On July 12, 2011, Iain Murray of the National Review wrote:

“One of the most depressing things I write about in Stealing You Blind is what is happening to public education, which has become just another source of plunder for the public-sector elite. My nieces have been affected by the Atlanta scandal, so I take this personally. Then Lynn Woolley in Texas told me this morning about this story, which is all too typical.

Lake Travis ISD’s Rocky Kirk, who was paid $351-thousand dollars to oversee a district of under seven thousand students, has resigned.  He walks away with a small fortune. But it get worse.

Lake Travis has hired Mike Moses to find a replacement. Moses is the retired superintendent of the Dallas District, where he made $340-thousand dollars — highest in the nation. Under Moses’ watch, the Dallas ISD was embroiled in scandal that included fishy vendor contracts and misspent bilingual education dollars. Three of Moses assistants were indicted and two were sentenced to federal prison.

Moses somehow escaped from the investigation unscathed. He now receives $224-thousand per year, directly from taxpayers. Local taxpayers should be in open revolt.

Local school boards appear to have ridiculously cozy arrangements with the class of people they hire to run them. It’s about time people started paying attention to what’s going on with them at their local level. If you have a tale like this, let me know.”

-Iain Murray, National Review, July 12, 2011

“Not only has the Lake Travis ISD school board been foolish enough to have paid Superintendent Rocky Kirk $351,222 (enrollment 6,974 students), but they have turned right around and chosen Mike Moses of School Executive Consulting, Inc. to find the next superintendent for the district:

Austin American-Statesman, 7.11.11: Lake Travis school board names interim superintendent

Why should the citizens and taxpayers of Lake Travis ISD have any confidence that Mike Moses could find them an ethical and fiscally responsible candidate to be superintendent when Moses himself has such a troubled past.

For people who are new to Texas or for people who have forgotten the details, let me recap the serious problems Moses had while he was the Dallas ISD supe (2000 – 2004).

All of the following were uncovered by The Dallas Morning News during Moses’ years as the leader of the district.”

-Donna Garner, Voices Empower, July 2011

Donna Garner of Voices Empower, recently wrote:

“Lake Travis ISD superintendent’s salary:  $253,222 annual salary; $77,000 settlement separation; $20,000 extra contractual benefits = $351,222 –  Americans for Prosperity created the Rotten Apple Award for just such occasions as this.

Yet the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and Texas Association of Administrators (TASA),  whose members pay dues using taxpayers’ dollars which are then used to pay lobbyists to lobby the legislature, still managed to convince the legislators to pass a bill that gives administrators more power to dump veteran classroom teachers at will, to cut teachers’ salaries, and to call for “furloughs” (days without pay) whenever there is a budget shortfall.

It certainly is not the classroom teachers who are skimming the money off the top of local school district budgets; it is the administrators.  –”

-Donna Garner, Voices Empower, July 2011

LTISD “Gang of Eight” photograph prior to 7/11/2011 and the “Gang of Eight minus One” as we see them portrayed today:

Reminds me of the Soviet Union and their standard practice of making someone an “unperson,” except they did a better job of airbrushing someone out of existence than the LTISD did using Photoshop.

Unperson: A person who had been vaporized, and all records of him/her had been wiped out. All other party members must forget that the unperson ever existed, and mentioning his/her name is thoughtcrime. (The concept that the person may have existed at one time, and has disappeared, cannot be expressed in Newspeak.) Compare to the Stalinist use of erasing people from photographs after their death.

-George Orwell, 1984

Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting highlights of the “agreement” and just how the Board still stands behind Rocky Kirk even under the mysterious circumstances of Rocky’s sudden and unexplained departure:

“In consideration of Kirk voluntarily resigning his position as Superintendent of the District, the District shall pay Kirk, on or before July 31, 2011, the total sum of SEVENTY SEVEN THOUSAND AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($77,000.00) (“Settlement Payment”). The Settlement Payment shall be made payable jointly to Kirk and Adams, Lynch, & Loftin, P.C., and shall be delivered to the law offices of Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C, 3950 Highway 360, Grapevine, Texas, 76051.”

 

“The District agrees that Kirk shall be entitled to retain the following items provided to Kirk by the District as set forth in section 5(c)(2) of the Contract as Kirk’s sole property: the home office desktop computer, monitor, printer, and the older laptop that he is authorized to use for business and personal use.”

 

“The District and Kirk do hereby agree to be responsible for and pay for each of their respective attorneys’ fees incurred by the District and Kirk in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement.”

Reading the rest of the “agreement” only gives you the sense that the Board handed Rocky Kirk a departing “gift” and made the tax payers and parents of the district pay for it all. The “agreement” even includes the press release the district made regarding Rocky’s “resignation.”

Rocky and the Board forgot: You can’t polish a turd!

[See post to watch Flash video]

Well, Rocky’s departure is only the beginning. Perhaps the tax payers and parents will wake up and start to sweep the rest of the trash out the door.

The Lake Travis view has more information regarding Rocky’s resignation, including news that:

“Kirk will receive $77,000 through a settlement payment and continue to receive full salary and benefits through July 31, according to the voluntary separation agreement.”

- Lake Travis View, “Breaking news: Kirk resigns from LTISD,”  Thursday, July 7, 2011 by Devin Monk

Interestingly, it would appear that the Board knew about Rocky’s resignation at least by July 2. The document properties of the agenda posted by the district for their “July 7, 2011 – Special Called Meeting of the Board” would indicate this:

According to a March 2011 article, the “Texas School Business,” who refer to themselves as “The independent voice for public education in Texas,” overpaid superintendents such as Rocky Kirk deserve their outrageous salaries. Imagine that!

“THE PRICE OF LEADERSHIP Criticism of superintendent salaries falls short upon closer examination” published by the “Texas School Business,” quotes Rocky Kirk himself as saying:

“The scrutiny that you’re under, the criticisms that you sometimes get and the decisions that impact the families [of employees] are sometimes painful. There are people behind those numbers,” says Kirk, referring to budget cuts.

Although his contract calls for an annual pay raise, Kirk has declined raises for the past two years.

“Just given the economic times, it seemed inappropriate to ask the board to pass along an increase to me when other people were feeling the real negative effects of the downturn,” he says.

The article directly contradicts data provided by the his own school district to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Even in 2009, the Austin American Statesman said Rocky Kirk took a pay raise.

According to the TEA, Rocky Kirk has enjoyed a 76% pay raise since his tenure began at the LTISD in 2002. Based on data from the TEA, we can track his pay and see the truth: Rocky Kirk’s salary has increased $24,587 (9.9%) over the last two years!

