BURTON SCHOOL BOARD TO DISCUSS BUDGET & SALARY INCREASE, TUESDAY

Ed Pothul August 21, 2017

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The Burton school board will hold a special meeting Tuesday night.

The board will discuss the 2017-18 budget and a possible staff salary increase.

Currently, the projected budget, would bring in over $300,000 more in local taxes, but would lose over $400,000 in state funding compared to last year. Total expenditures are expected to be just under the 5 million dollar mark, about $150,000 lower than last year.

At their meeting last week, the board decided to keep the current tax rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation. That proposed tax rate will be voted on after a public hearing next Monday.

Tuesday’s meeting will be held in the administration offices at 701 N. Railroad St. at 5 p.m.

What’s your Reaction?

Ed Pothul August 21, 2017

4 82

First let me applaud your choice of header. I believe the Texas government officials and legislators spend much of their time on “social” agendas instead of providing services and resources that benefit the taxpayer. But I regress, your question was “why the decreased state funding” for public education?

Your tying the “bathroom bill” to the question of “why the decreased state funding” is so appropriate. The two were used by the State Senate in an effort to extort the State House of Representatives support for additional funding for public education. Lieutenant Governor Patrick had the Senate approve additional funding for public education with an attachment that if the House passed the school finance bill, they also were voting FOR the “bathroom bill”. Plus he did it late in the regular session so that if the House did not approve it, both bills would die because there was no time left in the regular session. The House, led by moderate Robert Strauss refused to accept that deal and took no action, so both died. This was the reason for the special session.

I urge you to go straight to the person that can answer your question, Lois Kolkhorst. Senator Kolkhorst was the author of the “bathroom bill” that was most often considered for approval by the Texas Senate. Perhaps Senator Kolkhorst could better explain the reason she was a willing participant in the political maneuver.

In the special session, Senator Kolkhorst did support a compromise bill that provided some funding. She did so because many of the districts, including Burton ISD would benefit from the bill. The reason for the bill was that the state was ending funding that hurt property rich, especially smaller school districts.

Many years ago, the legislature changed school funding in an effort to “equalize” state funding per student across the state. Many small school districts would suffer huge funding losses. It costs more for smaller to educate students because of the lack of “economies of scale”. We have smaller class size, for example.

So the state put in a “hold harmless” clause. It provided funding to keep those districts at a close to their current funding level.. The idea was that over time, as state funding INCREASED, the other districts would reach the same funding level as these schools.

However, state funding has not increased. After several years, the state decided it wanted to further cut support for education. They decided to renege on this funding and did not fund it for this year. Districts could not raise their property taxes high enough to cover the losses. Districts were going to have to cut staff, because staff is the biggest expense in a school budget.

Most districts have been starved by the state and just could not make it. Superintendents across the state were beginning to talk to the media about it. Parents were asking why programs or staff were being cut and finding out it was the legislature. Parents were being told to call their state politicians. Superintendents were telling politicians they were not going to take this and were getting on tv. So, the politicians found it was in their interests to at least put the funding back to where it was last year.

This is pretty much all supported if you go back and read the papers or google it. It is part of a long-standing effort of the majority party that controls politics at present to cut spending. The biggest parts of the state budget are spent on public education, so that is where they think there is waste and want to cut. However, for the past several years, Texas has increased spending growth on prisons by five times compared to public educations three times. They are shifting spending from education to building more prisons and hiring more corrections officers. It costs much more to keep a prisoner than it does to educate a student.

I encourage you to seek a response from Senator Kolkhorst to your original question. Maybe she would be kind enough to respond to this question in an open letter to the editor. In my years of having visited with then Representative Kolkhorst I found her to be intelligent, versed on facts and willing to engage.

My personal opinion was at times she was torn between political ambition and the best interests of her district. I will say that as for Burton ISD she most often represented the best interests of our students and taxpayers. She sought our counsel, argued her points and listened to ours. The end result was acceptable and I supported her.

Good luck.

4 Comments

Tax payer says:

August 22, 2017 at 6:19 pm

When is the public hearing? The article makes it sound like it’s on August 28 (next Monday), but I can’t find any information about it.
Jim Palmer says:

August 22, 2017 at 2:14 pm

First let me applaud your choice of header. I believe the Texas government officials and legislators spend much of their time on “social” agendas instead of providing services and resources that benefit the taxpayer. But I regress, your question was “why the decreased state funding” for public education?

