LTISD Info

The Lake Travis View recently published an article about the LTISD Tax Rollback Election by Charles McClure: “LTISD hopes to get 2 cents worth.“

In this article, the district’s overpaid superintendent Rocky Kirk (salary $252,799 for only 6000 plus students) said:

“I went fishing last summer and spent a lot of time thinking about how to explain this to our residents,” Kirk said. “I understand these are challenging fiscal times and the last thing a lot of people want is any kind of tax increase.”

Rocky forgot to tell you was that since 2003, his salary has increased over 60%, while the district has fallen to “Academically Acceptable,” again. So much for Rocky’s “challenging fiscal times.”

How can we believe anything that Rocky Kirk says?

Let’s challenge Rocky Kirk and some of his “Rocky Facts:”

1. Which demographics study says: “LTISD’s demographer predicts the number of students could top 20,000 within 20 years?”

The last LTISD demographics study that I know of, from November 2008, only predicts out to 2017^TPIA, hardly 20 years from now, which would be 2029 wouldn’t it? By the way, the district’s 2006 demographics study only projects to 2016^TPIA.

Since we can’t verify Rocky’s data with publicly available material, Rocky should tell us where he got his information and just what it says.

I cannot find that any of the district’s demographics studies on the district’s web site anymore. How convenient.

Come on Rocky, give us references to your “facts.”

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

-Vladimir Lenin

2. Where did the numbers come from to produce the chart in the article?

“Kirk made reference to a chart [above] that showed the district that without the 2 cents, the district will be in the red with no fund balance whatsoever by 2013. With the 2 cents, the district could stave off the problem for a bit longer.”

Was the chart based on Rocky Kirk’s projected pay raises? Now that I could believe.

3. Why didn’t Rocky mention that the top 10 paid employees of the district are paid $1,394,074.00/year?

If you add up the total payroll from the salary data provided by by the district, you will arrive at a number of $35,819,377.00/year. That means that the top 10 employees out of 911 from the list or 1.1%  district’s employees make 3.8% of the total payroll!

Now Rocky is resorting to “scare” tactics threatening to cut teachers if the rollback is not approved:

“Kirk said 86 percent of the school district’s budget is tied up in payroll — teachers, administrators and support staff. He said that under the circumstances, without help from voters, the district would be forced to cut its staff — including teachers.”

Rocky forgot to mention that while his salary increased 63.5% since he started, teacher salaries have only increased about 20% over the same time frame, just slightly higher than inflation.

The district should tell us about all of the administrative staff that Rocky has added such as a lawyer, a PR man, … Yet the district is willing to keep them instead of teachers? Just what are their priorities?

More doom and gloom scenarios, Rocky Kirk goes on to say:

“When you cut the staff, you kill programs,” he said. “When you kill programs, you hurt kids. That’s the bottom line. I believe that this community understands that we have invested a lot to make a good district and we should try to hang on to what we have as long as we can.”

We should ask Rocky just how an “academically acceptable” school district is a “good district?”

We should ask Rocky just how an “academically acceptable” school district fits in with a boast that the LTISD would be “the most exemplary school district in Texas!”

What if the district killed Rocky Kirk’s pay program?

How many teachers could the district buy for $252,799/year?

4. Rocky Kirk should also tell us where he gets his data regarding the district’s credit rating and he should also share that data with us if it exists.

Rocky said: “In Lake Travis, we have a bond rating of AA+. Let me put that into perspective of what it means to our school district and its underlying financial integrity. There are 1,050 school districts in the State of Texas. We are one of seven districts in the state to have a AA+ bond rating. That is the highest rating Standard and Poor gives to school districts.”

How much of this supposed AA+ rating is still based on the any of the district’s debt that is still covered by the Texas Permanent School Fund?

Rocky should reference the document, if it exists, and show us the ratings of all school districts in Texas. What would that look like?

Finally, one should ask the question why anyone, let along the Chamber of Commerce, would endorse ANY tax increase?

“The district has picked up a number of critical endorsements for the 2 cents, including a nod from the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce.”