Austin ISD trustees say no to tax rate election, yes to deficit spending

After considerable public debate, Austin ISD trustees voted Monday night to adopt an FY11 budget with no tax rate increase for maintenance and operations. As they did last year, trustees voted to dip into fund balance to cover a budget deficit. This year’s deficit was $6.3 million, or about 1% of the total budget, and comparable to last year’s deficit.

The board did approve a tax increase of 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed value tax to cover district debt payments on previously approved bonds. The 2.5-cent tax increase does not require voter approval, according to district officials.

After the budget and tax rate vote, several trustees acknowledged that tough budget choices are in their future:

Trustee Robert Schneider, asking for continued discussion on comments by [Superintendent Meria] Carstarphen about needing further cutting and work on the budget in the coming year, said, “I’m glad we ended up in this place versus some of the other places we ended up at, but I also want to make sure we don’t make some of the same mistakes again next year.”

If federal stimulus money–EduJobs–comes to Texas, Carstarphen said she would consider using that money for one-time stipends to district employees. However, she did not commit to do this.

The Austin Chamber continues to be enthusiastic about Austin ISD’s work to accomplish the goals in its strategic plan. That plan calls for 90 percent of the Class of 2014 (today’s rising ninth graders) to graduate, 77 percent of the Class of 2014 to enroll in postsecondary education, and more than 90 percent of students enrolled in the district for at least three years to be on grade level by 2015.

State Math Standards Need Immediate Attention

Texas’ math standards are “clearly inferior” to recently developed national Core Standards but the state’s English/language arts standards are considered better than Core Standards according to a report authored by the inestimable Sheila Byrd Carmichael, released last month by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

Though vastly greater percentages of Texas Class of 2010 graduates are completing courses in statistics, algebra II and pre-calculus, the contents of those courses are again being called into question by credible sources.

Austin ISD Trustees To Vote on Tax Rate Election Monday: Be Heard

On Monday night, Austin ISD trustees will decide whether to hold a November election asking voters for permission to raise the tax rate by up to five cents per $100 of assessed value to fund district operations. The board will also vote on an additional tax increase of 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed value tax to cover district debt payments on previously approved bonds. The 2.5-cent tax increase does not require voter approval, according to district officials.

The Austin Chamber continues to ask trustees to adopt greater efficiencies—and certainly not to dig a deeper fiscal hole—before considering a tax rate election. On Monday, the Chamber will again ask trustees to dedicate themselves to cutting deeper in order to reallocate money to fund the programs that will result in the higher graduation, college/career readiness and post-secondary enrollment rate goals outlined in the district’s strategic plan.

All trustees would benefit from hearing your views on a potential tax rate election, in particular Trustees Sam Guzman, Annette Lovoi, Tamala Barksdale, Lori Moya, and Robert Schneider. The Chamber would appreciate your advice and your willingness to contact Trustees in advance of Monday’s vote.

Judging by the discussion at last night’s school board meeting and discussions at past board meetings, here’s where the trustees seem to stand on a November tax rate election:

• Standing firm against the five-cent tax increase: President Mark Williams, Vice President Vincent Torres, Cheryl Bradley and Christine Brister
• Strongly in favor of the five-cent tax increase: Tamara Barksdale and Sam Guzman
• Previously said they would support the five-cent tax increase: Secretary Lori Moya and Annette LoVoi
• Previously said he would support the five-cent tax increase if the district’s “house is in order”: Robert Schneider

15% increase in financial aid submissions, more Austin-area students to enroll in college

More Austin-area students will head to college with financial aid in-hand thanks in part to a regional, Austin Chamber of Commerce-led effort to help more families complete federal and state financial aid forms.

According to new U.S. Department of Education data, Austin region students submitted nearly 2,000 more federal financial aid forms—the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—in the spring of the 2009-10 school year than the spring of 2008-09. This represents a 15 percent year-over-year increase.

Why appraisal declines don’t wallop school districts’ operation budgets

For most other local government entities—ACC, the health district, the county, cities and MUDs—a drop in taxable values means a commensurate drop in tax revenues, assuming the entity does not raise its tax rate to cover the difference.

School districts operate differently. When overall property values go up, a school district’s per pupil operations revenue stays essentially the same. Nearly all of the increase goes into the state Treasury. When overall property values go down, per pupil operations revenue stays essentially the same and the state either makes up the difference or, in Austin’s case, reduces our recapture (Robin Hood) payment.

With lawmakers unlikely to change the school finance system significantly this session, school districts essentially know how much they will have to spend per pupil for the next three years.

Barring any legislative action, the only way school districts can increase net per pupil revenue is to call for an election to raise the property tax rate.  Austin ISD Trustees are considering this now.

However, the part of the tax rate that pays interest on school bonds is tied closely to local property values. Austin ISD will need to consider increasing its local property tax rate by up to three cents per $100 of appraised value to pay for existing, taxpayer-approved school and technology bonds. Other districts may need to do the same.

Illustration courtesy of Adria Richards.