Rocky Kirk is quoted in the article saying:

“Adds Lake Travis ISD Superintendent Rocky Kirk, “If the superintendent’s job is done right, then it’s going to take it out of you physically and intellectually, and sometimes emotionally.”

Kirk says the job is hard work physically because of the time demands, while the intellectual aspects of the job require competency in multiple areas of business and the ability to visualize and design processes for the organization as a whole.

The emotional piece of the superintendent’s job, however, can hit the hardest, Kirk says.”

Doesn’t Rocky Kirk’s contract give him even more time off to handle his additional stress? Rocky Kirk’s 2007 contract specifically states:

(9) Additional Leave – Personal/Professional Balance. The Superintendent is expected to take time away from his normal work routine to maintain balance and focus in his personal and professional life. Accordingly, in addition to the leave set forth above, the Superintendent is expected to take, at the Superintendent’s choice, an additional fifteen (15) days of leave per year (“Additional Leave”). This Additional Leave may be used at the discretion of the Superintendent, in whole or part days, for any reason. Any unused Additional Leave will not carry over from year to year.

The superintendent continues to receive pay raises and benefits heaped upon him while those who directly teach our children every day face an uncertain financial future.

Rocky Kirk even says:

“Public schools have been asked to “fill in the blanks” in areas that were once relegated to families, Kirk says, adding that the work that teachers and administrators must shoulder results from absent structures in many students’ homes, he says.”

Who is really providing the emotional support and structure for the students day in and day out?  It is our teachers, not Rocky Kirk. Where are the teachers  additional paid vacation days to help them “maintain balance and focus in their personal life”? Where is the additional financial compensation for all the money our teachers spend out of their own pockets for supplies in the classroom?

Don’t we, as taxpayers, want the most experienced teachers teaching our kids? Why then does the teacher pay scale not continue to compensate experienced teachers?

In a time when we the taxpayers are still recovering from job lay offs and salary cutbacks, Kirk goes out and buys a new $500,000 house. IT doesn’t sound like Rocky Kirk is worried about his future employment or financial future.  I wonder if the dedicated teachers and staff in our schools feel the same way?

The article goes on to say:

“Texas superintendent salaries run about $120,689 on average, according to the annual salaries and wages survey conducted by TASA and the Texas Association of School Boards. Superintendents in districts with more than 50,000 students earn about $276,545, while those in districts between 25,000 and 50,000 students make about $234,841.”

Wow, contrast that to Rocky Kirk’s average increase of 9.5% a year and his $272,427 annual salary. Any yet his only manages of district of only 6,978 students for $272,427! Not a very good deal for the LTISD parents and tax payers.

Let’s see now, the article  mentions the Wylie ISD Superintendent H. John Fuller, saying:

“Wylie ISD Superintendent H. John Fuller is a rarity; he’s survived for more than three decades. He has enjoyed a career that has taken him from a 400-student district to now managing 12,000 students, more than 1,700 employees and a $100 million budget.”

According to the latest TEA Superintendent salary data, H. John Fuller’s management of 12,526 students, 1,700 employees and a $100 million budget costs the tax payers of the Wylie ISD $169,214 per year! Certainly a bargain compared to Rocky Kirk’s “management” of only 6,978 students, 846 employees and a $75 million budget, all for a mere $272,427 per year.

Look at the numbers that the LTISD reported to the TEA and determine the truth for yourselves.

It is time to put the money and pay increases where it count, in the hands of our hard working teachers, not the already over paid superintendent.

Superintendents enjoy super benefits
High pay and perks attract talent, districts say

You can also download the contracts of 41 local school district superintendents from the KXAN web site including Rocky Kirk’s 2010 contract.

“If the Texas public education system were a private company, it would be the fifth largest employer in the world. We have a 1:1 teacher to non-teacher ratio in our state, and when it comes to pay, teachers are getting the shaft. Administrators and other non-teachers earn between $9,000-$38,000 more than teachers every year on average.

How does your school measure up? If you don’t see your school district snapshot displayed, please email us at texas@afphq.org. There are 1,035 school districts in the state of Texas and we are diligently working every day to upload each one.”

-The Red Apple Project

Now isn’t that amazing! The district can make cuts and still remain in the black.

Remember it was not more than a year or so ago that they district was predicting a budget deficit, doom and gloom unless we all approved another tax increase?

“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.”

“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.”

“We all know that property tax increases are unpleasant, but we missed an opportunity to secure additional funding for our District that would have provided some short-term relief. As a result, our District is now faced with a budget deficit of more than $1.7 million.” -Susan Tolles

“`With projected deficit funding of approximately $1.8 million, coupled with a steady increase in student enrollment and operating expenses, the board believes asking voters for additional revenue through a tax ratification election is a prudent and fiscally responsible option,’ said Susan Tolles, President of the LTISD board.”

Finally, and this from the LTISD’s own propaganda, created on September 11, 2009 by Marco Alvarado:

“Future budget projections for the District indicate that at the current tax rate of $1.04, the District would deplete 81 percent of its fund balance or savings account by Fiscal Year 2012-2013.”

Let’s just see if Rocky Kirk get’s another pay raise. Rocky probably will probably convince all his friends on the Board that he needs a salary bump to pay for the cost of his divorce.

“LTISD has purchased four lots of land and accepted donations of two other parcels in preparation for future school district growth. The money came from the 2006 bond.”

What’s next, another bond election? Another run at increasing our taxes as they did in November 2009?

Does this mean that since the district is exemplary they don’t need to go out and shake down the tax payers for more money?

But then again, how will they be able to pay our overpaid superintendent Rocky Kirk, and his deputy, Susan Bohn, the LTISD’s “second in command” with only a teaching certificate in “Secondary Dance” and “Secondary Social Studies” as her qualifications.

According to Charles McClure of the Lake Travis View, this is the first time in the district’s history to be rated “exemplary.”

Wait a minute, there is more to this …

[See post to watch Flash video]

Did you know that the LTISD used the controversial Texas Projection Measure (TPM) to obtain the district’s recent “exemplary” rating rather than  meeting the “absolute standards” to earn their “exemplary” rating?

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has a whole section of their web site dedicated to the TPM and how it relates to the recent ratings. Seems that the TPM has generated some controversy.

Bottom line, the TPM allows a school district to “boost” their ratings:

“When a student fails a test but shows enough gain to make it statistically likely that he or she is on track to pass during the next high-stakes testing period, TPM counts that student as having passed for school accountability purposes.”