Your tying the “bathroom bill” to the question of “why the decreased state funding” is so appropriate. The two were used by the State Senate in an effort to extort the State House of Representatives support for additional funding for public education. Lieutenant Governor Patrick had the Senate approve additional funding for public education with an attachment that if the House passed the school finance bill, they also were voting FOR the “bathroom bill”. Plus he did it late in the regular session so that if the House did not approve it, both bills would die because there was no time left in the regular session. The House, led by moderate Robert Strauss refused to accept that deal and took no action, so both died. This was the reason for the special session.

I urge you to go straight to the person that can answer your question, Lois Kolkhorst. Senator Kolkhorst was the author of the “bathroom bill” that was most often considered for approval by the Texas Senate. Perhaps Senator Kolkhorst could better explain the reason she was a willing participant in the political maneuver.

In the special session, Senator Kolkhorst did support a compromise bill that provided some funding. She did so because many of the districts, including Burton ISD would benefit from the bill. The reason for the bill was that the state was ending funding that hurt property rich, especially smaller school districts.

Many years ago, the legislature changed school funding in an effort to “equalize” state funding per student across the state. Many small school districts would suffer huge funding losses. It costs more for smaller to educate students because of the lack of “economies of scale”. We have smaller class size, for example.

So the state put in a “hold harmless” clause. It provided funding to keep those districts at a close to their current funding level.. The idea was that over time, as state funding INCREASED, the other districts would reach the same funding level as these schools.

However, state funding has not increased. After several years, the state decided it wanted to further cut support for education. They decided to renege on this funding and did not fund it for this year. Districts could not raise their property taxes high enough to cover the losses. Districts were going to have to cut staff, because staff is the biggest expense in a school budget.

Most districts have been starved by the state and just could not make it. Superintendents across the state were beginning to talk to the media about it. Parents were asking why programs or staff were being cut and finding out it was the legislature. Parents were being told to call their state politicians. Superintendents were telling politicians they were not going to take this and were getting on tv. So, the politicians found it was in their interests to at least put the funding back to where it was last year.

This is pretty much all supported if you go back and read the papers or google it. It is part of a long-standing effort of the majority party that controls politics at present to cut spending. The biggest parts of the state budget are spent on public education, so that is where they think there is waste and want to cut. However, for the past several years, Texas has increased spending growth on prisons by five times compared to public educations three times. They are shifting spending from education to building more prisons and hiring more corrections officers. It costs much more to keep a prisoner than it does to educate a student.

I encourage you to seek a response from Senator Kolkhorst to your original question. Maybe she would be kind enough to respond to this question in an open letter to the editor. In my years of having visited with then Representative Kolkhorst I found her to be intelligent, versed on facts and willing to engage.

My personal opinion was at times she was torn between political ambition and the best interests of her district. I will say that as for Burton ISD she most often represented the best interests of our students and taxpayers. She sought our counsel, argued her points and listened to ours. The end result was acceptable and I supported her.

Good luck.
School supporter says:

August 22, 2017 at 8:32 am

This I a copy of a post I posted in a previous article.
I’m going to say here what no one wants to say, because they are afraid of a few people who intimidate others. (Hopefully KWHI will post it.)
The problem is we have a few rich people in the area that are very greedy! They are able to muster support from people their age and convince others to go against the school. WHY?Then hear these same people tell others how they support the school through donations! What they really mean is they needed a tax write off, to help keep their income taxes lower! It all has to do with money for this group! They are NOT about the KIDS! To prove my point, I’m betting a few run for election this May. Watch and see. Word has it this group is planning to take over the school, and the town for that matter. Rich bullies. Not what this school needs!
This school, and this board, need our support! Not negativity! These kids are our future!
Seems they all want to keep everything the same! At one time that happened, the school was in trouble and was literally falling apart. Simply because nothing was done. In FACT, the school started to improve once the school & board stepped up and made POSITIVE changes and new facilities! These people are creating a bad image for out school. Lets send them a message and tell them to STOP! Hopefully STOP will get through to them, because they do not understand logical compassion…
I hope the community will get behind the board. Our teachers and kids deserve it!
These guys are about nothing but money in their pockets!
Wants Working Govt. Not More Bathroom Monitors says:

August 21, 2017 at 5:32 pm

I sure hope Mr. Palmer will shed some light on this. The board didn’t raise taxes, but the state-directed property appraisals will nonetheless increase revenues beyond last year, while the school district loses more in state funding than they gained by the increased state appraisals. So it sure looks like the state legislature really puts the squeeze on our local school boards. Why the decreased state funding?