The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

A taxpayer’s guide to the public school funding crisis

Tonight’s Agenda

• Student Performances• Johnson Elementary Choir, led by Becky Sewell• Colleyville Middle School All Girls Acapella Choir, led by Julie Moore• Voice of Central High School Show Choir, led by Jenn Randall

• Pledges/Moment of Silence & National Anthem• Student Council/Class Officers & Choir students from each high school

led by Leigh Ann McClure, Central High School Head Choir Director

• The Good – a look at our three districts• Superintendents David Faltys, Robin Ryan and James Veitenheimer

45-Minute Presentation

Q & A Breakout Sessions• Carroll – Student Activity Center• Grapevine-Colleyville – Library• Keller – Auditorium

Tonight’s forum Agenda• The Bad – a look at Texas school funding (video)• Finance Officers Robb Welch, Elaine Cogburn and Mark Youngs

• The Ugly – a look at our financial future• Superintendents David Faltys, Robin Ryan and James Veitenheimer

• Taxpayers’ & Educators’ Call To Action• Trustees Erin Shoupp, Jesse G. Rodriguez and Cindy Lotton

• Individual District Q & A Breakout Sessions• Carroll (SAC), Grapevine-Colleyville (Library), Keller (Auditorium)

The Good Carroll ISD• Rated EXEMPLARY by the Texas Education Agency (District and all 11 campuses)• Student test scores exceed state/national averages; 0% drop out rate; 97% attend college • Seven campuses on 2010 Texas Business Education Coalition (TBEC) Honor Roll• National and state recognition for academics, athletics and fine arts programs• Consistently earned state’s top SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT financial rating

The Good Carroll ISD• Received bond rating upgrades by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s since 2009• Passed largest bond election in school history in May 2009• Awarded $2 million state solar panel grant to build new energy efficient middle school• First district in Texas to take advantage of Build America Bonds, saving millions • Reduced utility costs by 15% district-wide; utilizing geothermal energy source at new schools

The Good Grapevine-Colleyville ISD  • Earned the TEA “Recognized” rating for the last three years

• National Blue Ribbon Schools

• Record-high ACT scores for 2010

• Forty-five National AP Scholars and 530 total AP Scholars

• Home to recipients of Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

The Good Grapevine-Colleyville ISD• Home to the 2010 Bilingual Teacher of the Year for the Metroplex

• Earned highest rating of the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas for the last eight years

• National and state recognition for excellence in financial reporting and purchasing procedures

• Texas Business and Education Coalition Honor Roll

• Newsweek’s Annual List of Best High Schools in the Country

The Good Keller ISD• Rated RECOGNIZED by the TEA for the last three years

• Home to State Teachers of the Year • Opened 13 new buildings since 2004

• 13th most efficiently managed district, out of the 200 largest districts in Texas

• Texas Safe Schools Award

The Good Keller ISD• Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Excellence Award

• National and State Financial Awards

• Newsweek’s Annual List of Best High Schools in the Country

• Just for the Kids Campaign for Higher Performing Schools in Texas

• Texas Business and Education Coalition Honor Roll

The Bad Financial Officers

Texas School Finance 101 Video

The Bad Financial Officers

Historical Revenue/Expenditure

Comparison

Carroll ISDHistorical Revenue/Expenditure Comparison

Grapevine-Colleyville ISDHistorical Revenue/Expenditure Comparison

Keller ISDHistorical Revenue/Expenditure Comparison

The Bad Financial Officers

Projected Revenue/Expenditure

Comparison

Carroll ISDProjected Revenue/Expenditure Comparison

Grapevine-Colleyville ISDProjected Revenue/Expenditure Comparison

Keller ISDProjected Revenue/Expenditure Comparison

The Bad Financial Officers

Target Revenue

TARGET REVENUE

COMPARISON TARGET REVENUE

The Bad Financial Officers

Revenue, Expendituresand Fund Balance

Projections Through 2015-16 Under Current Law

Carroll ISDRevenues, Expenditures and Fund BalanceProjections thru 2015-16 Under Current Law

Grapevine-Colleyville ISDRevenues, Expenditures and Fund BalanceProjections thru 2015-16 Under Current Law

Keller ISDRevenues, Expenditures and Fund BalanceProjections thru 2015-16 Under Current Law

The Ugly Supt. David Faltys

Carroll ISD• $4.3 million deficit - $2.1 million in cuts made for 10/11 (no salary increase)• Projected deficit of $2.3 million for 2011-2012 (without salary increase)