- “TEA’s projection measures aren’t measuring up,” The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 12, 2010

Here is an excerpt of the TEA’s state ratings table showing that the district utilized the TPM to boost their rating:

LAKE TRAVIS ISD                          EXEMPLARY                             TPM ONLY
 LAKE TRAVIS H S                         EXEMPLARY                             TPM ONLY
 LAKE TRAVIS MIDDLE                      EXEMPLARY                             MET ABSOLUTE STDS
 HUDSON BEND MIDDLE                      RECOGNIZED                            TPM ONLY
 LAKE TRAVIS EL                          RECOGNIZED                            MET ABSOLUTE STDS
 LAKEWAY EL                              EXEMPLARY                             MET ABSOLUTE STDS
 BEE CAVE ELEMENTARY                     EXEMPLARY                             MET ABSOLUTE STDS
 LAKE POINTE ELEMENTARY                  EXEMPLARY                             MET ABSOLUTE STDS
 SERENE HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL          EXEMPLARY                             MET ABSOLUTE STDS

Funny how the district failed to mention this fact. A fact that significantly weakens Rocky’s claim: “The Exemplary rating is indicative of the superior instruction delivered in our classrooms each day.”

Let’s read more about just how  the districts used the TPM to artificially boost their lackluster performance:

Rep. Scott Hochberg and his Appropriations Subcommittee on Education got Criss Cloudt (the Texas Education Agency’s associate commissioner in charge of the “accountability system” that administers the TAKS test and ranks schools and school districts): “… to admit that 73 of the 74 additional ‘exemplary districts’ that took us from 43 in 2008 to 117 in 2009 received that distinction only because the new Texas Projection Measure miraculously allowed nearly half the 1 million TAKS tests that had been failed to count as passing for the purpose of rating schools and districts.”

- “Hochberg unmasks TEA’s controversial rule,” Rick Casey, Houston Chronicle, July 8, 2010

This year the TEA announced that:

“The Texas Education Agency (TEA) today announced that 239 school districts and 2,624 schools received Texas’ highest accountability rating of Exemplary.”

This is an increase of 122 districts since the 2009 ratings.

Rocky and the Board shouldn’t revel in their new artificial elevation, the TPM has been a lightning rod of criticism and might not be used next year:

“Education Commissioner Robert Scott issued a letter to school administrators last week saying he was considering changing the way TPM is used — or even suspending it entirely — next year. The 2010 TAKS scores and the accountability ratings based on them scheduled to be released on July 30 will include the boosts afforded under TPM.”

- “TEA’s school ratings next week will have a footnote,” Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, July 19, 2010

Have you noticed how quickly the district moved to place this moniker on their documents:

Why doesn’t the district let us know that is was only through slight of hand that they obtained their “exemplary” rating.

You can get the facts from the TEA:

The TEA will continue to post the detailed data charts online this year, but it will add a simplified page showing whether a school benefited from the projection measure or the other two looser rules, according to the agency.

“We’ll have more information out this year as to how a campus came to meet their accountability rating,” TEA spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said Monday.

But superintendents and principals still will be able to tout their schools’ ratings on marquees and in press releases without an asterisk.

“I don’t know of anything that requires them to do that,” Culbertson said. “(But) it’s something certainly they should be honest about.”

- “TEA’s school ratings next week will have a footnote,” Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, July 19, 2010

[See post to watch Flash video]

You can read more about the TPM and the 2010 TEA ratings from these additional sources, just to name a few:

“State may eliminate use of student testing projection measurement,” Austin American-Statesman

“Texas schools’ accountability ratings jump dramatically in TEA report,” The Dallas Morning News

“TEA to Dump TPM?,” Half Empty Blog Spot

“Loophole in law let some schools raise TEA accountability ratings,” The Sulphur Springs News-Telegram

“TEA School Accountability Ratings,” The Winkler Post

“Texas Education Agency releases statewide rankings,” The Austin American-Statesman (the comments are the best read here)

Most intriguing of all was the comment made by one of the readers mentioning the relationship of Silverton Homes and Jim Cummings (former LTISD Board member) and the LTISD:

PaulHarvey says:
July 3, 2010 at 11:08 am

Lets see here…Briarcliff area is denied a LTISD built school for 15 years even though property is owned by LTISD at the corner of Old Ferry Rd and Pace Bend Park Rd. Former LTISD Trustee Jim Cummings is another (unmentioned) owner of Silverton Homes who has long been suspected of having an unfair advantage of where schools would be located so land could be bought close by, thus an easy sale for Silverton (note Serene Hills Elem proximity to Lakeway Elem). See the connection?

-Lake Travis View, “Dig Willie Nelson? Well here’s your chance to be his neighbor”

I wanted to verify the statements made by “PaulHarvey” and here are some interesting answers:

“Briarcliff area is denied a LTISD built school for 15 years even though property is owned by LTISD at the corner of Old Ferry Rd and Pace Bend Park Rd.”

I have not been able to verify that the district has owned the property for 15 years, but I did discover that indeed the LTISD owns a 17.28 acre lot on the corner of Old Ferry Road and Pace Bend Road (FM HWY 2322) worth $982,800 according to the Travis County Appraisal District (Property ID Number: 448046  Ref ID2 Number: 05560301090000).

Click for larger plat map image

“Former LTISD Trustee Jim Cummings is another (unmentioned) owner of Silverton Homes”

According to records at the Texas Secretary of State’s office, Jim Cummings is the President of Silverton Custom Homes and Michael Grimm is the Vice President. Also, according to these records, Jim Cummings incorporated Silverton Custom Homes, Inc. in January 1993.

The Lake Travis View article mentioned Michael Grimm but it did not mention Jim Cummings. The documents from the Secretary of State only show Michael Grimm’s name appearing on documents filed after 2004.

By the way, Jim Cummings said:

“He has grown close to several trustees, but has particularly developed a friendship with Kirk, one he thinks will last a lifetime.”

- “Cummings stepping off school board after 12 years of service”, Lake Travis View, May 5th, 2009

Interesting …

Just look at what happened after Kim Eudy left the board.

Wouldn’t you  say that “PaulHarvey” makes some interesting observations?!

This is yet another law firm that the district is going to “engage” even though the district has it’s own General Counsel. Remember how the Board said that they were going to use Susan Bohn to save money on their self inflicted legal costs? So much for that.

Well, come to find out, Ron Eudy, husband of ex-board member Kim Eudy is an attorney who works at Sneed, Vine & Perry, P.C.

Coincidence?

Have you ever wondered if Ron and Kim Eudy’s political campaign contributions to Board members campaigns and public political endorsements  have had any influence on this decision? Doesn’t this smack of an ethical issue? Makes you wonder …

Ron and Kim Eudy

Next thing you know, the district will be hiring Mayo Davidson as another legal counsel. You laugh, but as we can see from Susan Bohn’s recent promotion, anything is possible!

