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

A “citizen’s bond advisory committee” presented a proposal to the Board to add at least an additional $158,455,000 dollars of debt on the backs of the LTISD taxpayers.

The LTISD Bond Advisory Committee met on at least four occasions to arrive at the results they presented to the LTISD Board.

Clearly these committee meetings were certainly in the interest of the district’s tax payers. Yet, have you ever wondered …

Did the district even publish public notices of the Bond Advisory Committee meetings?

If the LTISD Bond Advisory Committee meeting agenda’s were posted, when and where were they posted?

Why didn’t the LTISD make a “press release” advising the district’s parents and tax payers that these meetings were taking place?
This can be easily done as demonstrated by Travis County.

Why hasn’t the LTISD posted or published the Bond Committee minutes?
Seems you have to go to the trouble of making a TPIA request to get this information, but why?

Why hasn’t the LTISD posted or published the Bond Committee presentation?
It has been one month since they approved the bond election. We have yet to see the exact details of the proposed expenditures.

The members of this hand picked “citizen’s bond advisory committee” are listed below (based on the March 8, 2011 Bond Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes^TPIA). Perhaps we should contact them for more details?

NAME	PHONE	ADDRESS	CITY	ZIP	EMAIL
John Aoueille	402-0565	136 Sebastians Run	Austin	78738	jaoueille@austin.rr.com
Ben Archer	519-9065/263-5565	613 Eagle	Austin	78734	ben.archer.poco@statefarm.com
Lisa Baker	468-2968/264-2227	5014 Little Creek Trail	Spicewood	78669
Sherice Bench	695-3228	14 Applegreen Lane	The Hills	78738	Sherice.Bench@cbi-rings.com
Robert Brewer	380-4904/608-1512	1610 Palisades Point Lane	Austin	78738	robert_brewer@ML.COM
Mike Brooks	264-0932	20509 Auger Lane	Spicewood	78669	mike@haljonesdev.com
Tom Conyers	970-369-0057	10225 Twin Lake Loop	Dripping Springs	78620
Sandy Cox	944-0771	105 Vitex Drive	Lakeway	78734	sandy_cox@swbell.net
Carole Daves	712-4203	4532 Mont Blanc Drive	Bee Cave	78738
Bob Dorsett	263-7942	4004 Coopers Hawk Cove	Austin	78738	bdorsett@dorsettswift.com
Tanya Dorsett	263-7942	4004 Coopers Hawk Cove	Austin	78738
Herb Dyer	514-0110	3803 Kenora Court	Austin	78738
Charles Edwards	261-3338	1205 Lakeway Drive	Lakeway	78734	charlesandlanell@austin.rr.com
Jodi Gregg	228-9500/261-3615	9 Stillmeadow Court	The Hills	78738	jodi@jodigregg.com
Karen Hupp	263-0699	206 Jack Nicklaus Drive	The Hills	78738
Robert Kilgore	264-0983/917-5392	4813 Gunstream	Spicewood	78669
Joni Langle	413-2712/264-3287	20917 Kathy Lane	Spicewood	78669	joni@beecreekrealty.com
Gary Loudamy	402-0209	117 Outcrop View Lane	Austin	78738
Chris McComb	402-1997	1708 Palisades Pointe Lane	Austin	78738
Mike Meyer	263-9707	17204 Flintrock Road	Austin	78738	mike.meyer@prosperitybanktx.com
Brian (Bubba) Nickel	261-9695/853-9613	211 Palos Verdes	Austin	78734
Robert Salgo	263-1860/748-4916	3506 Normandy Ridge Lane	Austin	78738
Melanie Schwitters	984-5185/426-9811/266-0302	17008 Trail Of The Woods	Austin	78734
Jim Stanislaus	263-9712	14405 Heron Bay	Austin	78734
Amy Still	402-1685/750-3355	2900 Brittany Point Lane	Austin	78738	astill@austin.rr.com
Monique Threadgill	374-2800	107 Harbor Hill Drive	Austin	78734	mthreadgill@mosak.com
Milan Urukalo	261-3001	316 Nautilus Avenue	Austin	78734	milan@enco.net
Lori Wakefield	657-4455/402-0261	4405 Sharpshinned Hawk Cove	Austin	78738
Johnny (Bud) Welborn	261-9640/750-1841	103 Kite	Austin	78734
Matt Womack	261-1117/293-7339	126 Carefree Circle	Austin	78734	matt@watkinsinsurancegroup.com

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

“Everything’s bigger in Texas – so the saying goes. It especially rings true for super-sized public school superintendent salaries in the Lone Star State.

