2009 Tax Ratification Election
From The Lovejoy Way
Update 4/9/2010
From: Daris A Nevil <daris@nevil.org> 4/9/2010 12:38 PM
Hi Ted, It is a great time to be a Lovejoy Leopard! I have some questions regarding the Tax Ratification Election of 2009. 1. Has the district purchased the buses mentioned in the election? 2. Has the district purchased the technology tools for students? 3. What kind of technology tools were purchased? Thanks, Daris Nevil
From: Ted Moore 4/9/2010
Mr. Nevil,
The buses were purchased in October.
As we moved into the fall semester, we did an informal assessment of the available
technology and teacher's current level of use. Based upon that review, we decided
to delay the purchase of some technology tools until late in the 09-10 school year
so that the deployment of the tools would be at their best and highest use. We have
also added some technology training for Learning at Lovejoy to increase teacher's
capacity to use the tools. All of the money will be spent by the close of this budget
year, 6/30/10.
An example of what has been purchased to date includes:
LHS - memory upgrades for 60 PLTW systems, 4 Flip Video cameras, 3 color printers for
labs (also BrainPop and Vision Software)
SCMS- Memory upgrades for 46 PLTW systems (also BrainPop and Vision & Apple Software)
LES - 2 Digital cameras, part cost of 15 mini laptops, insurance for 25 and cart,
licensing for 25 LES laptops (also BrainPop)
HES - 6 ipod recorders, warranty & engraving for 15 donated HP mini's (also BrainPop)
PES - 50 Headphones (also BrainPop and Kidspiration Software)
District-wide use- Novell licensing for 3150 users, 10 mini laptops, Apple X-Serve and software
Items still left for purchase include:
* Video Catalog software to manage video resources for classroom use
* Mobile computing including iPads and laptops.
Respectfully,
Ted
Election Results
Email Express Special Edition September 29, 2009 Dear Lovejoy ISD Community: As you know, today was the Election Day for the Tax Ratification Election (TRE). This election was set to give you an opportunity to ratify the tax rate for the 2009-2010 school year; the total projected tax rate is $1.535 which includes a 2 cent tax increase which will yield an additional $420,000 for school operations. The district intends to spend that money on school buses and classroom technology. Election Results—Unofficial Early Voting Results: For: 301 Against: 121 Election Day Results: For: 81 Against: 131 Combined Early and Election Day Results: For: 382—60% Against: 252—40% The TRE has passed.
Additional Info
Dennis Womack provided this additional information.
1. Which of those line items are slated to be paid for by the TRE? The TRE funds will be used to increase student access to technology. Particularly, the district will focus these dollars on handheld devices and mobile laptop carts that can be moved from classroom to classroom. In the technology plan, these types of items would fall within the budget for Materials and Supplies and Equipment. 2. How are the other line items to be paid for? The other budget categories contained within the technology plan as well as portions of the two mentioned above will come from the general fund. 3. In the board meeting I attended you mentioned that the students would receive hand-held computing devices, paid for by the TRE. Is that still the plan? I didn't see any mention of that in the plan. Yes, the district will invest the TRE funds into handheld devices that will have a positive impact on student learning. In the technology plan, you will notice that on page 13-14 one of the technology committee’s goals under Teaching and Learning is the use of handheld devices. To this end, in the Frameworks section of the technology plan (pages 58-72) the automated response systems described for every classroom in the technology plan are handheld devices. Please note that handheld devices can take on many forms for various learning goals. Therefore, handheld devices will also be used to supplement the use of classroom computers.
Tax Ratification Election (TRE) FAQ
This section reviews portions of the Tax Ratification Election FAQ, comparing it to statements made in School Board Meetings and other LISD communications during this past summer's budget sessions.
TRE Money to Purchase Hand Held Technology
The FAQ states:
The technology dollars will be spent on all five campuses to increase student access to technology particularly with hand held devices and mobile laptop carts that can be moved from classroom to classroom.
However, the 2009-2010 budget on page 86 of the Lovejoy ISD Technology Plan 2009-2013 does not include a line item for these expenditures. The long-term budgetary chart on page 82 lists IPOD devices for the five campuses at a total of $350,000. There is no mention of laptop carts in this chart. The only other mention of hand held devices in the Technology Plan are RF Remote Control devices for audio-visual equipment.