Mayo Davidson has some experience with the Texas Bar regarding ethics. Perhaps Mayo Davidson could advise Ron Eudy on ethics? Experience is the best teacher, right Mayo?

How about the robot phone call from Alex? Wonder if Alex used the Lake Hills phone directory for that too?

Wouldn’t this be a violation of the law regarding Charities, Churches and Politics and their tax exempt status?

Just who’s agenda is being advanced here? Alex Alexander’s? Rocky Kirk’s? The Lake Hills church?

What would the IRS think about this?

You can read more about tax exempt organizations and the restrictions that apply to their involvement in political activities at the IRS web site.

“The Internal Revenue Service gives serious consideration to complaints made alleging the abuse of the tax exempt status granted to certain organizations.”

See the IRS web page: IRS Complaint Process For Tax Exempt Organizations to learn how to go about filing a complaint.

Documents obtained from the Texas Secretary of State show that the Lake Hills Church is registered as a Texas Non-Profit corporation and the Lake Hills church claims to be incorporated as a 501(c)(3) entity:

By the way, we now know from their own statements and/or various documents that the following LTISD board members as well as the Superintendent, Rocky Kirk, are associated with the Lake Hills church:

Guy Clayton
Jason Buddin
Alan Williams
Rocky Kirk

Interesting!

Looks like it took Alex Alexander to openly use the resources of the Lake Hills church to help bring this all to light.

Let’s see how Alex might have violated the restrictions imposed by 501(c)(3):

Emails authored by Alex (sent out to 51 addresses) soliciting support for his campaign as late as April 24, 2010:

From: Alex Alexander <aalexander@lhc.org>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:49:16
Subject: Alex Alexander Campaign

Dear Friend,

You may, or may not, be aware that I am running for LTISD School Board Place 3.  I am really excited about the opportunity to serve our community in this capacity, but can’t do it without you. I would love to have your vote.

I have attached a flier that includes information about me and my campaign. You can also find more info at my website – www.AlexForLTISD.com <http://www.alexforltisd.com/>

Early voting begins this Monday, April 26th at the Randall’s located on 620 and continues through May 4th. Election Day is May 8th.

Thanks for your consideration,

Alex

–
Alex Alexander
Pastor of Family Life
www.lhc.org <http://www.lhc.org>
twitter.com/pastoralex <http://twitter.com/pastoralex>
alexalexander.wordpress.com <http://alexalexander.wordpress.com>

Alex’s Facebook campaign web site, current as of April 28, 2010:

Update:

I guess that Alex reads my web site as well. Today (April 28, 2010) he decided to no longer use the resources of a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit corporation to advance a political agenda and changed his contact email address on his campaign Facebook page.

Apparently all of the discussion about Alex’s use of a supposedly tax exempt organization’s resources to actively campaign caused him to change his campaign web page on April 27, 2010:

Sure looks like active political campaigning on the part of an organization that is supposed to stay away from such activities so as to enjoy a tax exempt status?

Later I asked Alan Williams where he obtained my private number and he told me that Alex Alexander gave it to him. Why would Alan Williams use my private number since my home phone number is public? This bodes an even more interesting question, why would Alex do this?

Alex was given my private number when he collaborated with Rocky Kirk in Rocky’s latest prank feigning remorse for his mis-deeds.

I gave private information to Alex in confidence and yet he felt free to give it out. Just what else does Alex feel free to discuss?

I guess if you are giving out private information to board members and/or who are also members of your church, it’s OK?

Is it true that Alex is now using emails obtained as a Lake Hills minister for his political campaign? At least one of the 51 recipients of Alex’s latest political email believes this was the case and wrote this response to Alex:

“I don’t think it is appropriate for you to use an email address in a political campaign that you obtained in your position as a Lake Hills pastor.”

Talk about your conflict of interest: Alex even sends out his political emails from his Lake Hill Church email address!

From: Alex Alexander <aalexander@lhc.org>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:49:16
Subject: Alex Alexander Campaign

Dear Friend,

You may, or may not, be aware that I am running for LTISD School Board Place 3.  I am really excited about the opportunity to serve our community in this capacity, but can’t do it without you. I would love to have your vote.

I have attached a flier that includes information about me and my campaign. You can also find more info at my website – www.AlexForLTISD.com <http://www.alexforltisd.com/>

Early voting begins this Monday, April 26th at the Randall’s located on 620 and continues through May 4th. Election Day is May 8th.

Thanks for your consideration,

Alex

–
Alex Alexander
Pastor of Family Life
www.lhc.org <http://www.lhc.org>
twitter.com/pastoralex <http://twitter.com/pastoralex>
alexalexander.wordpress.com <http://alexalexander.wordpress.com>

This leads us to an interesting question:

Where is the line between political ambition and Alex’s responsibilities as a minister?

Just how many current and/or former members of the LTISD Board are members of the Lake Hills church?

Just what is Alex’s political agenda or is it Rocky’s?

Perhaps it should have read: “Buddin, Williams fiscally responsible? Not hardly”

Patrick writes an excellent letter reminding  the voters and tax payers of the district of the financial condition of the LTISD and of the positions taken by both Buddin and Williams to the problem:

To the editor:

Before we re-elect Jason Buddin and Alan Williams to the LTISD board, everyone please recall a little recent history. On Aug. 6, 2009, both these incumbents approved of a budget that was in the red by $1.8 million dollars. Apparently they thought voters would rubber-stamp a “small” tax increase to cover the deficit spending. The November 2, 2009 election revealed otherwise as 60% of the voters killed the proposed tax increase. Lo and behold, then the school board found ways to balance the budget.

Any claim by Buddin and Williams to he “fiscally responsible” is demonstrably false. Fiscally responsible leaders do not spend more money than they have available. If these incumbents are re-elected, no one should be surprised to see continued excessive spending. Everyone should expect further attempts to raise taxes. They did it before and they will do it again.

LTISD voters, you’ve been warned. If you voted against last year’s attempted tax increase, you should also vote against any board member who wants to fool you into giving them another chance.

Patrick Watson
Hamilton Pool Road

-Lake Travis View, Letters to the Editor, April 15, 2010

Remember, both Buddin and Williams were supporters of the “2 Penny PAC” which wanted to extract more tax dollars from us?

Doesn’t sound very “fiscally conservative” does it?

It might be a good time to remind everyone that three of these candidates running for election to the LTISD Board of Trustees, Alex Alexander, Jason Buddin and Alan Williams supported the recently defeated plan by the district to coerce more money out of tax payers.

Isn’t Jason Buddin on the Board of Directors of the Lake Travis Republican Club? I would only assume that would mean that Jason is a Republican? How can a supposed business man and Republican back any tax increase?