This week, hundreds of school board members and superintendents will rally in Austin opposing any cuts to education funding in Texas. The Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators are sponsoring the rally on March 30 at the Capitol. TASB has said that as many as 100,000 teaching jobs must be cut in order to make up for the $9 billion in proposed state education funding cuts.

We disagree. School districts have ample room to make cuts on spending outside of the classroom, without eliminating teaching positions or short-changing students.

In Texas, 214 superintendents take home an annual salary more than the Governor of Texas, whose salary is set at $150,000 a year. If superintendents in Texas were paid no more than the Governor, schools would save $20 million each biennium.”

- “Superintendents don’t deserve higher pay than the Governor,” Eliza Vielma, The Red Apple Project, March 30, 2011

Finally, the article closes with:

“The residents of Texas have a median household income of $50,000 and should not be required to pay exuberant salaries for school superintendents and spend precious education dollars on so many non-teaching staff. Taxpayers already provide school districts with the resources to succeed; now it is up to policy makers to ensure those resources are spent on educating our students.”

Even the Center for Public Policy Resources publication “Who Pays Texas Taxes” says:

“Texas has the fifth most regressive state and local tax system of the 50 states.”

- “Who Pays Texas Taxes,” Center for Public Policy Priorities, March 24, 2011

In this article, Rocky paints a doom and gloom picture of the future of the LTISD.

Rocky goes on to say:

“It is undeniable that those of us who have been blessed with work that has allowed us to have our needs met and raise our families, contribute to the good of our communities and satisfy our desire to make a difference in this world have been able to do so because of a quality education.”

Rocky sure has been blessed at $272,427/year and did you know he recently purchased a new house listed at $584,000, yet he will be tossing out teachers to maintain his “blessings?”

By the way, I guess Rocky will be keeping the likes of the Marco Alvarado, the LTISD Director of Communications, Media & Community Relations, certainly a non-essential education related expense, especially at $96,611 a year (not including the salary of Marco’s assistant who is paid $35,301)? How many teachers could be saved just by eliminating these non-education related expenses?

What about Susan Bohn, our dance and social studies certified “Deputy Superintendent” (Susan Bohn’s current contract is for a “non-certified” employee). The LTISD has an attorney, not a certified or qualified administrator as the second highest paid employee in the district. Makes you wonder just how Susan Bohn does it?

But I am not the only one asking these questions. A citizen going by the pseudonym “M. T. Pockets” wrote the following comment to Rocky’s article :

The formula for school funding reform is clear. We must eliminate overpaid administrative positions such as that of Donald Kirk and his cohorts. In 8 years Donald’s salary ballooned from $154,600/year to $272,427/year. LTISD could save over $1.3 million per year simply by eliminating the top 10 administrative positions.

Rather than the sky is falling article above, imagine: No teacher cuts. No program cuts. No more tax hikes (bonds), and then imagine the savings implemented at the over 2000 school districts in Texas. Here’s why:

85% of every school budget is mandated by the state. Superintendents only influences 15% of the operational budget. Therefore, the position is superfluous and outdated. We can start by capping the salaries of these bureaucrats, then rolling back the number of available positions.

Remember when every principal also taught a class? Instead of guaranteeing themselves raises, giving contracts to their friends, and eliminating teachers jobs, these “educators” as they call themselves, ought to be teaching!

It is time we recognize the superintendent for what it is. It is time to stop calling these people “Doctor,” as though a phd in public school bureaucracy is some laudable or respectable thing.

Now is the time for us to move to a sustainable education budget that eliminates the superintendent position permanently.

-M.T. Pockets, Comment to “Public schools’ future hangs in balance as budget debate drags on,” Lake Travis View, March 22, 2011

¹Let’s take a look at the details of the latest TEA Superintendent data:

1. There are 1001 “Independent” and “Consolidated” School Districts in Texas
2. The 14 Texas public school superintendents, who are paid more than Rocky Kirk, work for school districts with enrollments SIGNIFICANTLY larger than that of the LTISD (see chart below). These numbers highlight the extent Rocky’s disproportionately higher salary. What makes Rocky’s performance so much more spectacular? Note that it took Rocky eight years and the exercising of some “loop holes”  to finally obtain an “exemplary” rating which has eluded Rocky during his tenure here at the LTISD.

