BRENHAM ISD CFO THAD LASATER TO RESIGN
Brenham ISD’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Thad Lasater, has tendered his resignation from the district.
speaks to school board trustees at a meeting in July.
Lasater is resigning from the school district effective
October 6th.
A press release this (Thursday) afternoon from Brenham ISD stated that Lasater’s resignation is effective October 6th.
Lasater was hired as Brenham ISD’s CFO in February 2022 after previously serving as College Station ISD’s Director of Business Services.
Lasater told KWHI he felt it was “time to look for other opportunities and see what’s out there” and find the “best opportunity for me and my family.”
The release included a statement from Board President Natalie Lange, saying the board anticipates “a return to fiscal responsibility and transparency in the financial management of the district.”
Per the release, Brenham ISD will appoint an interim CFO with specialized expertise in public school finance and district budgets. The interim appointment is intended to provide stability in financial leadership until the selection of a permanent replacement by the incoming superintendent.
After reading several posts critical of BISD’s financial management during Dr. Walter Jackson’s tenure as Superintendent, I feel the need to set the record straight with facts taken from the district’s financial audits which are available on the BISD website.
Dr. Jackson was hired as the Superintendent in March of 2015. He served until June of 2020. BISD’s fiscal year runs from September 1 to August 31.
The districts financial results during this time period are as follows:
2016 audit – $531,925 surplus
2017 audit – $1,050,767 surplus
2018 audit – $815,760 surplus
2019 audit – $215,884 deficit
2020 audit – $1,550,084 surplus
So during Jackson’s tenure as Superintendent BISD’s fund balance (reserves, rainy day fund) GREW by $3,691,652.
If it were not for Dr. Jackson’s prudent management while Superintendent, BISD WOULD BE BROKE.
Thank you Dr. Walter Jackson!
Thank you Mr. Ehlert.
That is very good Info. As many are mad at the school board, the real issue is the state funding and the lack of accounting by the school district. I think that I am correct in saying that the board members do not approve every receipt that come through the district, that is the job of the accounting department who are full time employees of the district. I would hope that if the board knew of even a portion of the defect last year, they would not have approved large purchases like weight room equipment and other items. From what I understand the board was all in shock when the additional defecate was brought to their attention last month. Yes, the board has some of this on their hands, and they should be more informed about the budget, but most of the people on the board have jobs and other responsibilities in addition to be on the school board. I know they are compensated some each month, but if they were full time employes like county commissioners then it would be different.
“I know they are compensated some each month, but if they were full time employes like county commissioners then it would be different.”
The school board members are NOT compensated for any of their time. They receive NO pay of any kind from BISD.
School board members are not “compensated some each month”. School board members get NO pay from BISD or any other entity for serving on the board.
So what you are saying is the Board President and the recently retired superintendent who controlled the agendas including the consent agendas containing the financial budget information and therefore both are responsible for the $5.8 mm [and more to come]? If you also are saying that the other 4 board members who continually approved the spending are also accountable, then I agree with both statements.
Just another district they all do this from one of the smallest in this area to the largest just sweep it under the rug and hope we don’t get caught. And if we do get caught blame it on the exiting staff member.
Seven words::::::Start sending your kids to private school
School Board President Natalie Lange stated the board anticipates a ” return to fiscal responsibility and transparency in the financial management of the district”. I am not a financial expert or consultant, but I am not broke either. I have sense enough to know that you cannot continue to spend more than you have. How does approving a budget with a $5.8 million dollar deficit return you to “fiscal responsibility”? At least two of the current board members voted against it! I agree with Ms. Larson. This problem was not created by Mr. Lasater. It was created by a School Board that had their head in the sand when it came to spending.
There are two for sure that need to resign or drop out. They have unreal expectations for our schools. Time to go. We never have any credible reasons why we have to keep spending just “because.” Show us something on paper. Your spending our tax money and nothing to show for it. EMS is neck and neck with you.
“a return to fiscal responsibility and transparency in the financial management of the district.”. ? That phrase in and of itself is very telling. Please tell the taxpayers why it left in the first place. Please tell us what the district has been keeping hidden that calls for transparency? Please tell us how the district is going to return to fiscal responsibility? All this happened under your tenure, so please do not suddenly take this sanctimonious position. And one thing is certain. The new TASB selected superintendent will bring along his cronies, and shortly there will be another bond election for a new football stadium (because the voters want their sportsballl palace) amongst other things. And when the board votes on this, it will be the same 5 that holler “AYE!” every time there is a vote to spend money.