I might also remind you that both Jason Buddin and Alan Williams have voted to increase the salary of Rocky Kirk, the district’s Superintendent. Recently, during a “special called meeting” of the LTISD Board, both Jason Buddin and Alan Williams voted to “re-arrange” Rocky’s compensation. Reading this peculiar “change” to Rocky Kirk’s contract sounds foreboding. Perhaps a way of hiding another of Rocky’s undeserved pay raises?

“Austin teachers are better compensated than other Central Texas teachers, according to an Austin ISD report to be presented to trustees tonight.

A beginning Austin teacher receives $3,276 more than the average beginning teacher salary in other Central Texas school districts, taking Austin ISD’s 6.2% FICA contribution into account. An Austin teacher with ten years of experience makes $1,404 more than the average ten-year teacher salary in other Central Texas school districts, again, taking the district’s FICA contribution into account.

In fact, Austin teachers at all levels of experience are better compensated than teachers in nearly every other Central Texas school district, when the district’s FICA contribution is taken into account, according to the report. The only teachers who make more are those with 20+ years of experience in Eanes ISD and 15-25 years of experience in Lake Travis ISD.”

Sadly they did not mention the outrageous compensation of the LTISD’s highly overpaid superintendent Rocky Kirk.

Why does the Lake Travis ISD have such a disconnect between those who make the “rubber meet the road,” the district’s teachers, and those who just talk? I seem to  remember Rocky boasting about making the LTISD “the most exemplary school district in Texas!” Yet Rocky “leads” the school district to another year of “Academically Acceptable.”

When was the last time that Rocky Kirk visited one of the district’s campuses?

Speaking of overpaid fools, how about the $10,000 pay raise doled out to the LTISD’s General Counsel, Susan Bohn? Just what has she done for such an unwarranted pay raise, especially in today’s economy? I doubt that merit has anything to do with it. Why does the district keep paying out for all those outside lawyers, doesn’t the district have their own in house  “General Counsel?” Just what does Susan Bohn do?

Do you see a pattern here?

Why aren’t these administrators taking pay cuts? Obviously the LTISD Board of Trustees doesn’t understand the concept of performance based compensation.

Don’t you see lots of opportunity to make significant budget cuts and not impact the quality of education in the district? In fact, the quality of education in the district would most likely improve!

We keep paying more and more in taxes and yet there are some who are laughing all the way to the bank with our money.

Anyone interested in running for the school board has until March 8 to file. Filing for the school board election requires that you select a campaign finance chairman, fill out the requisite forms (see below) and submit your election filing paperwork with the school district by close of business on March 8.

Appointment of A Campaign Treasurer By A Candidate (Instructions)
Code of Fair Campaign Practices [Optional]

There could be some good news in all of this: Susan Tolles hasn’t filed for re-election, yet! Somehow I doubt that Alex Alexander would be running for Susan Tolles‘ position without Susan’s knowledge and Rocky’s blessing.

UPDATE: According to the Lake Travis View, Susan Tolles will NOT be running for re-election!

As of February 12,  three candidates have filed for the upcoming election (see list below). You may obtain a copy of a candidates election filing form by following the link attached to their name.

Alex Alexander, Position 3 (Susan Tolles position)

Jason Buddin, Position 4

Alan Williams, Position 5

It might be a good time to remind everyone that all three of these candidates, Alex Alexander, Jason Buddin and Alan Williams supported the recently defeated plan by the district to coerce more money out of tax payers.

Isn’t Jason Buddin on the Board of Directors of the Lake Travis Republican Club? I would only assume that would mean that Jason is a Republican? How can a supposed business man and Republican back a tax increase?

I might also remind you that both Jason Buddin and Alan Williams have voted to increase the salary of Rocky Kirk, our overpaid and ineffectual Superintendent. Recently, during a “special called meeting” of the LTISD Board, both Jason Buddin and Alan Williams voted to “re-arrange” Rocky’s compensation. Reading this peculiar “change” to Rocky Kirk’s contract sounds foreboding. Perhaps a way of hiding another of Rocky’s undeserved pay raises? More on this later.

By the way, doesn’t Alan Williams “operate” a Chick-fil-A? Yet the district does not have a record of any conflict of interest documents filed by Alan Williams resulting from his operation of a business which does business with the district (according to the district’s response to my latest public information requests regarding any conflict of interest filings by Alan).  Do you know how much business the district does with Chick-fil-A? Answer: a lot! Just go to your kids cafeteria in any LTISD campus and see for yourself. I would think that Alan Williams would at the very least like to clear the air on this matter. More on this later.

Update: I recently received a phone call from Alan Williams regarding my comments questioning any conflicts of interest that he might have between his ownership of a local Chick-fil-A franchise and the school district. He assured me that his Chick-fil-A does not do business with the LTISD and that he and the owner of the Bee Cave Chick-fil-A agreed to not compete against each other for the LTISD’s business. He also went on to say that he was told by the district (wonder if it was Susan Bohn’s advice?) that he did not need to complete a conflict of interest form. This is interesting since many of the Board members have completed conflict of interest forms for such trivial things as having a checking account at Bank of America. Nevertheless, Alan appears to be a man of integrity. Therefore we must conclude that Alan does not have a conflict of interest between his position on the LTISD Board of Trustees and his ownership of a local Chick-fil-A franchise.

LTISD official wrong to blame voters

To the editor:

Following the crushing defeat of the LTISD attempt to raise taxes, board chair Susan ToIles said “As a result, our district is now faced with a budget deficit of more than $1.7 million.”

This is not correct. LTISD faces a budget deficit because the board approved a budget that was $1.7 million too high. The trustees knew full well that they were spending more money than they had available. That’s why we had an election. They assumed voters would’ rubber-stamp a tax increase to cover the shortfall — a bad assumption, obviously.

Maybe instead of blaming voters, Ms. Tolles and the other trustees should try listening to them. The message is clear: You don’t have a blank check. Stop whining about Robin Hood and stop spending money you don’t have. Will this mean tough .decisions? Of course, but you all asked for the job. If you don’t want to do it, you should resign.

Patrick W. Watson
Hamilton Pool Road

-Letters to the Editor, Lake Travis View, November 19, 2009

Patrick hits the nail on the head when he says:

“You don’t have a blank check. Stop whining about Robin Hood and stop spending money you don’t have.”

We are all sick and tired of hearing the whining of overpaid Superintendents such as Rocky Kirk telling us that we are tossing our money into into another black hole rather than into the local abyss, the local abyss that keeps on giving Rocky Kirk pay raises with little to show for it.

