Lt. Governor Dewhurst says Keller ISD should have the money it needs without raising taxes

The following appeared in the letters to the editor in the Star-Telegram:

Keller school funding

The budget the Legislature passed cuts $15 billion from current spending. However, we actually appropriated over $3 billion more in state funding for public education. What this means for the Keller school district, according to the Texas Education Agency, is a $2.7 million increase in funding for the 2011-12 school year. It’s true, the school district isn’t getting as much as they expected, but only in government is lowering a projected increase called a budget cut. According to Keller ISD, the district also maintains a $52 million reserve — $8 million more than required.

Each district has the discretion to ask voters to raise local school property taxes, and Keller ISD residents should exercise that discretion thoughtfully. We all know tightening the belt is never easy. But even with projected enrollment growth over the next two years, Keller ISD should have the money it needs to keep good teachers in the classroom without raising property taxes.

– David Dewhurst, lieutenant governor, Austin

HEADS UP KELLER RESIDENTS!!

Keller ISD wants to raise property taxes by $0.13 and this proposition is currently on the ballot.  This will make Keller tie for having the highest rate in Texas!  Our Keller members believe they are Taxed Enough Already and feel that the school board should work on better spending of the money they already collect… before they give ‘em more!  So they have created a group called KISD Families For Fiscal Responsibility.  For more information on this issue and this group, please go to KISD Families for Fiscal Responsibility or on their facebook page.

Here’s more information from our Keller members:

Concurrent with the Keller City Council and Fort Worth Mayor run-off elections on June 18, voters in the Keller ISD boundaries will also see this Proposition on the ballot to ratify the Board of Trustees approval of a $.13 property tax increase:

Keller Independent School District Special Election

Proposition:   Approving the ad valorem tax rate of $1.67 per $100 valuation in Keller ISD for the current year, a rate that is $0.13 higher per $100 valuation than the school district rollback tax rate.

Next Mtg: Oct 10 on Fair Tax, Flat Tax… and Cain’s 999 Plan!

NE Tarrant Tea Party meeting

Guest Speakers:  Brian Prasika & Patrick McClanahan

on Flat Tax & Fair Tax.. and Cain’s 999 Plan

and

an Interview with US Senate Candidate Tom Leppert

October 10, 2011, 6:30-8:00pm

$5 chicken finger dinner served at 6pm

1060 E Highland, Southlake 76092

(bldg 1020 of Highland Meadow Montessori Academy)

Brian will provide an overview of the flat tax and the fair tax plans… and he’s agreed to add something about Herman Cain’s 999 Plan.  Though he will cover all options, he will focus mostly on Fair Tax as he represents the Fair Tax Organization.  Come learn the difference between the plans and how we can help bring change to our current Federal tax system.

The FairTax is a comprehensive proposal that establishes a national sales tax of 23% on all new goods and services sold in the Unites States.  It simultaneously abolishes all federal personal and corporate income taxes, as well as all national gift, estate, capital gains, dividend, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare and self-employment taxes. With no reason to exist, the IRS would effectively be abolished.  A universal prebate would ensure that no citizen living below the poverty line pays the FairTax.

The FairTax:

• Enables workers to keep their entire paychecks
• Enables retirees to keep their entire pensions
• Refunds in advance the tax on purchases of basic necessities
• Allows American products to compete fairly
• Brings transparency and accountability to tax policy
• Ensures Social Security and Medicare funding
• Closes all loopholes and brings fairness to taxation
• Abolishes the IRS

Brian Prasifka is an independent benefits’ consultant for small and mid-sized businesses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where he has lived since graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Business Administration in 1994.  Brian is the volunteer District Director for FairTax.org in the 6th Congressional District, and is an active member of the Texas Exes, the Fort Worth Club and the Amon Carter Museum.

Patrick McClanahan is a small business owner in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area and a 1990 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Advertising.  He is the volunteer District Director for FairTax.org for the 12th Congressional District.  He and his wife Tanya reside in Fort Worth and are active in the Texas Exes, Amon Carter Museum, the Fort Worth Opera and Fort Worth Symphony Vivace.

GCISD Bond Proposal – It’s OK to say no!

GCISD Voters and Taxpayers!

There is a $124,000,000 bond proposal on the ballot for the GCISD school district!