Rotten Apple Award Week 2 Winner – Lake Travis ISD

This week’s Rotten Apple Award Winner is Lake Travis ISD.

Lake Travis ISD’s superintendent makes $252,799 per year (base salary) and the three asst. super’s make $131,750, $127,500 and $126,000. There are several (14) either Directors, Exec. Dir. or Senior Dir. making $101,000 down to $75,000.

One elementary school principal makes $81,097 per year, while one third grade teacher who has been teaching 30+ years earns just $63,086 per year, and one kindergarten teacher who has been teaching for 20+ years earns just $52,706 per year. Enrollment is just over 6,000 with one high school, two middle schools and five elementary schools.

The High school football coach makes $117,550 per year, and one of the elementary school librarians makes $66,234 per year. The Dir. of Food & Nutrition makes $77,539… if they outsourced this service to ARAMARK or Sodexho the directors would make about $50,000 per year.

- Eliza Vielma, The Red Apple Project, March 25, 2011

The Red Apple Project is sponsored by the American’s for Prosperity, Texas, an organization composed of concerned tax payers, who like many of us are tired of run away government spending and excess.

I might also suggest reading the American’s for Prosperity, Texas web site: The Red Apple Project: Highlights of Education Spending in Texas to learn more about how your tax dollars are spent.

They lead off their “School Districts” web page with this sobering piece of information:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, spending by local governments in Texas has grown from $66 billion in fiscal year 2000 to $104 billion in fiscal year 2007—an increase of 58 percent. By contrast, statewide population growth plus inflation has only increased by 34 percent over the same period.

- “School Districts,” Texas Budget Source

Did you know that the LTISD still does not post their check register? Why? What are they trying to keep us from finding out?

A recent article from the Dallas Morning news says:

“Texas lawmakers, more than ever, are looking for a way to get the most bang for the buck in education.

And they may have found it.

Complex ratings have been developed by the state comptroller’s office and at least one private company that provide a look at how much money is really needed to provide Texas students with a good education.

Faced with a record budget shortfall, the state will most likely have to consider cuts to education spending. School superintendents say any reduction in funding will lead to teacher layoffs and cuts to instructional programs. They argue they need more money, not less.

That’s why looking at the data may become important in the debate. The systems show not only where students have the best academic performance but which districts spend the least to achieve those results.

For example, the Hurst-Euless-Bedford district is rated best in the state by a statistical model developed by Education Resources Group, a Houston-area company. “You know how much we could save if we funded all the schools at the same level as HEB? $12 billion,” said state Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, chairman of the House education committee.

The district receives about $5,100 from the state for each student and spends about $6,000 per student on instruction, HEB Superintendent Gene Buinger said.

“So I can look at our taxpayers and say you’re getting the bang for the buck,” Buinger said.

Could all Texas districts get the same results for the same money? “Yes, absolutely,” he replies without hesitation.

However, experts in the field say it is not that easy. They are wary of making major funding decisions on statistical models.

The analysis

It would be difficult to see from only raw data how HEB could be first in the state. The district is not rated exemplary by the Texas Education Agency, though it just missed the designation.

It’s first because its students do better than expected on several academic measures, and the district spends the least to get those results, said Paul Haeberlin, a partner with Education Resource Group. The company has testified before several legislative committees, and more than 30 Texas school districts are clients.”

- “Statistical models may help school districts stretch their education dollars,” Karel Holloway, Dallas Morning News, November 21, 2010.

The article starts off by stating:

“Although public schools are usually the biggest item in state and local budgets, spending figures provided by public school officials and reported in the media often leave out major costs of education and thus understate what is actually spent.

To document the phenomenon, this paper reviews district budgets and state records for the nation’s five largest metro areas and the District of Columbia. It reveals that, on average, per-pupil spending in these areas is 44 percent higher than officially reported.

Real spending per pupil ranges from a low of nearly $12,000 in the Phoenix area schools to a high of nearly $27,000 in the New York metro area. The gap between real and reported per-pupil spending ranges from a low of 23 percent in the Chicago area to a high of 90 percent in the Los Angeles metro region.

To put public school spending in perspective, we compare it to estimated total expenditures in local private schools. We find that, in the areas studied, public schools are spending 93 percent more than the estimated median private school.