Rocky Kirk should spend more time telling us more about when we will start seeing some results from his boasts  of making “the LTISD the most exemplary school district in Texas.” I don’t think that’s working out to well for Rocky.

Of course, Patrick’s insight must be challenged and who better than Lisa Lawrence to counter with her Letter to the Editor on November 26, 2009:

Tolles comment on LTISD election taken out of context

To the editor:

In his letter to the Lake Travis View on Nov. 19, Mr. [Patrick] Watson made some assumptions that were incorrect.

Mrs. [Susan] Tolles never blamed the voters. Her words were that she was disappointed. Her statement was factual, and not for the reason he claims.

How can he claim that the board was spending more money than they had available? Did he look at last year’s budget figures? Did he note that administrative costs were practically flat in this year’s budget (the overall budget for expenditures rose just .33 percent over the 2008-09 budget)? Is he aware the district is making do with a fixed income allotted by the state that doesn’t take inflation, rising fuel and insurance costs, etc., into account? Is he aware that over 80 percent of the budget is for staffing?

Parents and prospective parents move to and remain in this district because of our schools, our teachers, our programs, our student-to-teacher ratios, our special programs, etc. People in our district expect a quality education and high performance for our kids.

The 2 cent referendum, had it passed, would have been used for maintenance and operation. Does Mr. Watson even know what that stands for? That money would NOT have been subject to recapture. It means 85 percent of it would have been used for teacher compensation, teacher raises, rising teacher insurance benefits, maintaining small class ratios… Seriously, Mr. Watson? You’ve heard the trustees whine? I’ve heard matter of fact information regarding Robin Hood presented, but never in a whining tone.

If the 2 cent referendum had passed, it would have helped us in maintaining our A++, bond rating at AA+, which depends on many things, including the state of our fund balances. This A++ rating enables LTISD to issue bonds on much more favorable terms, which — reduces the district’s costs!

“Blank check?”

It is mind numbing to try to comprehend how hard the board and Mr. [Bob] Hart worked to help us earn this superior rating that the District is now working to maintain.

It is disappointing that more people in our district didn’t take the time to educate themselves, read the information provided, attend the meetings that were held, and then get out and vote. And it is sad that so many do not understand the negative impact that not passing the 2 cents has upon our schools.

Lisa Lawrence
Lakeway

-Letters to the Editor, Lake Travis View, November 26, 2009

Lisa Lawrence urges Patrick Watson and the rest of the district’s tax payers to become better educated. Interesting to hear this from someone who is ignorant of the facts regarding the school district’s spending and revenue. I doubt that Lisa Lawrence posses anything more than anecdotal evidence based on quotes from the district’s administration and the Board.

First off, Lisa claims:

“Parents and prospective parents move to and remain in this district because of our schools, our teachers, our programs, our student-to-teacher ratios, our special programs, etc. People in our district expect a quality education and high performance for our kids.”

Then why was the LTISD rated “Academically Acceptable” by the TEA, again? The LTISD has been rated “Academically Acceptable” 3 of the last 4 years, far from the “most exemplary school district in the state of Texas!”

Secondly, Lisa also claims:

“It is disappointing that more people in our district didn’t take the time to educate themselves, read the information provided, attend the meetings that were held, and then get out and vote.”

Lisa should “take the time to educate” herself about the facts regarding the election turnout on November 2009:

Does Lisa know that 3,253 votes were cast in the recent Rollback Election?

Does Lisa know that this was a turnout of about 15% of the registered voters in the district?

Does Lisa know that this was one of the highest voter turnouts for an election in the LTISD?

Does Lisa know that the state wide turnout was only about 8% for the November 2009 election?

So, once the facts are sought out and not based on anecdotal quips from the likes of  Susan Tolles² who said: “we are disappointed with the overall lack of voter turnout in this important local election” we find that the voters actually did “take the time to educate themselves” and they did turn out to vote. Lisa Lawrence and Susan Tolles just don’t get it.

Perhaps Lisa’s arguments would be better served by providing references to the “facts” that she uses so that we can verify them?   I would suggest that Lisa start by looking at the great wealth of data available on line from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

I have found some interesting data that anyone else can review and (here’s the important part) then VERIFY against published sources.

I will be updating some of my already published data, but readers can review just some of the interesting facts that I have extracted from published sources with references:

1. Did you realize the difference in the salary and pay increases between the LTISD Superintendent and teachers in the district?

2. Did you know that instructional spending has not kept pace with inflation?

3. Did you know that Rocky Kirk’s salary is now $252,799.00/year?

4. Did you know about “LTISD hopes to get 2 cents worth?”

5. Did you know how the “academically acceptable” LTISD spends tax payers money, per student, compared to “recognized” districts?

6. Did you wonder just how the LTISD compares to a “high growth” school district?

Finally, on December 3, 2009, Patrick Watson responds to Lisa Lawrence’s question: “Does Mr. Watson even know what that stands for?” Mr. Watson wrote:

Standing ground on LTISD

To the editor:

Regarding the response by Lisa Lawrence to my criticism of the LTISD board on this page: I stand by everything

I said. The full Nov. 3 quote by Susan Tolles was printed in that week’s Lake Travis View. People can read in context for themselves and decide whether she was blaming voters for the district’s financial woes. When she says the deficit came “as a result” of the election, I find it hard to reach any other conclusion.

I repeat: it was the school board, not the voters, who decided to spend more money than current tax rates would cover. If Ms. Tolles would like to dispute my interpretation or clarify her remarks, I’m sure the View will be glad to give her an opportunity.

The same issue of the View that carried the letter from Ms. Lawrence also reported that the trustees have now reduced the budget by $1.5 million. Apparently it wasn’t so hard after all. Why didn’t they cut this spending in the first place? That would have saved the expense of an election and we would be no worse off than we are now.

On the other points Ms. Lawrence raised:

1. The LTISD bond rating is relevant only to the extent the district needs to issue more bonds. Since the 2004 and 2006 bond proposals supposedly covered all necessary capital projects for the foreseeable future, there should be no such need.

2. Yes, the board should consider inflation when making its budget, but we are currently in a deflationary economy with the price of most goods and services going down rather than up. Inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) fell -0.2% in the twelve months ending October 2009. This is why Social Security recipients won’t get a cost-of-living adjustment in January. If our senior citizens can get by on the same income or less, so can LTISD.

3. I am not at all surprised if the LTISD administrative budget rose only fractionally from the prior year, given that we already have some of the best-paid administrators in the state. There was no need to spend even more. Kudos to the board members if they have finally realized this. Your next step should be to spend less money on lawyers and lobbyists.

4. My definition of “whining” is “complaining about things that are not going to change.” I don’t like the Robin Hood situation either, but it is a fact of life. The legislature is obviously paralyzed on this issue. Anything they do might not survive court challenges anyway, so hoping for legislative relief is not a wise strategy. Far better to adapt to the new reality.