Did you know…

This bond is in addition to the GCISD’s annual operating budget of $140,000,000 which is collected from our property taxes?

This bond incurs INTEREST like a mortgage?

That it is illegal to use bond funding to pay teacher salaries – if you oppose the bond proposal, you will NOT be firing teachers?

That the GCISD asks for more money in the form of a bond package (and voters approve it) roughly every five years?

Did you know…

That these types of items (plus MANY, MANY MORE) are included in this bond package:

$5,300,000 – artificial turf for (3) Middle School football fields

$   938,000 –  track renovations for (4) Middle Schools (one of which is a field not used for meets but only for practice)

$   247,000 – canopy and lighting for batting cages at High School

$    192,000 – practice field renovation at Middle School

$     89,000 – expansion of coach’s shower at High School field house

$     38,210 – additional shower for game officials at High School field house

$   424,130 – lockers, concrete benches, and carpet to make space more usable at High School field house.

$     36,852 – replacement of manual paper cutter with programmable paper cutter

$2,040,733 – Replacement and upgrade to analog video network with digital video network

$5,664,018 – Replacement of 4,600 computers over 5 year period to include desktops, laptops and Netbooks

Do these luxury items that our dollars are buying help our children get a better education?

Do these “extras” focus on our teachers and our children?

If your answer is NO, please send a message to our school district that we want more focus on the classroom!

Vote NO on the GCISD Bond Proposal on May 14^th!!

Click here to print a flyer you can share with your neighbors.

State Budget Alert!

The following article is from JoAnn Fleming.  Contact info is at the end…

On a party line vote of 19 -12, the TX Senate passed its version of the budget.  All 19 Republican Senators voted for this substitute version for the House budget bill.

To get the vote today, they had to move the vote to a House Bill day – which means the Senate was considering bills sent over from the House; therefore a 2/3 vote was not required to move to third reading and debate.  Otherwise, it would have taken all 19 Republican votes and two Democrat votes to get the bill to the floor.

The Senate’s budget bill is not completely funded.  The funding for the spending in the bill is based on whether or not the comptroller’s revenue projections are accurate.  If the revenue comes up short, Senator Ogden (Finance Committee Chair) took out the provisions of the bill that rely on a dip into the Rainy Day Fund to cover the shortfall — for now.  Instead, if the spending exceeds revenue, the bill reduces Medicaid spending by $1.25 billion and includes a contingent appropriation equivalent to a 1.2 percent across-the-board spending cut in everything except public education and debt services.

The across-the-board cuts will take place if the comptroller says the money isn’t available; if it is, those cuts won’t happen.

Medicaid cuts are another accounting gimmick.  If Medicaid comes up short when the legislature is back in 2013, they’ll take care of it then.  (Perhaps by a delayed raid on the Rainy Day Fund??)  The TX Senate’s budget pushes $3 billion in Medicaid spending off for the next Legislature to deal with!  A ”kick the can down the road” method of budget balancing if ever I saw one!

Shocked?  If you are, please get over the romanticized idea that a majority of officials in Austin are Sam Houston and Davy Crockett — they aren’t!  Washington DC budget gimmicks are in play right here in TX!

And what was not cut in the TX Senate’s budget bill?  Well…we still have overlapping, duplicated state agencies, departments, and programs.  In fiscal matters bill SB 1811, no pay cuts for state employees making over $60K a year; not even pay cuts for employees making over $200K a year; no cut for statewide elected officials.  The Senate rejected a hiring freeze on vacancies (unfilled positions) in non-essential services.   In fact, it was Republicans who led the charge to talk down those amendments last week.  So don’t believe the spin the State Republican Party Chair is putting out about the budget.  We watched it and we saw with our own eyes!

Note:  Before you read these votes, remember teachers are NOT state employees:

Hiring freeze rejected 18-13:  For: Birdwell, Carona, Eltife, Fraser, Harris, Hegar, Huffman, Jackson, Nelson, Nichols, Patrick, Seliger, Shapiro.

Suspend longevity (tenure) pay supplements for two years; failed 22-9:  For:  Birdwell, Carona, Eltife, Fraser, Huffman, Jackson, Nelson, Patrick, Shapiro.