Citizens drastically underestimate current per-student spending and are misled by official figures. Taxpayers cannot make informed decisions about public school funding unless they know how much districts currently spend. And with state budgets stretched thin, it is more crucial than ever to carefully allocate every tax dollar.”

-“They Spend WHAT? The Real Cost of Public Schools,” Cato Institute, Policy Analysis no. 662, March 10, 2010.

Everyone should remember this the next time the LTISD comes asking for more money.

BTW: I have documents showing that another “Bond Advisory Committee” is in the works.

I am sure that anyone who wants to increase their taxes, even while the 2010 inflation rate has averaged 1.8% so far this year and has risen only 3.8% since January 2009. Compare that to Rocky’s pay raises and those of our Deputy Superintendent, Susan Bohn.

What Tax Ratification Election?

Is the district going to discuss their last unsuccessful TRE or are they going to discuss their plans for a future TRE?

Shouldn’t we, the tax payers and parents of the district be made fully aware that a Tax Ratification Election was going to take place now?

So far we have only seen the early propaganda put out by the district, but they failed to mention a Tax Ratification Election.

The LTISD should be reminded of the current sentiment summarized by these words:

“In this economy, we all have to tighten our belts, and the state should not be exempt from that either”

Is the district aware of the voter and tax payer dissatisfaction with spiraling out of control government spending ? Is the district aware that we recently elected a new State Representative who says:

“In this economy, we all have to tighten our belts, and the state should not be exempt from that either”

They just don’t get it. Nevertheless, the district kicked off their publicity efforts in the October 2009 “School Matters” publication, also carried by the Lake Travis View and the Bee Cave Bee.

District officials begin discussing long-range finance and facilities plan

As local and state funding sources near capacity, and with student enrollment on a steady climb, the Lake Travis Independent School District (LTISD) administration is taking the initial steps toward developing a long-range plan that will allow the District to remain financially solvent.

“Despite our sound financial management and healthy budget, we anticipate continued growth in student enrollment, and consequently, a need for additional facilities and the funds to operate those facilities,” said LTISD Superintendent Dr. Rocky Kirk.  “Without significant intervention from the state, we must begin to look at other alternatives that will allow us to maintain optimal balance regarding program, facility, operational and financial integrity.”

The article points to another document describing more “financial details” from the district’s perspective.

How interesting that the Superintendent, Rocky Kirk, who managed to get a 7.8% pay raise this  year, says that the district must look to maintain their “financial integrity.” Just who’s financial integrity is Rocky looking to maintain? I guess divorce is expensive, especially after 28 years.

Strange, but the detailed document failed to mention Rocky Kirk’s history of outrageous pay raises, or the scandalous pay raises of the immensely “popular” Susan Bohn.

Compare the enrollment of the LTISD since 2002 to the pay of Rocky Kirk and Susan Bohn.

Talk about maintaining someone’s financial integrity!

I still want to know exactly what it is that Susan Bohn does to earn such outrageous pay increases? Really makes you wonder …

In the meantime the district only grew from 4,652 students to 6,552 students, an increase of only 41%!

Who else has seen the incredible salary windfall like the one Rocky Kirk has seen in just 8 years?

Perhaps Susan Bohn? Susan Bohn started working for the district in 2006 at $96,124/year and now she is being paid $168,090/year, a 75% increase in only 4 years! Makes you wonder just what it is Susan does for all that money?

You can see the 2010/2011 LTISD salaries in more detail following the links below:

Well no surprises for the highest paid LTISD employees:

Rocky Kirk got yet another pay raise! I guess that divorce is expensive. It should be after 28 years.

Even Susan Bohn, our dance and social studies certified “Deputy Superintendent” (Susan Bohn’s current contract is for a “non-certified” employee) got herself another undeserved pay increase. The LTISD has an attorney, not a certified or qualified administrator as the second highest paid employee in the district. Makes you wonder just how Susan Bohn does it?

It was recently brought to my attention that if you add up the salaries of the top ten LTISD employees, you get $1,306,584.00/year! That’s a lot of money for a school district of a little more than 6500 students. But the LTISD did manipulate their way to an “exemplary” rating only after taking several exemptions in their favor.

I added up all of the salaries and got a total payroll for this year of $37,309,126.00 compared to $35,819,377.00 last year. This year there are 939 employees on the district’s roster and 911 employees last year.

