Posted on 02/10/2005 6:44:09 PM PST by TXBubba
I believe only $0.40/$1.00 goes toward classroom education here. The rest is spent on debt service and administrators.
We also have a classroom limit of 22 kids. I have yet to see a graph that shows 23 kids in the classroom causes test scores to plummet and 21 kids creates geniuses. I went to school in the 70's with 35 in my class, we turned out fine. OK, well, some are liberals, but I think my point is valid.
Emotion drives too much of the debate.
Texas is now in the middle of a notable teacher shortage. It's even made the news up here in NYC. So, I suppose they have to pay top dollar to attract teachers.
That said, your posts as well as those of others has confirmed my belief that public education in this country is pretty much doomed. Like medicine, it'll become a "get what you pay for" system. Whether that works better than the current system or not remains to be seen, though I have noticed a difference in health care between those who can afford boutique medicine, which includes house calls, and HMOs.
It probably is legal. It does demonstrate poor judgement.
It is very much like the school superintentent hiring his wife and daughter to work for the RRISD. If they are talented people, why not work in the AISD or other suburban school districts? It may be legal to hire your family in the public school system, but it gives the air of impropriety.
Round Rock is growing, but the education dollars are growing significantly faster than inflation and population growth combined. Some schools may need upgrades, but a $91M high school? That is over the top.
They blew the budget on the football palace by 60%. These folks do not appear competent.
I am glad to hear they have a good PR person. Now they need a good CFO.
KEYE as well. The press has given the issue a lot of coverage. I have been pleasantly surprised.
Yeah, the football stadium was apparently a real boondoggle. I live north of Temple, but lived in Austin from 74 to 94, and so am pretty familiar with Round Rock. 91 Mil does seem like a bundle for a high school. Are there any online docs or plans?
I am sure "good schools" do raise the value. But not nearly as much as we pay. Where I live we have "not so good" schools. I homeschool anyway, so it doesn't matter to me.
My property taxes where I live now are $450 a year, as opposed to the $6100 a year I was spending on Long Island - and that was 6 years ago. For calculations sake using a flat rate, in 20 years that was about a $110,000 difference. And the reason I left was because I couldn't afford the taxes. So in essence, the taxes cost me my beautiful house.
Yes, exactly. You could not afford the taxes required to maintain a school district and other services, so essentially got priced out of the market and moved to a place where education isn't a priority or affordable by the tax base and home school. This is a scenario that will no doubt be repeated countless times over the next few years. The result will be a widening gap in educational opportunities within communities. And, eventually, the whole system will fail, fragmenting into a patchwork of home schooling, religious schools, voucher schools and private upscale institutions.
We have a similar value proposition here in central Texas. Assuming I live here for 40 years, I will pay $160,000 in school taxes. Sending my 2 kids to a very good private school for 12 years each will cost a total of $96,000. I would be better off finacially to shop for the lowest tax area and move.
Perhaps I could start a separate community free of onerous school tax and attract all of the private school families and home schoolers.
RRISD has slipped considerably since over the last decade. They are loaded up with admin people and are very PC. Christmas is forbidden, but they all take December 25 off.
Williamson County has the reputation of being very conservative, but they love to tax and spend with the best of them. At least they still prosecute most criminals.
Here is a flyer sent home with the kids Friday. It has some links tot he school district and the PAC chaired by the former Round Rock mayor.
Note that their first reponse is to fire teachers, not administrators or relatives of the superintendent!
Hello RRISD Voters:
We are hearing some interesting views on the bond election. We want to clarify with you all – our base supporters – in hopes you will pass along this information whenever possible.
Just a few erroneous pieces of propaganda floating around:
1. The tax increase is $400 per year for an average homeowner. THIS IS FALSE.
TRUTH:
a. The average home in the district is valued at $167,091 (projected for 2005-2006). Taxes with the almost $350 million in bonds will rise about $4 per month for that average home value. A variety of other numbers are being circulated – from $400 per year increase to $1,000. None of the district information points to anything but the approximate $4 per month rise noted above. We have no idea what kind of math is being used to arrive at these inflated numbers. For specifics about tax impact, see page 4 of the RRISD 2005 School Bond Election brochure (also available in soft copy at http://www.roundrockisd.org/docs/bond_2005.pdf.) Also, see http://www.roundrockisd.org/docs/tax_impact.pdf for an online version of the charts within this brochure. “Under the current bond proposal, the monthly tax bill for the median value home in Round Rock ISD is projected to increase an average of four dollars per month each year for the next three years. In the past, property values and growth in the district have resulted in actual tax increases that were much lower than projected,” the brochure states. We can find no validity in other math.