The voters obviously want the school district to balance its budget without raising taxes. This is not an unreasonable request. More than a few businesses in our area (bankruptcy lawyers being the main exception) are coping with sharply lower revenues. There is no reason LTISD can’t do likewise.

Patrick Watson
Hamilton Pool Road

-Letters to the Editor, Lake Travis View, December 3, 2009

You can verify the inflation rate information used by Patrick Watson from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Indexes.

1Rocky Kirk is paid $252,799/year for an “Academically Acceptable” school district of 6,536 students. The LTISD has been rated “Academically Acceptable” 3 of the last 4 years.

²Susan Tolles is also identified by Rocky Kirk as the individual for the district’s failure to “ensure the protection of confidentiality of any personally identifiable data, information, and records collected or maintained by the LEA in accordance with required procedures.”

“Fordham Law’s Center on Law and Information Privacy released a study that found state educational databases across the country ignore key privacy protections for the nation’s K – 12 children.”

We already know that the LTISD violates the privacy of students.

Unfortunately it all starts at the top of the LTISD. Susan Tolles, the President of the LTISD Board of Trustees was blamed by Rocky in a letter responding to a TEA finding that the LTISD violated student privacy.

You can read about a just a few of them for yourself:

1. Did the LTISD violate confidentiality again?

2. Did you know that the TEA found that the LTISD violated student confidentiality? Yet Again!

3. Did you know what a recent LTISD purchased report says about the district?

4. Did you know that the LTISD violated confidentiality AGAIN?

5. Did you know that the LTISD violated student confidentiality on a GRAND scale?

6. Did she or didn’t she? She did! Did you know that Susan Tolles is the ONLY Board member to take confidentiality training and sign an oath of confidentiality?

7. Did she or didn’t she? She did! Did you know that Susan Tolles is the ONLY Board member to take confidentiality training and sign an oath of confidentiality?

8. Did you know that the attorneys for the LTISD sent out unredacted information, again?

9. Did you know that the district is supposed to remove any offensive, confidential, or proprietary information from computers before assigning them to students?

10. Did you know that the LTISD cannot maintain custody of confidential records?

11. Did you know that the LTISD was found to have violated student confidentiality?

How can you maintain privacy of educational records when you loose them?!

Just ask Susan Bohn, the district’s spectacular lawyer (she received a $10,000 pay raise this last year) once again deferred to an outside law firm to do her job. Susan wasted our tax dollars to have an outside law firm tell me why the district was not able to come up educational records in their custody and control.

The reason that the district was unable to provide a copy of my son’s educational records was: “… was not provided for the simple reason that the District cannot find his form.” Yes, you read it right, they lost it!

Oh how typical. Just look at the postings listed above.

Another question would be: Why couldn’t Susan Bohn do her job (she gets paid $140,000/year) rather than pay to have an outside law firm do it for her? Just what does Susan Bohn do for $140,000/year? Not much it seems.

Bottom line is that the district has a documented record of confidentiality and privacy screw ups.

Just what has Rocky Kirk done for the district?

So much for Rocky Kirk’s impudent claim to make the LTISD “the most exemplary school district in Texas!” How’s that working out for you Rocky?

Other than Rocky Kirk’s failure to make the district better than “academically acceptable,” I would say that the Board has financially rewarded Rocky Kirk for reasons alien to the tax payers of the district.

Let’s see, Rocky Kirk started working for the district on July 1, 2002 for $154,600/year and a mere 7 years has seen his annual salary increase by $98,199 to $252,799/year, a 63.5% pay raise! In the meantime the district only grew from 4,652 students to 6,139 students, an increase of only 32%!

Who else has seen the incredible salary windfall like the one Rocky Kirk has seen in just 7 years?

Something is out of sync here and yet the district has the audacity to ask for more or our tax dollars to feed the outrageous pay increases of Rocky Kirk and Susan Bohn and …

Why do we keep giving them more money every time they ask for it?

Just what is the Board thinking? Are they thinking at all?

They have the audacity to be asking for more of our money on November 3.

“Engagement of Spivey & Grigg, L.L.P.”

Come to find out, Spivey & Grigg, L.L.P. is another law firm!

Just how many lawyers does the LTISD need to hire?!

What happened to Susan Bohn? She is a lawyer isn’t she? Granted not very good, but she has supposedly passed the bar exam, hasn’t she?

Just what has Susan done for the district, in a positive sense that is?

Susan Bohn does get paid $140,000/year (she is the third highest paid employee of the district) and for what, more outside lawyers to help bail her out?

Yet the district needs to hire MORE lawyers?

Why?

And the district has the audacity to ask us for more tax dollars?!

Perhaps the Board would be better served by better skilled and discerning administrators who would better manage the district?

I read from the Spivey & Grigg, L.L.P. web page that they specialize in “legal malpractice.”

Does this mean that the Board has some issues with some attorneys who work for the district? Perhaps Susan Bohn? I wouldn’t be surprised.

Spivey & Grigg, L.L.P. also say on their web site that they specialize in “contract disputes.”

Does this mean that the Board thinks that Rocky Kirk is getting paid too much ($252,799/year) in return for “Academically Acceptable,” again among other things?

What are they going to discuss?

From the text of the agenda posting, the meeting will be a closed session regarding:

Closed Session – Trustees will adjourn into Closed Session as permitted by the Texas Government Code Section 551.001 et. seq.

A. Section 551.071 – Consultation with Attorney

1. The Board will discuss and receive legal advice from its attorney on matters which should be confidential under Texas Government Code Section 551.071 (2).

B. Section 55l.074 – Personnel Matters

1. The Board will discuss the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of public employees or officials. (This may involve consultation with attorney as permitted under Section 551.071.)

But what does this really mean?

Amazing!

Kind of like when you repeatedly ask for BoardBook, then BoardBook appears on the web site. Now if the district will just post the entire contents of the public meeting portion of BoardBook.

Why couldn’t they have posted them in the first place?

It could have saved the district a lot of time and embarrassment.

How about posting the district’s check register?

Did you know that the following nearby school district’s post their check registers?

Eanes
Lago Vista
Leander
Manor
Marble Falls
Pflugerville
Round Rock

Why not the LTISD?

Did you ever get the feeling that Susan Bohn doesn’t like me?

First, it was never my intent to have any student photographs.

Second, Susan Bohn wouldn’t have had to waste our time and our money on the letter if she had only contacted  me for clarification as she has done so many times in the past.

Was there a reason Susan Bohn didn’t contact me for clarification?