The 2009/2010 average salary was $39,732.82 per employee and in 2010/2011 the average salary was $39,318.75 per employee, a decrease of $414.08 or about 1%.

Just how does that work? More employees, less money per employee yet Rocky Kirk gets a 7.8% pay raise and Susan Bohn gets a 20.1% pay raise? (We need to remove Becky Burnett inclusion in this list of absurdities since she was promoted to a position this year. Unlike Rocky Kirk and Susan Bohn, Becky Burnett can show meaningful results to show for her labor.)

Last year with only 6139 students, Rocky Kirk was paid at a rate of $41.18/student and this year Rocky Kirk is getting $41.58/student! Compare Rocky’s pay per student to the salaries of other superintendents in the state. Then compare the other superintendents salaries to their district’s TEA rating. We can do much better for less.

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.

The blog references another excellent article “Texas school districts maintain billions in reserve funds” from the Texas Budget Source.

“Chairman Eissler [House Public Education Chairman Rob Eissler] says every business, including school districts, need reserve funds for unexpected occurrences. According to Eissler, public school districts in Texas have more than $7.1 billion in reserve funds. In the last five years, Eissler says reserve fund balances per student have risen from $1,000 to $1,500.

“When times get tough, or you find you really need something, you can dip into the reserve fund,” said Eissler. “School districts are no different.” However, Eissler remembers last legislative session hearing a particular school district tell legislators if districts keep spending the money at the rate their going, they’ll be broke within five years.

“We’ve taught school districts, the state has, how to spend money. When they run out, they ask for more.” And with dozens of school districts across the state reporting budget shortfalls, the time to ask for more money is once again here. But with the state facing an estimated $18 billion budget shortfall and 29 percent of that going to public education, Eissler says it is time districts learn better spending practices.

“Most say spending more will give you better results,” said Eissler. “We’re working on that.” Eissler adds every year the state spends more on education but districts have trouble getting performance to rise accordingly.

“What that tells us is we’re probably spending money on the wrong thing. The only way we’ll be able to get a handle on that is to reallocate spending on things that work and less on things that don’t work,” said Eissler. “Rarely do we eliminate a program. We usually add them on. At some point in the financial future, we’re going to have to start replacing things more than we add things. We have to get this under control. Our future depends on it.””

- “Texas school districts maintain billions in reserve funds,” Sara Talbert, Texas Budget Source, July 27, 2010

Agreed!

Since when did extra taxes collected during “financial hardships” get reduced later when the difficult funding times went away?

“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?

This could be interesting reading. Let me know if you find out anything that might be of interest to other readers of this web site.

You can obtain the list of the LTISD’s vendors^TPIA by year in Adobe Acrobat™ format (PDF), HTML page or a consolidated Microsoft Excel™ spreadsheet from these links:

One might guess that Tracy wanted this list so as to “shake down” the LTISD’s vendors for a donation to the LTEF?

Perhaps there is some sort of implied tax due from those who do business with the district?

Just a little bit of  interesting information made available from the fiscal year 2008-2010 LTISD vendor list :

The district has done $403,462.23 of business with Chick-Fil-A from fiscal years 2008-2010. Does Alan Williams still refuse to publicly state that he has not conflict of interest? If so, why?

The district has paid Population Survey Analysts (the district’s demographers) $97,410.

So much for Susan Bohn saving the district on their legal expenses! The LTISD paid at least $653,198.43 in legal bills in just 3 years! I have not parsed the list to find all the lawyers and law firms that have been paid during this time frame, but there are more hidden in these lists.

All this and the LTISD has the audacity to ask us to pay more taxes in tribute to their mediocrity and inability to contain costs!

Interesting to note that the article does not mention the 17.28 acre lot on the corner of Old Ferry Road and Pace Bend Road (FM HWY 2322) that they own. Doesn’t the district have a plan for that land as well? Interesting …

But the economy seems to have these plans on hold as they have been for some time now, particularly since it has been reported that recent property “appraisals drop area’s property tax values“

DANGER, DANGER!

It seems that the write up might be part of a set up by the district for another attempt take more of our money in the near future:

“If a bond is to be called in November 2011, a decision would not need to be made until mid-2011, but a community focus group is likely to begin this fall.

