LTISD Info

The Lake Travis View recently confirmed that the LTISD is going to seek more tax dollars out of our pockets.

Our overpaid Superintendent, Rocky Kirk was quoted as saying:

“Soon after the Texas Legislature concluded its work in a special session in 2007, in which they attempted to solve the school finance crisis, we recognized that there would be significant future financial challenges in our District,” said LTISD Superintendent Dr. Rocky Kirk. “Practically speaking the Legislature set a fixed rate of revenue per student that did not recognize or address inflationary costs. Thus, it has been simply a matter of time until this fixed amount will cause the district to begin dipping into its fund balance [savings account].”

-Charles McClure, “LTISD to seek unrecaptured funds; public hearing slated Aug. 27,” Lake Travis View, August 11, 2009

Let’s see, according to the US Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (inflation rate), the inflation rate between June 2008 and June 2009 was -1.43%.

I guess we have another case of “Rocky Facts” being thrust upon us as “truth?” Sorry, Rocky, but the inflation rate actually dropped last year! Don’t take my word for it, look it up and verify it for yourself. Rocky must subscribe to the Pontius Pilot school of “What is truth?”

How does Rocky authenticate his statement:  “Practically speaking the Legislature set a fixed rate of revenue per student that did not recognize or address inflationary costs” with facts?

Let’s look at some district benchmarks for the 2002-2003 school year (the beginning of Rocky’s reign) through the 2008-2009 school year¹:

¹Data Source: TEA

²Data Source: LTISD

How did these benchmarks compare with inflation during the same period:

³Data Source: InflationData.com & U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Wow! Inflation was only 19.9% yet the revenue/student increased by a whopping 86.1% and Rocky’s salary went up over 60%?!

Surely Rocky wouldn’t be telling us that even with an inflation rate of 19.9% the district still can’t operate even when the revenue per student increased over 86%?

How can we believe that the district needs more money when they have seen revenue increases that are much higher than inflation?

How many “tall tales” do we have to endure?

Where is the money going? It doesn’t seem that the money is going into improving the academic standards of the district. Even when the TEA lowered it’s standards this year, the LTISD could only pull out “academically acceptable.” But don’t look at just the TEA ratings as the telltale indicator, consider the recent rankings by Newsweek as another example of the district’s descent.

How can the district’s academic ratings decrease while we throw ever increasing sums of money at the problem?

Perhaps, throwing money at the problem is not the solution?

And to think, the district wants more of our tax dollars. For what? Academically acceptable again?

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

-George Orwell