Perhaps Susan thought she would retaliate against me for telling the truth with real and verifiable facts? Did someone else put her up to it?

Or could it be that two weeks ago I used my right of free speech to point out that LTISD numbers don’t justify a rollback election and someone desperately seeks to discredit me?

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Shortly after I received a copy of Susan Bohn’s letter, I contacted our own attorneys. (Susan never sent me a copy of this letter and I never knew about what she did until I was contacted by several parents. Needless to say, I was shocked and outraged.)

Again I am paying taxes to the district only to see Susan Bohn perpetuate their incompetence.

Again, I am spending out of my pocket, to have our competent attorneys educate Susan Bohn about the law.

You can read my attorney’s response to  Susan Bohn’s blunder. It explains matters far better than I could communicate.

Notice that Susan refused to return the calls from  our attorney.

Is she intimidated by a  competent lawyer? Probably.

It makes me wonder if this is her course of action for everything.

I guess that Susan believes that if she ignores something, it will just go away. Not this time Susan!

Let’s look at some of Susan Bohn’s accomplishments for the LTISD:

The LTISD is currently paying Susan Bohn an annual salary of $130,000 of our tax payer dollars.

What are we getting for that money?

Was it Susan Bohn’s advice to a school board member that resulted in LTISD being found of violating student record  confidentiality?

In Rocky’s October 12, 2006 letter to the TEA regarding:

“The Agency has determined that the disclosure of a letter to the Lake Travis ISD community by Board President Susan Tolles through the district’s website disclosed confidential information protected by the Family Education Rights to Privacy (FERPA).”

Rocky writes:

“Prior to Ms. Tolles’ communication, she received legal counsel therefore, she believed …”

Was it Susan Bohn who wrote the letter to the Grumbles threatening to use eminent domain their inherited land?

Now is this the same Susan Bohn who’s starting salary with the LTISD was $95,000/year and within 6 months became $125,000/year?

Not even our overpaid Superintendent, Rocky Kirk, can pull off something like this, or was Rocky responsible?

Just who made the recommendation and decision to hire Susan Bohn? Rocky Kirk? Probably.

Hey Rocky, how’s Susan Bohn working out for you?

Great decision Rocky, almost as good as Rocky’s decision to make “Loosey Goosey” the Director of Special Education. Thank goodness “Loosey Goosey” has been exiled to the Community Programs department.

Not very smart Rocky.

Obviously there is no correlation between pay and competence with either Rocky Kirk or Susan Bohn, yet the Board keeps flushing our tax dollars down the toilet.

The LTISD Board of Trustees has gone ahead with their plan to squander more of our tax dollars.

Rather than “cut back,” in these tough times, the district is asking for more. And the best they could do is “academically acceptable,” again!

They probably need it to finance another one of Rocky’s pay raises!

I guess the Board still believes in Rocky’s foolhardy boast that he would make the LTISD “the most exemplary school district in Texas.”

It’s time that the voters and tax payers tell them that enough is enough and we are tired of being taxed more and receiving less.

“With projected deficit funding of approximately $1.8 million, coupled with a steady increase in student enrollment and operating expenses, the board believes asking voters for additional revenue through a tax ratification election is a prudent and fiscally responsible option,” said Susan Tolles, President of the LTISD board.

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

Poor ole Susan Tolles, she tows the party line all the way to the end. What do facts have to do with anything? Obviously Susan has been sent to “re-education camp” and taught a “more perfect truth.”

Remember, it was Susan who  was found to have been responsible for the district’s violation of student confidentiality.

I sure hope that Susan Tolles remembered to fill out a “Conflict of Interest” form since the school district has done business with “Picture This!” She probably hasn’t, but we’ll find out.

It’s like how Jim Cumming’s daughter, Sarah Cummings, got hired as a teacher in the district. Now we know more of what was written about Jim in the Lake Travis View: “He has grown close to several trustees, but has particularly developed a friendship with Kirk, one he thinks will last a lifetime.”*

*Charles McClure, “Cummings stepping off school board after 12 years of service,” Lake Travis View, May 5, 2009

Hey Susan, what about the following facts?

¹Data Source: TEA
²Data Source: LTISD

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

Susan, why hasn’t the district been able to “live within their means” all the while you have voted for outrageous increases of our taxes?

Susan, why hasn’t the district been able to obtain an “exemplary” rating for the amount of money the district spends per student?

Susan, you are supposedly an accountant and you of all people should understand the bottom line: Inflation was only 19.9% yet the revenue/student increased by a whopping 86.1% and Rocky’s salary went up over 60%!

Susan, what has been the benefit to the parents and tax payers of our district been with high taxes and such poor management?

Watch now as the party faithful march out to enlighten and educate the peasants on the merits of the tax rollback!

[See post to watch Flash video] ]]> http://www.ltisd.info/blog/2009/08/15/did-you-know-that-the-ltisd-is-mobilizing-to-take-more-of-our-tax-dollars/feed/ 0 http://www.ltisd.info/blog/2009/08/05/did-you-know-about-states-districts-rank-low-on-spending-but-high-on-school-debt/ http://www.ltisd.info/blog/2009/08/05/did-you-know-about-states-districts-rank-low-on-spending-but-high-on-school-debt/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:45:02 +0000 LTISD Parent and Tax Payer http://www.ltisd.info/blog/?p=1043 Seems like the LTISD isn’t alone in their inability to deliver quality education no matter how much money they leach from the tax payers.

According to the article “State’s districts rank low on spending but high on school debt” published in the Saturday, August 1, 2009 edition of the Austin American-Statesman:

“A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Texas school districts as a whole spend less per pupil than those in all but a few states — but collectively they’re also deeper in debt.”

- Eric Dexheimer, “State’s districts rank low on spending but high on school debt,” August 1, 2009, Austin American-Statesman

Let’s look at the LTISD’s bond debts¹:

¹Source: Texas Bond Review Board

Wow, look at just how much interest is going to be paid out for all of that debt!

Most interesting of all, note that the debt did not really start to take off until 2004. And to think that the district is anxious to take on more debt. Why? The growth of the district has been consistent and predictable (predictable to just about anyone but the Board and administration), yet they have sufficient capacity for some time.

I don’t think that anyone can fault the district for land purchases. Buy it cheap now and keep it until you need it (especially if you don’t have to pay taxes on the property), but they can’t even seem to do that right.

First it is an “eminent domain” fiasco and now the Board hires yet another law firm to help with land purchases, yet nothing to show for it.

Just what are they thinking? I should know better than to ask such a stupid question, but …

It’s just a matter of time before we are asked to send more of our hard earned money down the drain, for what, “academically acceptable?” Again? More pay for Rocky?