This equates to• 42 teaching positions or 8% of total teaching staff• 28 administrative positions - over half of our 53 total• 1 year of electrical costs

• At risk for cuts: block scheduling, teaming, Gifted & Talented, K-6 science lab, CARE Reading, extra/co-curricular activities and travel

• Online citizen budget survey on cuts Oct. 20-Nov. 12

The Ugly Supt. Robin RyanGrapevine-Colleyville ISD

• Projected deficit of $6,615,338 for 2011-12

This equates to:• 130 teaching positions or 13% of total teachers of 991• 81 administrative positions or 124% of total administrators of 65• 724 days or 2 years of electrical costs• 28 months or 2 1/3 years of extra/co curricular activities• 849 bus routes - we run 165 routes annually• 2 years of supplies

The Ugly Supt. James VeitenheimerKeller ISD

• $5.6 M deficit $1.7 M healthcare increase $8.6 M AARA-Federal stimulus pkg. –gone/cut. $16 M deficit

This equates to:• 291 Teachers• 170 Administrators – we only have 100• 800 days of electricity – that’s 2 ½ years worth• 3 years worth of co-curricular activities• 387 bus routes – we only have 112• 57.8 years worth of paper

Call To ACtionTrustee Erin Shoupp

Local Control• Roles/responsibilities of an elected School Board Trustee (hiring superintendent,

developing policy, setting tax rates, and approving the annual budget, which is made possible through funding from the tax rate)

• Local property tax rates have been capped, limiting elected Trustees from providing funds for programs their constituents want and demand in their communities

• Local control is the best way for communities to utilize funds in the most effective and efficient ways to meet their students’ needs and maintain autonomy

Call To ACtionTrustee Erin Shoupp

Local Control• Local control or the authority of your locally elected Trustees is what gives

parents and taxpayers a real voice in the education their children receive• When control/authority shifts to the state, it creates potentially conflicting

positions from constituents in various independent school districts as they approach their state lawmakers for funding priorities

• The proposed state-wide property tax may further decrease local control

Call To ACtionTrustee Jesse G. Rodriguez

Unfunded Mandates• Examples of state-requirements that sound positive initially, but actually limit

your locally-elected Trustees and school districts include the cap on local property tax rates, bond and election date restrictions, school calendar start dates, testing initiatives and other unfunded mandates.

• Lawmakers often approve requirements for school districts that touch multiple areas of school district operations, but do not provide funding to implement those requirements

• Academically, some examples include End of Course Exams, Credit by Exam for Acceleration, 4X4 Curriculum for Math/Science, Graphing Calculators for TAKS Testing, etc.

Call To ACtionTrustee Jesse G. Rodriguez

Unfunded Mandates• In the area of staffing/salaries, House Bill 3646 mandated $800 raises for

limited groups of employees, K-4 student-teacher ratio requirements, etc.• Operationally, schools are required to assess student fitness, provide AED’s

and CPR training to all sponsors, conduct health screenings, etc.

The Call To ActionTrustee Cindy LottonTexas Funding Formula

• In 2006 in an effort to ease the tax burden, the state lowered the maximum allowable Maintenance & Operations tax rate from $1.50 (per $100 valuation) to $1.04.• The state’s Target Revenue for school districts based upon tax efforts.  The closer a district was to $1.50 the more revenue received. Districts like Keller, who were not at the $1.50 maximum, received a lower target revenue amount. The result was a varied Target Revenue across districts in Texas.   The per student revenue in districts across NE Tarrant county varies by thousands of dollars. 

The Call To ActionTrustee Cindy LottonTexas Funding Formula• Another broken piece of the funding formula has to do with property tax valuations.  Unlike cities and counties, school districts do not benefit from an increase in property values.  As property values rise, the revenue from the state decreases.• A school district’s tax revenues remain capped at $1.04 M&O unless a local election is held                                        • Target revenues remain fixed at prior year levels• Expenses continue to increase• School districts in Texas need relief from this broken funding formula

Call To ACtionWe Need Your Help!What You, As Taxpayers & Educators Can Do:• Become informed about your district’s financial situation• Write letters to Legislators – Make Education A Priority!• Make phone calls to your state representatives/senators• Participate in January road trip to Austin• Stay informed and involved in state/local elections

Legislative Contacts - Handouts – Website

District Breakout Q & A SessionsCarroll ISD – Student Activity CenterGrapevine-Colleyville ISD – Library

Keller ISD - Auditorium

Thank You For Attending Our

Forum!