The District Cut $1 Million
The FAQ states:
Yes, the district made cuts during the budget development process that totaled slightly less than $1 million dollars. The district made all the reductions that we could find that did not erode the quality of the Lovejoy ISD program.
Shay Adams listed the budget items cut during the June 2009 Budget Workshop.
* Shay: Here is the list of belt-tightening items in the proposed budget ** $329,000 in non-personnel budgets ** $50,000 in non-contracted payroll (overtime, supplemental duty,etc.) ** $316,000 in positions for the 2010-2011 school year (cut being realized this year via Stimulus Funding of $320,000) ** $50,000 in staff development training funding from general fund
$316,000 was NOT cut from the 2009-2010 budget because extra money became available from a Federal Stimulus Fund, and the board decided to use those funds to retain those positions slated for elimination.
The $50,000 in staff development cuts appears to have been moved into the 2009-2010 Technology Plan Budget, which said plan will be funded (in part) by the new tax rate increase. See page 86 of the Lovejoy ISD Technology Plan 2009-2013.
$400,000 in non-instructional positions cut
The FAQ states:
Did not fill ~$400,000 in positions that were approved for the 2009-2010 school year; most of these positions did not provide direct services to students, but supported operations functions such as maintenance, custodial, and transportation
A look back at Email Express June 12, 2009 paints a different picture, stating that the MAJORITY of those positions cut did indeed provide direct services to students.
Yes, the district has cut over $400,000 in approved positions that had yet to be filled for the 2009-10 school year. Approximately 3/4 of these positions were secondary instructional positions and the other 1/4 were support positions such as grounds/maintenance. In addition, the district has identified approximately $300,000 in campus support positions that are scheduled to be eliminated in the 2010-11 school year.
Contingency Plan
The FAQ states:
Q: What would be the ramification, if the community does not ratify the two cent increase in the M&Otax rate? A: The district would not purchase the two buses or the additional classroom technology.
This question was addresses in the Budget Workshop.
* The $0.02 increase will purchase 2 buses and instructional technology ** If no $0.02 increase then these purchases will be moved into the 2010-2011 year
Buses vs Technology
The Email Express June 12, 2009 specifies how much of the tax rate increase will be spent on buses versus technology in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
If our voters decide not to authorize the 2 cent increase, we will cut the purchase of two school buses ($205,000) and additional instructional technology ($176,000).
Missing $25,000
The FAQ states:
Q: How much additional revenue will the district realize for a 2 cent increase in our M&O tax rate? A: The total benefit will be approximately $420,000.
The difference between the new tax rate income and the amount slated for buses and technology comes to $39,000. Taking into account the estimated cost for the election of $14,000 (see below), the remaining amount of unaccounted funds comes to $25,000.
Update January 2010
Effective December 31, 2009, the LISD Board of Trustees made a contribution of Twenty-Five Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($25,000.00) to a 403(b) or 457(b) account on behalf of the superintendent. See LISD Superintendent Contract 2010 (PDF).
2010-2011 Expenditure of $0.02 Tax Increase
The board will probably consider spending the $0.02 increase on personnel in the 2010-2011 budget year. From Budget Workshop
Adams: In 2010-2011 we will open up 15 positions (about $800k), which is an additional $0.02.
Election Cost
How much will the Tax Ratification Election cost the district? From Budget Workshop
Westbrook: What are the hard costs of the election? Booker: The cost was around $13K or $14k for the board election last May
Board Options
From the School Board Meeting of June 25, 2009:
Westbrook: How much flexibility does the board have between now and the approval of the tax raise? Moore: You have complete flexibility, if you opt to set the Maintenance & Operations rate at $1.04 then we (admin) will bring you an amended budget to back that up
Board Votes
All board members voted for the tax increase.
