce was in job classifications that experienced turnover in excess of 20 percent. TPEA and other experts consider turnover over 20 percent to be especially problematic.

Where were the highest turnover rates in state government?

• The highest turnover rate was the 42.2 percent rate for the 7,884 Mental Retardation Assistant positions. These are the front line direct care staff at State Supported Living Centers and they comprise slightly more than 5 percent of the state workforce.

• The single largest job classification in the state workforce is Correctional Officer with 27,296 positions, comprising 17.7 percent of the state workforce. The 2011 turnover rate for Correctional Officers was 22.3 percent.

• Other large job classifications with turnover in excess of 20 percent included Juvenile Correctional Officer, Psychiatric Nursing Assistant, Child Protective Services Specialist, and Nurses.
  

SAO Report Shows State Agency Workforce Efficiency

Another recent annual report from the State Auditor’s Office shows changes in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) state employees over the past fiscal year and the prior decade. While in the aggregate the overall state workforce experienced growth of 0.2 percent in FY 2011 and 12.5 percent over the prior ten years, there are stark differences in FTE growth between state agencies and higher education institutions. The Austin American-Statesman also editorialized on this issue.

During fiscal year 2011 state agencies had a decrease of 1441 FTEs, or 0.9 percent, to 151,779 FTEs. Higher education institutions experienced an increase of 1,993 FTEs, or 1.3 percent, to 159,746 FTEs.

The differences in these 2011 totals for state agencies and higher education institutions are amplified in the 10-year FTE growth trends. There are dramatic differences in the respective FTE growth rates for agencies and universities over the past decade. Between FYs 2002 and 2011 higher education institutions’ FTEs grew by 24.8 percent or 31,752 FTEs. Over that same period state agencies grew by only 2 percent or 2915 FTEs. For reference purposes, the population of the state of Texas grew by 20.6 percent over the ten years covered by the recent federal decennial census.

State leaders should recognize that state agencies are doing more with less and serve as a model for efficient delivery of government services.

Continue to Stay Informed by Signing Up Now

Due to legislative restrictions, TPEA cannot send full advocacy information to state email addresses. In order to continue to stay up to date about the latest developments in legislation affecting state employees and retirees, go to http://www.tpea.org and sign up with your home email address now, if you haven't already. You can also follow our twitter feed.

Follow this link to submit your home email address to TPEA.