Cut pay 10% for next 2 yrs - all state employees making $200,000 & above, failed 21-10.  For:  Birdwell, Carona, Eltife, Fraser, Hegar, Huffman, Nelson, Patrick, Shapiro, Wentworth.

Cut pay 5% for state employees making $100,000 & above; failed 21-10.  For:  Birdwell, Carona, Eltife, Fraser, Hegar, Huffman, Nelson, Patrick, Shapiro, Wentworth.

What makes state employees a whole different class of worker than those in the private sector?  Why are these employees exempt from pay cuts?

The final vote to pass SB 1811 without these sensible cuts was 21-10.

Yeas:  Davis, Deuell, Duncan, Ellis, Eltife, Estes, Gallegos, Harris, Hinojosa,

Lucio, Nichols, Ogden, Rodriguez, Seliger, Uresti, Van de Putte, Watson, Wentworth,

West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays: Voting against the fiscal matters bill because the cuts were rejected:  Birdwell, Carona, Fraser, Hegar, Huffman, Jackson, Nelson, Patrick, Shapiro, Williams.

Next the budget goes to a conference committee of house and senate members.  As soon as I know who the conferees are, I will send out an alert for more calls and faxes.  We expect an effort to spend more, not cut more.  It all depends on who is appointed from the House and Senate to serve on the conference committee.

Surrender is NOT an option!  Soldier on…

JoAnn Fleming, Chair, Advisory Committee to the Tea Party Caucus – TX Legislature and Executive Director (volunteer)
Grassroots America – We the People www.gawtp.com
(903) 894-7204 home office or (903) 360-2858 cell

Texas Budget Party

The new Texas budget will be released soon.  It will be about 900 pages long and legislators will be given about 3 days to review it.  Not possible!  This is the way wasteful spending gets approved!  But conservatives are generating a plan…  We don’t know the exact day the budget will be released, only that it will be soon.  So we’re gathering a group of conservatives across Texas who can go to Austin at the drop of a hat and study the budget for us — every page of it — looking for waste.  The hours may be long, but our Representatives need our help!  Rep. Ken Paxton agreed to sponsor this gathering and help us get a room at the Capitol to hold the “party”.  If you are willing and able to get to Austin for this event, please let me know and we’ll add you to the contact list when it’s time to go.  In the meantime, I highly recommend that you prepare by going to the Texas Legislative Budget Board’s website:  http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/ to begin reading and researching.  You’ll find budget request documents, budget reduction directives/targets, a guide to the state budget process, and links to documents that will help you in understanding the size and scope of the state budget, the budget process, and what has already been cut.  This homework is essential to even begin the process of figuring out what remains available in sensible cuts.  This will not be an easy task, but it must be done, and if not by us, then who? Please let me know if you can help by emailing heyjuliesue@gmail.com.

A look at non-teacher salaries for Dallas ISD

Dallas ISD has 17,475 employees with a payroll of about $881 million and a budget of $1.25 billion.  The highest paid employee is Eliu Hinojosa, the Superintendent, at $328,237. The district has 10,907 teachers with the highest paid being Joseph Daniels making $87,000, but that’s after 32 years of service! The average pay for a teacher in Dallas ISD is $53k. However, in-between Daniels (the teacher) and Hinojosa  (the Superintendent) are a whopping 273 non-teaching employees.

Here is a partial list of all non-teaching positions:

• 7 Administrative Chiefs- $1.28 million, that’s an average of $183,650 each.
• 138 Directors-  $13.8 million, that’s an average of $100k each.
• 87 Liaisons- $13.2 million at an average of $36K each.
• 485 Principals, Assistant Principals, Associate Principals- $39 million, an average of $80k each.
• 106 Coordinators- $7.4 million, an average of $70k each.
• 99 Managers- $7.8 million, an average of $70k each.
• 681 Specialist categories 1-4 – $39 million, an average of $57.5k each.
• 22 Social Workers- $1.3 million, an average of $62.5k each.
• 128 Therapists, Therapist Assistants- $7.3 million, an average of $57k each.
• 70 Registrars- $2 million, an average of $29k each.
• 102 Technicians categories 1-4 – $4.5 million, an average of $44.5k each.
• 69 Psychologists- $4.3 million, an average of $62.6k each.
• 113 Special Education Diagnosticians- $7.7 million, an average of $68k each.
• 18 Interpreters- $664,400, an average of $37k each.
• 143 Monitors- $2.8 million, an average of $20k each.
• 209 Nurses- $11.4 million, an average of $54k each.
• 194 Coaches (not athletics) Dallas Reading Plan, Social Studies, Multi-Language Enrichment- $12 million, an average of $61.6k each.
• 207 DISD Police and Security Guards- $8.6 million, an average of $41.6k each.

