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Support, opposition mount for LISD tax increase
By Chris Roark, croark@acnpapers.com
With Lewisville ISD facing a $22 million deficit, voters will decide Tuesday if they will pay more in taxes to chip away at it.
LISD is proposing a 2 cent increase in its Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate, which would raise it from $1.04 per $100 valuation to $1.06 per $100 valuation. The M&O rate has been at $1.04 since the 2007-08 school year.
The owner of a $100,000 home would pay about $20 more in taxes a year if the rate is approved.
As the tax-ratification election approaches, varying opinions on the need for the election has accompanied it.
Some say the tax rate increase is crucial for not only the near future but also for planning ahead. While LISD does have more than $100 million in its fund balance, some insist that a tax rate increase will help the district make it through the tough economic times.
“Eventually that fund balance won’t be there,” said Highland Village resident Kathy Duke, a former LISD trustee who now serves on the Keep LISD Strong political action committee. “I don’t want to be the person who says that when the floor falls through that the district has to lay off teachers, increase class sizes and eliminate programs. This increase won’t save the districts, but it would help.”
Others say that reserve fund should be used. They say the poor economy has hurt enough people and the district should tighten its belt and not increase taxes. They also question previous management of the district’s money.
E-mails and fliers have been sent out to homes district-wide opposing the rate increase, as some residents say the district hasn’t been fiscally responsible and residents shouldn’t have to pay for it.
“With the state of our economy, now is not a good time to increase the tax burden on hard-working, cash-strapped families,” said Connie Hudson, a resident of The Colony. “We have $103 million in savings; now is the time to use part of it.”
One example opponents of the increase have used is the administrative head count, noting that LISD has seven assistant superintendents and that Dr. Jerry Roy is the sixth-highest paid superintendent in the state with a base pay of $306,396. They note the 3.6 percent increase in student enrollment but question the 8 percent increase in teachers, 13 percent increase in total employees and 14 percent increase in administration.
Karen Permetti, LISD spokeswoman, said the 14 percent increase in administration was in part to add assistant principals to elementary schools, adding technology staff and helping open an average of one to two new campuses a year.
They went on to compare LISD to Plano ISD, which has about 1,100 more students but only three assistant superintendents, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and a superintendent base pay of $284,600.
“There is something wrong when the superintendent has seven assistant superintendents,” said Flower Mound resident Cynthia Barnett. “We need to take care of the teachers, the taxpayers and the students. There are a lot of teachers who are not for this tax increase.”
Duke said Plano ISD’s administration layout is different from LISD’s, which makes it appear that LISD has more assistant superintendents.
“It’s not a fair comparison,” Duke said. “You have to look at more than the superintendent and assistant superintendents. Plano ISD has their administration laid out differently than LISD does.”
Addressing Roy’s salary, Duke argued that he’s not paid too much.
“When you look at salary, you have to look at his history and what he’s done,” Duke said. “He has 30 years of experience and knowledge. The district pays him for what he has done, and he has done a fine job.”
Residents who are against the tax rate also say that over-projecting student enrollment for two years in a row has cost the district $36.9 million. An e-mail sent to various HOA groups within the district stated that the district over-projected enrollment in 2007-08 by 1,600 students and by 2,619 students in 2008-09. As a result, she stated, the district has to send $36.9 million back to the state for the two years combined for the money the state allocated under its formula.
Leo Lopez of the Texas Department of Education said LISD doesn’t owe the state $36.9 million, since the amount owed by the district from 2007-08 was deducted from the amount given to the district in 2008-09. The same was done the following year. Lopez said the amount the district owes, if anything, isn’t available yet but said the rollover explains why LISD doesn’t owe a sum from consecutive years of over-projecting.
The opposition points to the 13 outstanding bonds totaling $1.6 billion and says that’s another example of money mismanagement.
School officials say that the bonds from the last several years have helped build a variety of facilities, dating back to Flower Mound, LHS North and Hebron high schools, and that selling the bonds all at once would have caused the district to incur even more debt.
Opposition to the tax rate increase also ask why the district has continued with construction projects, such Marcus High School’s recently completed football stadium and its renovation of the gymnasium, during times of a steep deficit. They also question the building of a ninth- and 10th-grade center for Lewisville High School.
District officials say that those projects were components of the 2008 bond package that voters approved and that money from that package has to be spent on those items, not maintenance and operations.
The timing of the election itself has been in question, as residents wonder why it is taking place in September and not November.
Cherry Carter, superintendent secretary, said it was partly a cost-saving measure. She said it would have cost more to have the election in November, because the district would have had to share the cost of polling sites from a host of other cities in Denton County.
Members of the community have also tied gas drilling into the tax election, questioning why LISD isn’t leasing its mineral rights as a source of revenue.
“LISD had a blanket mineral lease on all their land which has expired,” said Flower Mound resident David Johnson. “A renewed lease would provide a huge signing bonus, possibly as much as $6.5 million. The gas well health concerns are vastly exaggerated, and drilling technology allows the well to be a safe distance, further minimizing any remaining health concerns.”
Momentum on the issue may have picked up slightly, though. Tuesday, LISD officials met with representatives from one of the gas companies said to be interested in joining in a lease with LISD for a basic discussion on the matter.
Carol Kyer, president of the LISD Board of Trustees, said the company was asked to make a presentation to the board regarding its plans at a future board meeting, possibly October.
Kyer said while nothing has been submitted and the entire board still needs to weigh in, she personally is encouraged that a pad site would not have to go on LISD property because of the capability of horizontal drilling. She said the company’s officials had indicated that the area it is seeking to drill ends with the LISD property, making it the farthest away from the pad site.
“That has a lot to do with whether or not we proceed,” Kyer said.
Polling locations:
FLOWER MOUND POLICE
& COURTS BUILDING
4150 Kirkpatrick Road
Flower Mound
For registered voters in precincts 303, 304, 307,
314, 317, 320, 323, 409, 420, 423, 424, 425,
428 and 3321
COPPER CANYON TOWN HALL
400 Woodland Drive
Copper Canyon
For registered voters in precinct 419
THE COLONY CITY HALL
6800 Main Street
The Colony
For registered voters in precincts 109, 201, 202,
214, 216, 219, 221 and 222
LEWISVILLE MUNICIPAL ANNEX
1197 W. Main Street
Lewisville
For registered voters in precincts 113, 114, 138,
224, 300, 301, 305, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312,
315, 318, 319, 321 and 324
HERITAGE LAKES CLUBHOUSE
3949 Village Blvd
Frisco
For registered voters in precinct 131
HIGHLAND VILLAGE
MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
1000 Highland Village Road
Highland Village
For registered voters in precincts 302, 313, 316 and
322
DOUBLE OAK TOWN HALL
320 Waketon Road
Double Oak, Texas 75077
For registered voters in precincts 422
ROSEMEADE RECREATION CENTER
1330 Rosemeade Parkway
Carrollton
For registered voters in precincts 215, 217 and
225
CARROLLTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
4220 N. Josey Lane
Carrollton
For registered voters in precincts 200, 203, 208,
213, 218 and 226
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