Email Express September 11, 2009
Ted Moore
Tax Ratification Election
September 29th has been set for an election for LISD voters to have the opportunity
to ratify the M&O tax rate of $1.06 for the 2009-2010 school year; this is a 2 cent
increase from last year. This is the first time that we have come to you to ratify
the tax rate as a new requirement from the school funding bill, House Bill 1. Early
voting starts Monday, September 14th, schedule attached in voter information document
below. Here are key points regarding the 2009-2010 budget:
* The district made almost $1 million dollars in belt-tightening moves prior to
recommending a 2 cent increase
* The State of Texas provides an incentive to school districts for investing in
their local schools by adding almost 50 cents to every dollar raised from local
tax collections; a local increase of 2 pennies will add a total of $420,000
for your schools
* The additional dollars will be used exclusively for classroom-based technology
and two school buses to be used for both regular routing and extracurricular trips
* The average home value in Lovejoy ISD is $355,942 and this change in the tax
rate will cost the average homeowner $71.19 per year
* Lovejoy ISD will not be required to pay any recapture (Robin Hood) back to Austin
for redistribution
Comments
I initially misunderstood this sentence:
This is the first time that we have come to you to ratify the tax rate as a new requirement from the school funding bill, House Bill 1.
I clarified with Mr Moore that he is simply stating that House Bill 1 now requires that any new tax rate increases must be ratified by election. House Bill 1 does NOT require a tax rate increase. That is an option proposed by the superintendent, approved by the board, and ratified by the voters.
The additional dollars will be used exclusively for classroom-based technology and two school buses to be used for both regular routing and extracurricular trips
This is true only for the fiscal year 2009-2010. Mr Moore explained this to me as follows:
You are accurate that tech and buses is only guaranteed for the 2009-2010 school year, but these two items are the driver of the TRE. If we had opted to forego the investment in either area, we would have had a balanced budget and would not have called a TRE. Whether the tax increase is a one year increase or not will be a board decision. There are a lot of unknowns as to what our financial position will be in a year. I would guess that if we could return to $1.04 and balance the budget the board would do so. Once the two cents are authorized, the board can choose to levy it in the future as required. If the voters authorize the 2 cent increase for 2009-2010, then the 2 cents [are] authorized from now on. The board could move to $1.04 for 2010-2011 and then return to $1.06 at a later date without voter approval. Under HB 3646, the school funding legislation, all districts will not receive any increase in funding for 2010-2011 regardless of any increase in the cost of doing business.
Email Express September 14, 2009
Ted Moore
As you know, I sent some information on the TRE in Friday’s Express. Please
allow me to provide a couple of answers related to questions that I received:
1. The Tax Ratification Election (TRE) will allow the voters of LISD to
ratify the M&O tax rate of $1.06 (increase of 2 cents) approved by the Board
of Trustees in August. This rate is required to fund the budget that was approved.
2. A homeowner whose home is valued at $150,000 will play slightly less
than $30 additional per year and a home valued at $250,000 will pay slightly
less than $50 per year
3. If the TRE is not ratified, the district will cut expenditures totaling $420,000
from this year’s budget. The items cut will include two new school buses and
classroom technology for each campus.
4. The 2 cent increase will yield a total of $420,000 of which $280,000 will come
from local taxes and then the state will enrich that levy by sending an additional
$140,000 of state dollars
5. The 2 new school buses will replace two current route buses—one is a 1996 model
and the other 1997 model. These two older buses will still be used when additional
buses are required
6. The Lovejoy ISD no longer pays recapture (Robin Hood) back to the State of Texas.
However, this does not mean additional dollars for Lovejoy. While we no longer
make a Robin Hood payment, our revenue from Austin is reduced by this same amount,
therefore, a net zero effect
Email Express September 18, 2009
Ted Moore Ratification Election The Lovejoy ISD Board of Trustees is providing voters an opportunity to ratify this year's Maintenance and Operations Tax Rate of $1.06. This ratification process is new and was added to the law in 2006 and this is the first time that we have held a ratification election in Lovejoy ISD. This tax rate will fund two new buses for our district to be used for extracurricular transportation and for our regular routes; this will allow the district to have adequate spare buses as we move a 1996 model and a 1997 model from everyday usage to be used as a back up for mechanical problems and extracurricular transportation. This two cent increase will also fund additional technology for classroom use. If voters do not ratify this tax rate, the district will delete the technology and bus line items from the 2009-2010 budget. If your home is on the tax roll for $500,000, this two cent increase will cost an additional $98 per year.
