On November 8, 2016, our district held elections for the Board of Trustees. I would like to welcome our new members: Patrick McGill, Kevin Wright, Brian Degner, and Brad Nixon. I look forward to working with these new members as we move our district into the future.
With the election of new Board members, we have to salute the service of the outgoing members. I know that you share my gratitude for the years of service that these men have given our school. Please join me in thanking them for giving their time and energy in an often thankless job. The outgoing members are: Charlie Mangham, Paul Wilson, Randy Pilkinton, and Rickey Newman. Under their leadership the district has gained a wonderful reputation with high performance in academic achievement and financial stability. There are many people in our area who would like their children to be able to attend Harleton ISD. I think that speaks volumes for the quality of the education provided here.
As we look to the future, I remind everyone that the state legislature will begin its biennial session in January 2017. I would encourage each of you to contact your representatives and let them know that you are concerned with the flaws in the school finance system of the state. In a previous blog entry I described how Harleton ISD compares to wealthier districts in terms of revenue per student or classroom. Compared to districts in the top 50% of wealth, Harleton ISD receives $33,000 per classroom LESS. This is also while taxing at a higher rate. Let your representatives know that you're not asking for more you just want Equal Revenues for Equal Tax Effort.
The Holidays will soon be upon us, and I hope that you all get to spend time with friends and loved ones. We have much for which to be thankful!
I thank you for allowing us to be a part of your children's lives. Happy Holidays!
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Get Involved!
Currently, our district is accepting applications for those wishing to run to serve on the Board of Trustees. If you are interested, you have until August 22 to sign up. This is a great opportunity to serve your community and the students of Harleton ISD. Even if you can't serve on the Board, we invite you to get involved with the school. There are many opportunities, and we welcome you to be a part of our great school district!
Although I am disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling on the school finance system, I am grateful that they indicated how broken the current system is in Texas. The current system of financing education in our state is inequitable for students and taxpayers, and I would like for you to have some information that shows the differences in funding for surrounding districts. In the figure below, you can see the comparison of the funding differences for a typical elementary classroom of 22 students in districts when compared to the wealthiest 50% of school districts in the state.
These data show that Harleton ISD has $32,480 per elementary classroom less than the wealthiest 50% of districts in the state. Can you imagine what we could with $30k more? While the information presented here levels the playing field by putting every district at the average tax rate of the state (for comparison purposes), we need to keep in mind that many, many districts are getting an advantage like this while taxing at a lower tax rate of $1.04 for Maintenance & Operations (M&O), and the taxpayers in Harleton ISD are being taxed at $1.17 M&O. Our students and taxpayers are getting less and paying more. The problem with that is that our district has to tax at the higher rate to maximize the state's contribution to the district.
As taxpayers, you need to let your state representatives know that you believe in equal revenue for equal tax effort. Let them know that you expect the system to change in order to be more equitable. They will listen to you! The students in our district are just as important as students in other districts! Get involved!
Although I am disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling on the school finance system, I am grateful that they indicated how broken the current system is in Texas. The current system of financing education in our state is inequitable for students and taxpayers, and I would like for you to have some information that shows the differences in funding for surrounding districts. In the figure below, you can see the comparison of the funding differences for a typical elementary classroom of 22 students in districts when compared to the wealthiest 50% of school districts in the state.
These data show that Harleton ISD has $32,480 per elementary classroom less than the wealthiest 50% of districts in the state. Can you imagine what we could with $30k more? While the information presented here levels the playing field by putting every district at the average tax rate of the state (for comparison purposes), we need to keep in mind that many, many districts are getting an advantage like this while taxing at a lower tax rate of $1.04 for Maintenance & Operations (M&O), and the taxpayers in Harleton ISD are being taxed at $1.17 M&O. Our students and taxpayers are getting less and paying more. The problem with that is that our district has to tax at the higher rate to maximize the state's contribution to the district.
As taxpayers, you need to let your state representatives know that you believe in equal revenue for equal tax effort. Let them know that you expect the system to change in order to be more equitable. They will listen to you! The students in our district are just as important as students in other districts! Get involved!
Monday, January 4, 2016
Welcome 2016!
Have you already written the wrong year on a check yet? I was just getting used to writing 2015, and now we are already in a new year.
As we always do with the new year, we take a little time to reflect upon the previous year and to set our resolutions for the upcoming one. I hope that you have learned and experienced from 2015 the things that you need to make 2016 the best year ever! It's important that we set goals and work towards them. Our children need to know that goal-setting is important. Take some time to visit with your children and talk to them about the goals you have for the new year. I bet they will be more than willing to help you achieve those goals, and they will learn the positive aspect of working to better themselves.
Have a happy and safe 2016! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child's life.
As we always do with the new year, we take a little time to reflect upon the previous year and to set our resolutions for the upcoming one. I hope that you have learned and experienced from 2015 the things that you need to make 2016 the best year ever! It's important that we set goals and work towards them. Our children need to know that goal-setting is important. Take some time to visit with your children and talk to them about the goals you have for the new year. I bet they will be more than willing to help you achieve those goals, and they will learn the positive aspect of working to better themselves.
Have a happy and safe 2016! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child's life.
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