To all of the authors of previous comments. There are more than a few reasons rural school districts throughout rural Texas are all facing the same financial issues. Many are facing bankruptcy.
The property taxes of Texans who live inside the city limits of small towns are overtaxed and increasing every year. Not so for the majority of rural properties in the county of ten acres or more. The majority of those properties have multiple AG exemptions, to the point that acreage valued at over one million dollars pays less than one hundred dollars a year. This practice of dodging taxes leaves the majority of single homes on lots or less than ten acres footing the majority of the tax bill. The primary result?? Schools lose funding every year for far to long. Larger towns and cities don’t have these issues, those school districts don’t have financial problems for the most part.
Now I can understand the necessity of AG exemptions for property owners who derive at least 50% of their total income from agricultural operations, but 4 cows, a few beehives, and ten bales of pasture hay a year exist for only one reason, tax breaks. Imagine what the property tax income would be if every resident lived on ten acres.
Every year the state house in Austin tells all county appraisers the percentage of increase to raise property taxes. The appraiser has a tough job mostly because of the AG exemptions on rural properties increasing each year and she can only heap more taxes on single homes on less than ten acres.
The Texas constitution mandates the state must pay 50% of the cost to educate each student per year and the county pays 50%. For quite some time that has not been the case, as the state is now paying about 39 percent. This shorts the school district 11 %. That shortage adds up after several years. Add rising operating costs each year and shortage of funding from the state, and BISD to the brought to the brink of bankruptcy. This effects the quality of education, the state lowers quality ratings, and they have set the stage for the “schools for profit “ voucher legislation. Schools run for profit provide payments to the state house tenants which made it profits possible. And when their voucher system robs our public schools of income as students leave, say good bye to FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL and most athletic programs. And these private schools will not be required to accept just any student. There will be no state strings attached to their voucher income, no achievement tests, nothing. Each student will get $8.000 per year from the state made payable to the private school while the state currently provides $6,160.00 per student allotment to our public schools. Ask your state senator why the difference.
And those politicians count on voters not taking the time to research what brought us to this dilemma. Because they are re elected every year, they figure you approve of their actions. .
Thank you for a coherent response to this issue.
I can tell you that my taxes with the Agricultural Valuation in Washington Co. run over $40 per acre for UNIMPROVED land. Try running cows for a profit when your land taxes already cost $200 per head!
Joe you hit the nail on the head and with the drought no win situation. But I bet these comedians like a burger are a steak 🥩 time 2 time😀. A opinion is like the rectum in being everyone has one.
It’s strange because near me is a relatively new subdivision with lots that sell for/sold for between $60,000 and $80,000. The landowner who was/is selling those, before they were sold to the current owners, was paying less than $4 for each lot (1-1.5 ac) using an ag exemption. He was having someone come and mow it when the grass was less than 1 ft tall and they were getting about one round bale for 3 acres. To me, that is the ultimate in mismanagement by the tax appraisal district to allow that to go on, and it undermines the rest of us who are paying for more than our fair share. Many of the AG exemptions exist because the tax appraisal district does not care to send an employee out to the location with a plat and/or a digital camera to take pictures of how the land is being used. If there are no fences, footprints, feces, or forage on the land, then that land needs to be put back in at full market value; as well, the “beekeeping” cannot generate enough income to need to be subsidized by $500 or $600 per year per acre in tax loss. However, it seems in this county, that it’s who you know as to how much you pay.
You hit the nail on the head. Lots of agricultural abuse because the appraisers are to lazy to get out of the office and check and their boss is okay with it. Don’t want to make the ag abuser mad. But it ok for everyone else to pay for their mistakes. We have to have the ag exemption for those who are involved in ag but not the tax dodger.
First…all government institutions tax, tax, tax and tax to put their non productive programs in place. Anyone with any sense will take steps to avoid paying taxes to institutions that throw it away. Second, most rural property owners have houses on their property and pay plenty of taxes. Your $100 statement is wrong. Third, the owners of rural property contribute greatly to commerce. They pay people to complete various tasks required for their property. They buy all sorts of merchandise they need from merchants throughout the community. So they certainly pay their fare share on their homes. But you think they should pay the same level on their land?? If that were the case rural property would be unaffordable and simply disappear from existence…which would be horrible!! But you obviously think taxation in whatever way possible is the answer…you are wrong!!