2. Doing nothing is an option. THIS IS FALSE.
TRUTH: Our options are limited. We can:
a. choose to pay ~$4 more a month and build and renovate schools;
b. choose to oppose the bonds and have overcrowded schools and declining educational value;
c. add more $50,000-$65,000 portables, teachers or programs will have to be cut to pay for them;
d. and/or demand that the city and the chamber and all the growing businesses in Round Rock cease creating jobs – since we don’t want to pay for necessary education.
The second, third, and fourth options here are unrealistic and detrimental to our schools and our community. Waiting for the legislature to hash out school finance options? Okay, that might work. In the interim 12-36 months though, the schools will still be overcrowded and in need of repairs. So, if a $700,000 HVAC unit goes out in the meantime, how many teachers will we have to fire to replace it? Conservatively, figure $50,000 teacher salary + benefits. That HVAC unit will cost us 14 teachers. Can you spare 14 teachers at your school? This math is scary.
Vote YES and encourage your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to do so as well.
Find all kinds of helpful information at:
www.projectyes2005.com
www.roundrockisd.org
Send us your questions ... we’re not afraid of the Truth Test.
Pd. Pol. Adv. by Project YES! Citizens’ Committee, Charlie Culpepper, Treasurer, PO Box 5, Round Rock, Texas 78680
How can you help?
We need help going door to door with flyers, installing yard signs, hand out flyers at the early voting location, the usual grass roots stuff.
Please freepmail me if anyone can help.
The election is March 5.
That's the damned truth. Ya know, it's becoming impossible to live in the Cedar Park/Leander/Round Rock/Pflugerville quadrangle anymore, with the toll roads and construction. Where are these people COMING FROM?!?! Is there a hatchery somewhere?
I used to think the conservatives were taking over Travis County, but I think it is going the other way! Just the other day I was thinking of getting some Birkenstocks over at Sam's Club....
Seriously, they will drive the businesses out of this area if they continue to tax us like this. I heard the toll to go up and down 183A will be $4.00 round trip.
There is only one RRISD board member who dared to question this and vote against it.
Two words: white flight.
I researched this a couple of years back and found that the average was somewhere around 2/3 going directly to the classrooms. But I also found that the statistics from different sources varied widely. Hardly anything goes to administration in my district, though some of the complainers think it does:) We also have a classroom limit of 22 kids. I have yet to see a graph that shows 23 kids in the classroom causes test scores to plummet and 21 kids creates geniuses. I went to school in the 70's with 35 in my class, we turned out fine. OK, well, some are liberals, but I think my point is valid.
I too, had about 33 students in some of my classes and we turned out fine. At my high school reunion a few years back, I was (attended by about half of the 300+ graduates), I was happy to see that the great majority of the class were devoted parents (and married), working in productive jobs, and had turned out just fine. Yes, there were about 2 there who had turned out gay (and 1 more not attending), but I think that's less than even the 2 1/2 percent that some people claim is gay in the population. In the state where I am residing, it is similiarly true.
I will say, that there can definitely be a difference between 23 and 28 people, for example and it can depend on the class and other factors (e.g. how many of the kids have a mother AND a father for example). ON THE OTHER HAND, I have learned not to complain if there are too many kids. It's better than having not enough. I wish other teachers would realize that. My neighborhood is aging (the same one I teach and live in), so there are not as many kids around. I LOVE anyone who builds new houses in my area now and anyone who moves in with kids (especially a large family:). Needless to say, there will be some changes next year.
I do however, don't like the fact that small class sizes are used AGAINST us though sometimes. I am for small classes as much as the next guy, but I am also going to take what I get too.
Emotion drives too much of the debate. I agree wholeheartedly on this one. In fact, there's too much emotion period.
Who do I contact to get opposition materials; yard signs etc.
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