In its proposed 2011-12 budget the Dallas ISD fears a worst-case scenario of a $253 million shortfall. The State of Texas currently provides $463 million to the Dallas ISD, the federal government provides $22 million and local sources make up $766 million for a budget of $1.25 billion.  This budget reflects an increase of 22.7 million from the 2009-10 school year.

Information is from the Texas Tribune and the DISD 2011 budget summary.

Vicki Truitt ignores Tea Party

Patriots in District 98,
I just wanted to keep you abreast of my communications with Vicki Truitt.  I’ve sent her the same messages I’ve asked y’all to send.  Nothing wordy or verbose, just simple, short emails on the issues we’re concerned about.  Her response?  Silence.  She has completely ignored me.

I’ve specifically contacted Vicki Truitt with the following questions:

• Where do you stand on raiding the Rainy Day Fund?
• Where do you stand on gambling?
• Where do you stand on a Constitutional Convention (con-con)?

She’s not responded to a single email or letter.  Of course, I now know from the news sites that she is actually leading the charge for a con-con, but I didn’t find that out from Vicki.

In my letters I’ve let Truitt know that I’ll share her responses with the tea party.  I’ve reminded her that in her campaigning she proudly posted a notice stating, “I support tea party values.”  And I’ve pointed out that tea partiers strongly oppose all three of the above issues.  Right after Vicki won the election, she approached me wanting to work together with the tea party.  I guess that was more hot air.

So, if any of y’all have been able to get a response from Vicki on the questions above, I’d love to read them.  Please share!  And I’ll copy her on this email just in case she wants a second chance. 

–

Thanks,
Julie McCarty
NE Tarrant Tea Party
promoting constitutional governance in every precinct in our districts, one voter at a time
www.NETarrantTeaParty.com

MEMBER RESPONSES

Ok, maybe I can’t get Vicki to respond to me, but our tea party members sure do!  Here are the messages I’ve received in answer to the email I sent out above…

I have sent her some messages . Nothing back.  Must be a RINO.

What a wonderful state rep.

I sent her a letter asking her, for all our benefit, to not continue the smear against straus opponents as anti semitic.  A serious, conciliatory respectful letter.  Nothing.

can we sponsor a recall petition for her seat?

Julie
The following is a copy of an email response I got back from Vicki.  This one I got late last year but I’ve gotten the same several times.  It is obviously a formatted auto response.  Notice that this was before the current legislature went into session, but she was apparantly busy getting prepared.  And I assume her staff was also too busy to respond for her, as is the case with most legislators.  I would point out that over the past year or so, I have sent a number of emails and faxes to Jane Nelson, John Cornyn and Kay Hutchinson, and have always recieved a response from each of them, and answering the subject which I had writtten about.  Anyway, I still keep sending to Vicki, and maybe after they finish this session, she will find the time to respond.  NOT holding my breath.

[Julie's note:  the automated response was attached, but it states in the first sentence it is automated and addresses nothing, so there's no point in pasting it here.]

I suspect the state reps are all pretty busy, but that does not excuse them from responding accordingly to constituent requests.   It’s my gut impression that Truitt is not a true conservative at the risk of alienating centrist voters. I would hazard to guess she believes the TEA party is somewhat of a fad and will not be a factor in re-election. We must prove her wrong and add the exclamation point to the end of the sentence!   Only when we change the people will we see changes in how we are governed. [Julie's note:  State Reps have staffers to help w/ the workload, and all the other Reps have responded promptly.]

I live in Southlake and she has ignored my e-mails also.

She is just a RINO.

We need to find strong candidate to replace her in next primary.

You need to tell her that she can be easily replaced just like one before, that one was in bed with Ross Perot (fake conservative).

Keep up the good work Julie!

One of our members got a response out of Vicki!  Here it is…

Of course, I am opposed to the con con.