Absolutely! Talk to Senator KOLKHORST! Let’s hear her excuses for the poor funding from the State of Texas!
You have obviously spent a few countless hours authoring your response as a poetic persuasive piece of propaganda to convince taxpayers to falsely believe that the farmers and ranchers are to be blamed for government shortfalls. Whoever has read this article and is falsely being persuaded let’s apply historic common sense that this author is lacking. First of all, Ag exempt property contribute to the necessary food chain; it is not a good idea to interrupt America’s food chain. Secondly, rural farm property supports the essentials of agriculture where their is less human population. Therefore, there is less of a cost impact from greater human population
In the county, that is a burden to the government or public school system. If this comment author has seen a cow driving down the road, where the taxpayers are having to maintain the road, he needs to capitalize on that. And, I haven’t seen a school bus, lately, stopping to load a calf for kindergarten. I hope you see that an ounce of horse sense goes further than fabricated false accusations. Thank you and please, Eat and Enjoy More Beef.
Am I alone in thinking that here as with so many of the goings-on in Brenham the average citizen is left to but grope around for an explanation. While BISDs performance has certainly been suspect, we are never given a reason as to WHY?! Now after a mere 19 months in his position Mr. Lasater is throwing in towel. Surely this is not only for the stated reason of “looking for the best opportunity” We’ve seen similar scenarios play out in other areas of Brenham municipal service! Apparently there exists a black hole where accountability and transparency would be expected to reside!
I am a former Auto Tech Teacher at Brenham High School, I was forced to resigned or be fired by the school board because 2 kids had a fight in my classroom and I did nothing about it, but if I would have grabbed them and stopped it that way I would have been fired because you can’t grab the kids. Enough of that, I am disgusted with Brenham ISD, the teachers are under paid and the superintendent and all the higher ups get paid 2, 3, 4 times when most teachers make. They are in charge or the school district and the money, which they are in the red by millions, which is ridiculous! The school board hires these people but obviously they don’t do good background checks on them, otherwise they wouldn’t hire the people we have. How can us as citizens in this community and pay taxes to this school district put up with this, turn our heads and just let this stand. It’s wrong on so many levels, our child and their learning comes first not the money! So the teachers need to be paid not the superintendent and all the upper management of the district! It’s not working for our federal government and it’s not working for this school district! Our rating has done nothing but fallen and the state will come in and take over this district if something is done! It’s time to do the right thing for all the children that attend Brenham schools!
In my opinion you did the right thing and members of BISD school board should be ashamed. They have school officials making big bucks that’s their job if they were doing it right fighting would be extremely rare as in expelled for the year. Why should you take a chance on getting hurt. Shop mechanics is all about safety first. Resign or get fired really when did BISD board become the law?
Is it a coincidence this resignation occurs on sane day that a public petition is now circulating Brenham to demand an independent audit for BISD?
It’s not a coincidence because it’s irrelevant. If those people have been keeping up with the details, they would know that the district already hired a new auditor on their volition months ago. In addition, Kolkhorst already asked the state to come in audit as well, which she made public at a school board meeting last month.
Didn’t last a year. No way he’s responsible for a mess that’s been made long before he showed up. Good luck to him on his future endeavors. Never forget the absurd amount of bonds they wanted, that were voted down twice. So now we’re going to appoint an “expert”. Without a consultant to tell you what to do? That’s new. And we’re going to “return” to fiscal responsibility, and transparency? Can these people even hear themselves?
Tea time. Right. I think the rats are seeing that times are changing and the people are getting tired of their lies. Be honest. I was a first responder. I still am. They all bad. You all shall see. I promise that. Give Mr. Spectacular. How I call call him. To do his job. No CNN here people. This is Brenham Texas. And Washington county. The old boys don’t play basketball like the politics do. I promise that. We have the best news media in the USA. Watch.
Yeah Ole Boy knows this ship is sinking too and is bailing also.
Former Brenham Teacher
The Brenham School Board needs to get Kim Weatherby back in the district to straighten up this mess.
Amen to that, Donna!!
Agreed 🙏🏾Kim has did a wonderful job .
Absolutely! Brenham didn’t know what they had.
I agree with you Donna!!