Ratcliff said in the next bond proposal, building a new elementary and middle school is likely to take priority, along with technology, buses and building upgrades. Since the district is relatively new—it split from Spicewood ISD in 1983—the schools have not needed many updates. Almost 30 years later, however, the district will begin factoring in upgrades, such as new air-conditioning systems and roofs for the schools.”

- “Lake Travis ISD plans new schools for growth in western district,” Tiffany Young, Community Impact Newspaper, August 6, 2010

and the article goes on to say:

“Not only does growth affect the district further down the road, but new students are also affecting the district’s budget that must be adopted by the end of August and is anticipated to be up 2 percent from last year’s budget.

The increases come primarily from three areas: 20 new teaching positions mandated by the teacher-to-student ratios set by the state, 2 percent salary adjustments (the average teacher’s salary at LTISD is $51,485) for teachers and other staff on the district’s salary increase schedule and health insurance adjustments estimated to increase 7.7 percent.

“There are going to be some financial hardships coming so we’re trying to make plans right now in order to help ourselves down the road,” Assistant Superintendent for Business, Financial and Auxiliary Services Johnny Hill said. “Just about every district in the state is going to have hardships.”

Hill said the reason for financial difficulty could be traced to Senate Bill 1, which initially put money back into the districts. However, since inflation was not taken into consideration, the targeted revenue per weighted average daily attendance (WADA), or the amount the state redistributes to each district per student, has not increased over time.

The state’s targeted spending per student is $6,169, but LTISD’s actual spending per student is $7,098.

“The only way for our systems to grow is to have more kids in the district, but the problem is our expenses per kid is going up because of inflation [and the] revenue is staying the same per kid,” Hill said.”

- “Lake Travis ISD plans new schools for growth in western district,” Tiffany Young, Community Impact Newspaper, August 6, 2010

See the “eye candy” chart that is being published with the article? Bet we’ll see more of it in the near future?

Talk about crazy! Just what are Susan Bohn’s qualifications and experience to be the Deputy Superintendent? Something isn’t right here and eventually we’ll find out.

It was an act of Rocky Kirk, so I guess that would explain it? Good management and personnel decisions always elude Rocky.

Did Rocky Kirk do this out of desperation or necessity?

You can read the rest of the press release in Lake Travis View’s article announcing this wacky promotion. It is pretty much a carbon copy of the district’s press release. Surprisingly the district’s press release seems to have disappeared from their web site. Never fear, I have archived a copy.

With the departure of Diane Frost, attorney Susan Bohn has been promoted to deputy superintendent of the Lake Travis Independent School District.

That’s the word from Dr. Rocky Kirk, who said the decision was part of a restructuring at LTISD. Last week, Frost designated by the Corsicana ISD Board of Trustees as their lone superintendent finalist.

“The deputy superintendent position and all of the responsibilities it holds is critically important to the successful operation of the District,” said Kirk. “Fortunately, we are able to re-direct these duties internally among staff already in place, rather than searching District for this position. In doing so, we get the dual benefit of lowering administrative costs while taking advantage of the skills, abilities and competencies of talented staff within our own ranks.”

Susan Bohn, currently LTISD General Counsel, will assume the title of Deputy Superintendent and General Counsel. In this role, Bohn will provide leadership to campus principals as well as to numerous administrative functions of the District including communications, community programs, extracurricular programs, and human resources.

-Lake Travis View, May 8, 2010

I like the comments that were made in response to the Lake Travis View article, it seems I am not the only one who ponders this imponderable act:

May 9, 2010 at 9:33 am
What qualifies a social studies teacher who becomes a lawyer and then accepts a job at an ISD to basically handle David Lovelace (and even botches that up requiring 3rd party outside legal counsel) to become the second in command? Those that keep up with the ISD know this is true. Those of you that don’t, take a closer look.

May 13, 2010 at 8:47 am

Oh yeah, lets get some more lawyers in the school district. I am sure they will play an important role in improving education. Why not hire someone to promote better teacher websites, maybe a better math and science program, and better communication. Looks like we are in for more years of poor performance.

May 15, 2010 at 12:02 pm

It is an exciting time for the district? Seriously? It terrifies me. I would love to see the actual financial numbers that show they are saving administrative costs. It looks to me like they are merely adding administrative costs with every administrator they add to the ivory tower. It’s ridiculous. ConcernedParent is right about outside legal counsel. Those bills are already way high and now they will be even worse. Is the board of trustees paying any attention at all to what is happening? Why would a superintendent ever think that a lawyer who taught briefly was qualified to lead principals. What administrative experience does she have? It’s not unconventional it’s laughable. Someone should take a look at how dramatically her salary has increased since she started in Lake Travis. Is ANYONE wondering about this expense?

