February 25, 2005

 

Comments from WISD Superintendent Regarding School Finance

Many Weatherford Independent School District students are excelling in various areas these days.  The WHS Roo Band and Roo Choirs have earned first division ratings.  The Hall and Tison Middle School Roo Bands recently earned 39 First Division medals and 15 Second Division Ribbons.  The Weatherford High School Blue Belles were named the recipients of the Gussie Nell Davis Award for Outstanding Performance at a recent competition.  The WHS Distributive Education (DECA) Program will be sending 17 students to the DECA State competition on February 26-27, 2005.  More than fifty students share their work at the Ninth Grade Center’s Poetry Café each week; the majority of these ninth grade students have had some of their poems published.  These accomplishments are just a few examples of the quality experiences that students are having in our schools.

The cost to educate a child continues to rise, while our capacity to raise funds has reached its limit.  In Weatherford ISD, our ability to raise additional revenue was maxed out when the $1.50 cap was reached in the Maintenance and Operations’ budget this school year.  The addition of new homes and new businesses springing up around town might cause one to believe that the necessary tax dollars needed to educate young people are being generated.  The truth is, as our local property taxes increase, our state funding decreases.  For example, in 1995, WISD received 60% of our revenue from the state.  In the 2004-2005 school year, we received only 30% of our revenue from the state.  Simply stated, Parker County property owners are sharing a greater percentage of the cost of education.  The state’s current school funding system with the $1.50 cap on Maintenance and Operations provides no means to raise any additional revenue; however, the cost to provide an adequate educational experience for all students continues to rise.

On March 1, some WISD staff and Board Members will be joining Parker County residents in the annual trip to Austin for Parker County Day at the Capitol.  Some solutions that will be shared with our lawmakers are:

• Adequate Funding for Public Education – Additional funding is needed to carry out the many mandates that previous legislative actions have placed on the district.
• Equitable Funding of Public Schools – All students in the State of Texas should have access to the same educational resources, while no one group, property owner, businesses, young or old should be singled out unfairly in any taxation reform.
• Permanent Funding for Public School Facilities – WISD supports legislation that puts an equitable, permanent facilities’ allotment into the state funding system.
• Accountability – WISD welcomes public accountability, financially and academically.
• Teacher Pay and Incentive Pay – WISD supports increased teacher pay up to the national average. WISD supports incentive pay that rewards a campus, not just a small number of teachers, for reaching high standards of achievement.
• School Board Elections – WISD opposes a uniform election date of November and four-year terms for school board elections.  School boards should remain non-partisan.
• Regulatory Relief – High performing districts should have the freedom to redirect resources and efforts.

We strive to provide the best educational opportunities to all our students.  Weatherford ISD supports the rigorous academic accountability system that is in place today.  By maintaining a close review of student learning and of other district indicators, the WISD can focus on areas of need and work to improve those areas.  Weatherford ISD is committed to insuring that all students receive the tools they will need to be successful in the 21^st Century. 

As good stewards of taxpayer dollars, WISD takes steps every day to save money.  In 2001, the Weatherford ISD Board of Trustees adopted an Energy Management Program that has provided a cost avoidance of more than $1 million over the past five years.  As teachers and staff retired or left the district last year, we did not fill those positions, saving the District $75,000.  Without affecting programs, an additional 18.5 positions, costing more than $800,000, have been eliminated through attrition.  We have cut funding of new technology, maintenance and supplies, and non-instructional budgets by $300,000.  We keep all available funds invested at all times to insure that we maximize every opportunity to raise additional revenue.

Public education in Texas is essential to our future.  I am appealing to you, as Parker County residents who benefit from an educated community to let your voice be heard in Austin.  Our children deserve no less.