My position on gambling has been published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/25/2727427/gambling-supporters-hope-state.html

“Prtisan split

The odds of any gambling bills passing has been a topic of discussion at local political events this month. At a legislative preview put on by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, seven area legislators were asked whether they would support a constitutional amendment allowing voters to decide whether to expand gambling in Texas. The impromptu poll split along party lines.

State Rep. Marc Veasey and state Sen. Wendy Davis, both Fort Worth Democrats, said “yes.”

“I hope we keep our options open,” Veasey said.

The four Republicans on stage — state Reps. Rob Orr of Burleson, Mark Shelton of Fort Worth, Todd Smith of Euless and Vicki Truitt of Keller — all said “no.”

My position on using any of the Rainy Day Fund is yet to be determined. Since January, 2011, we have cut more than $2.1 billion from Texas’ current biennial budget (i.e., cuts from what was originally budgeted in 2009 for the two-year period ending 9/30/11.

Even with these cuts, Comptroller Susan Combs has told us that the state will fall short of paying its outstanding obligations before the end of the current fiscal year (9/30/11) by $4.3 billion.

The Economic Stabilization Fund, aka “Rainy Day Fund” balance will soon be $9.4 billion. This fund was created in 1988, and is funded mostly by oil and natural gas production tax collections for the purpose of covering revenue shortfalls during an economic crisis to fulfill our constitutional obligation to balance the budget and to pay the state’s bills.

What would you do?

Vicki Truitt
Representative, 98th District of Texas

Don’t Mess with Texas’ Rainy Day Fund!

NE Tarrant Tea Party has begun a state-wide petition to encourage our legislators NOT to raid the Rainy Day Fund.  Please go to the petition to sign it, and please forward it to everyone you know in Texas!

http://www.petitiononline.com/NETTP1/petition.html

Here’s what the petition says:

To:  All Texas Legislators, Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst

Petition to oppose the use of the �Rainy Day Fund� (Economic Stabilization Fund) to resolve the Texas Education Budget Deficit.

The Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund, was established by the Texas legislature to provide funds for unexpected emergencies. The education budget is a known and continuing expense. The current budget situation requires a long-term, responsible solution. The Rainy Day Fund is a spending source that will not support ongoing obligations. Using this money depletes the fund and does not address the root problem of excessive spending. Holding the line on spending will not be easy. It will require establishing thoughtful priorities and the realization that we can no longer afford the level of spending we have had in the past. In these difficult economic times it makes no sense to spend our savings account and still be left with the same budgetary predicament.

The Rainy Day Fund is for unexpected, one-time emergencies. Please sign this petition now to let Texas legislators know that the current budget deficit does not rise to the level that justifies raiding the Rainy Day Fund.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

For more info on this issue, please read this article:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2011/02/25/_cnn_moneyhttpmoneycnncomgalle.html

Don’t forget to sign the petition, and forward it to all the Texans you know!

Find out why no dramatic cuts are needed at HEB ISD

BEDFORD — Schools across Texas are bracing for massive budget cuts, and parents are wondering what it means for their children.

But the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District saw the financial storm coming, and now it’s ready to sail through this rainy day, preserving the jobs of teachers.

HEB ISD Superintendent Dr. Gene Buinger conducts business in a dark office to save every penny he can for teacher salaries.

Buinger is projecting up to $27 million in state cuts for his district. But HEB has a $70 million fund balance, thanks to a thrifty policy that has saved on power and water.

“We’re using the public’s money; it’s not our money, it’s the public’s money,” Buinger said. “So we ought to always efficiently and effectively use their dollars.”

For years, the district has asked staff to turn out the lights. It also charges teachers $40 for classroom refrigerator permits.

Water from private wells refreshes the sports fields at the high schools.

And bus service is staggered, so one driver with one bus runs three routes for elementary, middle, and high school students.

“That’s a budget cut we made a long time ago to build our cash balance and be in a situation where we could weather the storm,” the superintendent said.

Parents like Faith Waligora scratched their heads when the changes were implemented, but now they see the payoff.

“It is a relief not to have to think there are going to be hundreds and hundreds laid off,” Waligora said.

HEB schools will still try to identify another $5 million in cuts, but any jobs eliminated will come through attrition.

Dr. Buinger says that’s the bright side to an otherwise dark story.