May 30, 2010 at 8:04 am

They were able to save so much on administrate cost, after the restructuring they gave pay raises to the already over paid administrative staff. Tell me how that is saving the tax payers of LTISD money?

June 1, 2010 at 10:59 am

Disgusted Taxpayer is on the right path. They aren’t saving us a dime of OUR money but rather “redistributing it” and the problem is that the Top 10% of the food chain (admin) gets it all. Whats needed is a taxpayer revolt at the polls the next time they try to paint a bleak and gloomy picture of their financial shape and force them to make do with what the rest of us have to live with. Please don’t let them sing that “Its for the Kids” jargon either….Its for overpaid and under worked Administrators, period! Go check their salaries out

-Lake Travis View, 6/6/2010

Let’s look at some of Susan Bohn’s qualifications for the job as Deputy Superintendent. According to State Board for Educator Certification records, Susan K. Bohn¹ holds the following educator certifications:

¹Verification of Susan’s name required more research. Susan K. Bohn’s (DOB: 5/2/1973) maiden name was Susan Melanie Kolar until her marriage in 2002 (File Number: 164161, 11/23/2002, Harris County). She goes by the name of Susan Kolar Bohn.

Note that Susan Bohn does not hold any administrative certifications. But I am more than certain that Susan’s certification in “Secondary Dance” will more than make up for her lack of administrative experience. Why didn’t the district’s press release mention that?

We are informed all about Susan Bohn’s educational background related to her law degree, but we don’t know anything about her background related to teaching?

Just what educational management experience does Susan Bohn have?

How long did Susan Bohn teach Secondary Dance and/or Secondary Social Studies before embarking on her legal career?

So many questions, so few answers.

I wonder how all of the principals and staff feel about being subordinate to an unqualified and inexperienced Deputy Superintendent?

Let’s look at Susan Bohn’s history with the district. The following pictorial view will aid us.

It would appear on the surface that Susan Bohn has done VERY well with a pay raise of $43,873 (+46%) between November 2006 through at least April 2010 (less than 4 years), but it looks like the job is getting to her.

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.

“Fitch Ratings, a global rating agency committed to providing the world’s credit markets with independent and prospective credit opinions, research, and data, has raised its issuer credit rating (ICR) on the Lake Travis Independent School District’s general obligation (GO) debt to ‘AA,’ up from ‘AA-‘ the previous year. The rating is the highest level given by Fitch to any Texas school district.”

An interesting development to say the least. Which did not go unnoticed by Patrick Watson, who wrote in a Letter to the Editor published in the January 28, 2010 issue of the Lake Travis View:

“To the editor:

The January 28 edition of the Lake Travis View reported that Fitch Ratings has raised its score for the bonds of Lake Travis Independent School District to AA, the highest of any school district in the state. Superintendent Dr. Rocky Kirk was quoted attributing this action the the district’s “sound financial management.”

What Dr. Kirk didn’t point out is that only a’ few months ago, LTISD tried to raise property taxes saying that, among other things, the district’s bond rating was in danger at current tax rates. Voting residents overwhelmingly disagreed with the trustees and refused the board’s plea for more tax revenue. Now we learn that, far from being downgraded, the district’s bond rating actually went up!

I only see two possibilities. Either Fitch Ratings is incorrect about LTISD’s “high degree of financial flexibility,” or the LTISD bond rating was, in fact, not in peril back in November and those who said so were flat wrong. In either case, someone made a huge mistake. That’s the real story here.

If I’m misunderstanding this, I invite Dr. Kirk and the trustees who wanted a tax increase to offer the voters a more complete explanation. I’m sure the Lake Travis View will be happy to report the facts.”

- Patrick Watson, Lake Travis View, Letters to the Editor, January 28, 2010

It seems that Patrick Watson is skeptical of what Rocky Kirk, says. And with good reason. Rocky is plagued by an over inflated salary with little to show for it. And to think, the Board keeps giving Rocky more and more money.

We should all remember:

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

-Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Funny, but the excessive salaries of overpaid superintendent’s such as Rocky Kirk is number one in the top five issues that tax payers have with school districts.