State accountability confusion: A way out

School districts and campuses have made improvements—in some cases, significant improvements—in student learning. But Texas Education Agency actions, however unintentional, have confused the public about the way the state rates schools. Now, questions about the system’s legitimacy are overshadowing real gains by educators and students.

Until 2009, the Texas K-12 accountability system primarily measured whether a minimum percent of students, disaggregated by race, ethnicity and family income, learned at least basic skills in main academic subjects. The Texas Education Agency generally awarded school districts ratings on the basis of the percentage of students who had learned those basic skills, as demonstrated by passing the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

In 2009, the Texas Education Agency applied an additional loophole in state accountability called the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) to those ratings. TPM allows school districts to count some students who failed the TAKS as passers for accountability purposes.

Texas school administrators question state ratings

Texas school administrators have joined legislators and columnists from across the state in criticizing the state’s school rating system as lacking credibility, particularly with the Texas Education Agency’s use of the Texas Projection Measure. The Texas Projection Measure, or TPM, is a loophole in the state accountability system that counts some students who failed the TAKS as having passed the TAKS for accountability purposes.

In Dallas ISD,  Spruce High School Principal Lucy Hakemack told the Dallas Morning News that she was not pleased with how her school’s rating was boosted from unacceptable to acceptable by the Texas Projection Measure:

Hakemack said she wanted to get off the list the old-fashioned way under “absolute standards,” education speak for not using TPM or other ratings boosters.

“I don’t like that,” she said. “I like to be absolute.”

Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier told the Houston Chronicle that he is critical of the TPM:

“The TPM was never designed to be used in the way the state is using it,” he said. “That’s why I’m not a big fan of it. I think you should award people on how the kids do, not on how they’re projected to do.”

Moulton ISD, a small school district in Lavaca County, was awarded an exemplary rating due to TPM, the Victoria Advocate reports:

I just think it creates these false passing scores,” said Moulton superintendent Michael Novotny. His district would have been rated recognized, but with the rating was pushed to exemplary.

Novotny refers to the Texas Projection Measure as a “crystal ball,” and although his district has benefited, he plans to write the state to do away with it.

“I’m going to suggest discontinuing the TPM but also looking more holistically at our scores so you’re not just rated on one subgroup on one test,” he said.

And several Hidalgo County superintendents weighed in on the TPM in The Monitor:

[Weslaco ISD] Superintendent Richard Rivera acknowledged the projection measure benefited his district but said it is something he personally dislikes.

“Either you pass the tests or you don’t,” Rivera said. “The projection measure inflates the scores, and those who are supposedly passing never did. There’s no in-between.”

Congratulations to Richardson, Garza, Van Overschelde and Killian

Congratulations to

• Betty Richardson on her upcoming  retirement from Bastrop ISD as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction after 28 years with Bastrop ISD and 33 years in education. Ms. Richardson, right, has worked with the Chamber for several years on the Education Progress Reports and has been a major regional leader on improved management systems. Little Elm ISD Director of Secondary Assessment and Instruction Jane Pollard has been named Bastrop ISD’s new assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

• Santa Garza on her retirement after 34 years in UT-Austin’s office of financial aid.  Ms. Garza has been the lead UT financial aid officer on the Chamber’s Financial Aid Committee.

• Jim Van Overschelde, who became the Director of Research and Policy at E3 Alliance.  Dr. Van Overschelde was previously with the Texas Education Agency.

• Doug Killian on being named lone finalist for the Hutto ISD superintendent’s position. Killian is currently superintendent of Huffman ISD near Lake Houston.

Hutto ISD names lone superintendent finalist

Hutto ISD trustees have selected current Huffman ISD superintendent Doug Killian, below right with Board President  Doug Gaul, as the lone  finalist for the district’s superintendent’s position from a pool of five final interviewees, according a Hutto ISD press release.

Trustees plan to visit Huffman ISD in early August to “see and hear firsthand how he has successfully lead that district” and then vote on Killian’s contract, according to the district press release.

The school district’s search firm received more than 90 applications for the position. Former Superintendent David Borrer resigned in April.

Huffman has served as superintendent of Huffman ISD (a 3,044-student district near Lake Houston) since 2006. He previously served as superintendent of Poteet ISD (a 1,716-student district near San Antonio). In 2008-09 Hutto ISD had about 4,800 students.

Huffman ISD’s most recent state performance data shows that 91 percent of all students in the class of 2008 and 77 percent of economically disadvantaged students graduated within four years.

Forty-four percent of all Huffman ISD class of 2008 graduates were college/career-ready, up from 23 percent the previous year. Nineteen percent of economically disadvantaged graduates were college/career ready, up from four percent the previous year.

Huffman ISD’s traditional high school met actual state standards for an acceptable rating without using any systemic loopholes and its middle school met actual state standards for a recognized rating, again without using any loopholes.

The NRA + LULAC + NAACP = Texas?

From the newly revised Texas social studies curriculum standards for U.S. Government courses:

16) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of the expression of different points of view in a constitutional democratic republic society. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze different points of view of political parties and interest groups such as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on important contemporary issues; and…