Note that Joe references gleaned his conclusions from comments to a Houston Chronicle article: “School districts still feeling the squeeze.”

Joe says, among other things:

The list below reflects the top 5 comments, based on the number of times the comment was recommended (agreed with), by those who read the Houston Chronicle article, School districts still feeling the squeeze, which we posted Monday.

1.    Fat superintendent salaries (Recommended Thumbs up 78 – Thumbs down 10)
2.    Illegal aliens attending Texas public schools (Thumbs up 68 – Thumbs down 44)
3.    Why can’t schools live within a budget like taxpayers do? ( Thumbs up 63 – Thumbs down 7)
4.    Football stadiums and administration buildings (Thumbs up 51 – Thumbs down 11)
5.    Incompetent teachers with tenure (Thumbs up 48 – Thumbs down 41)

And the LTISD wonders why they lost the recent tax rollback election?

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.”

The “Two Penny PAC” was formed by citizens who don’t believe that they already pay enough taxes and not only do they want to pay more taxes, but want you to pay more taxes as well.

“Salgo teamed up with six other parents over the last few months who called themselves the ‘Two Penny PAC.’”

-”Voters reject school district tax hike,” Erin Cargile, KXAN, November 4, 2009

The supporters of the “Two Penny PAC” want the rest of the district’s tax payers to continually dole out more money to the district’s outrageously overpaid Superintendent Rocky Kirk, squandering even more money than the $252,799/year he is given to manage an “Academically Acceptable” school district of only about 6,500 students. Let’s not forget to mention the $10,000 pay raise dolled out to the district’s General Counsel, Susan Bohn, who while being paid $140,000/year doesn’t seem to do anything other than farm out the district’s legal matters to outside law firms at tax payer expense.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post comparing tax rates, Superintendent salaries and dollars spent per pupil in LTISD and other district’s in Texas.

Fortunately the tax payers were outraged by the district’s request for even more money. Why can’t the school district tighten it’s belt in these economic times just like everyone else?

Makes you wonder why Robert Salgo wants to flush more of his and our money down drain at the LTISD. What’s his agenda?

“‘Right now people are just not willing to endure the tax increase,’ said Salgo.”

-”Voters reject school district tax hike,” Erin Cargile, KXAN, November 4, 2009

It was the usual pathetic attempt by Rocky Kirk to say that the ratings were “not reflective of the exceptionally-high academic performance which  speaks volumes about the achievement and commitment of our students, staff, and parents.”

OK, now all we need is for Rocky to tell us just how he, as “The Superintendent shall be the educational leader and chief executive
officer of the District.” [LTISD Written Board Policy BJA(LEGAL), Texas Education Code 11.201(a)], will direct the improvements?

What is Rocky Kirk’s plan for the improving the district? Rocky fails to address any plan in this press release because I would assume he has no clue.

Instead Rocky let Myra Pettit explain that the district really didn’t understand the TEA process?

“We now have a better understanding of the processes used by TEA to determine longitudinal completion rates and annual dropout rates.”

How can that be?

Why did it take the district this long to “have a better understanding of the process?”

Have you read the district’s appeal of their 2009 rating?

Have you read the district’s  second appeal of their 2009 rating? (Note that this second desperate appeal letter by Rocky was submitted to the TEA well after the appeals deadline).

Isn’t Rocky still responsible for the district?

Is this Rocky’s usual process of trying to distance and insulate himself from his lack of leadership and management skills? I guess this explains why Rocky let someone else speak about topics he should have addressed.

We already know that since 2003 Rocky Kirk’s pay has skyrocketed. Rocky Kirk’s pay has increased over 60% to the current $252,799/year.

But how has Rocky Kirk’s outrageous pay increases “improved” the district? You couldn’t tell by the district’s TEA ratings which were relaxed this year accounting for the number of districts who’s rating improved, excepting of course, the LTISD which slid backwards.

So much for Rocky Kirk’s boast about making the LTISD “the most exemplary school district in Texas.”

Finally, why didn’t the Board of Trustees comment on the rating?

Do you think they even know or care? Note how Susan Tolles, the Board President comments about the recent loss of the recent tax increase but she remains silent on the district’s mediocre rating in this press release?

“Academically Acceptable” is certainly a mediocre rating for the amount of money we are being taxed!