The Katy ISD school board election will be held tomorrow. As we’ve noted here, here and here, there are three candidates from CLOUT running that could make a real difference in the district. If voters really want change, they will replace the incumbents with Kameron Searle, Cynthia Blackman and Chris Sanders. They have been endorsed by the Katy Watchdogs, a group of citizens that care about the students AND the taxpayers.
Why should Katy ISD voters care? Let’s take a look at a few indicators of the district’s performance, compared with Plano ISD, compiled from state reports located here. Hat tip to former board member Mary McGarr.
| Katy ISD | Plano ISD | |
| Total Students | 50,725 | 52,753 |
| Graduation Rate 2006 | 90.6% | 92.3% |
| TAKS Passing | 83% | 88% |
| College Admissions Testing | 80.9% | 87.0% |
| Tested at or above criterion | 46.5% | 60.9% |
| SAT Mean Score | 1088 | 1149 |
| ACT Mean Score | 22.9 | 24.4 |
| District Admin Salary | $96,849 | $85,045 |
| School Admin Salary | $74,453 | $71,168 |
| Support Staff Salary | $60,345 | $54,304 |
| Teacher Salary | $47,646 | $46,945 |
| Teachers with Advanced Degrees | 22.9% | 34.4% |
| % of Op Exp per pupil on Instruction | 61% | 63% |
Katy ISD voters have a clear choice in tomorrow’s election. If they are happy with the statistics above, they can stay away from the polls and let the usual suspects send the incumbents back for more of the same.
If they want to make a change for the better, they can get off their rear ends, march down to the polls and take back their school district. CLOUT members Kameron Searle, Cynthia Blackman and Chris Sanders are just ordinary citizens that care about the future of their district and communities.
Click here for poll locations.
UPDATE: LST member bweldon has provided another link for poll locations.
UPDATE 2: LST commenter SMG has complained that I didn’t include the locally adopted tax rate for each district, I suppose because he or she thinks it will make Katy ISD look better. I didn’t include it because it has changed under the governor’s tax reduction plan - the stats above are for the 2006 school year. But, since you asked, for the 2006 school year, Katy’s locally adopted tax rate was $1.815 and Plano’s was $1.578, 13% lower. Hope that helps.
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Rush is right, “I’d walk down the hall and ask do you teach? No, you’re fired, Etc, Etc on down the hall. This may be simplistic but they have way too many Admn Asses than they need.
That shoulda’ been, way more than they need.
BigJ THANKS for this post sir! I’m close enough to WALK to Taylor High School and I plan to be there!
OMG - If this aint the pathetic EPITOME of beaurocracy! I was just passed through no less than SEVEN different phone extensions to get an answer (that turned out to only be a GUESS for Chrissakes):
“Which of the many Taylor H.S. bldgs and which DOOR to go vote tomorrow?”
Good Gravy - what if I had a child there in dire need of medical attention or some such? He or She would be DEAD by the time I got a live human on the dang phone!
Hate to say this but that site is missing precincts, including mine HC813, and I am right next to Morton Ranch HS.
This has a better list of who goes where
http://www.katycitizens.org/index_files/Page6367.htm
Thanks, Bill, I updated the post.
Thanks for the info, although I find it tough to give credulity to someone who spent a good number of her working years drawing a salary from a tax funded school system, and then after retirement joins and is active in an organization that advocates the abolition of tax funding for that very same entity.
The slate of challengers are presenting the voting public with a platform that will slash expenses and cut taxes (their words). Fair enough if that’s what voters want. BUT a large problem remains in that the challengers (as well as the Katy Watchdogs) have yet to answer questions as to what specifically will be cut, other than expenses and taxes. No substantive program has been placed in front of the electorate now or over the past few years as to how or what will be done that will improve KISD’s situation other than “slash costs and lower taxes”.
The current School Board may not be perfect or have all the answers in solving some of the issues, remembering that some issues such as funding will affect ALL Texas school districts in the immediate future (including Ms. McGarr’s acclaimed Plano). However in order to make a valued decision as to whether to throw the baby out with the bathwater, a reasonable person has a right to expect answers as to how reducing both expenses and income will improve the results highlighted above by Ms. McGarr.
Perhaps I am talking to the wrong crowd here, and I don’t have a problem being told so, but absent a clearer picture from the slate of challengers themselves as to the likely impact of their slash and burn approach to being School Board Trustees, the aims of the groups that endorse, support and fund them is the only thing the voting public has to go on to evaluate their suitability
One is therefore left with no alternative but to presume that rather than representing the best interests of ALL of KISD students (which is what they will be elected to do) personal political agendas will drive their approach to KISD’s operations. That is neither a practical nor an honest role for a Trustee to adopt.
Missing from the statistics provided (as one would expect from a group claiming KISD has the highest Tax Rate in the State) is what the Plano ISD resident’s tax rate is, and how that relates to other local economic and demographic criteria so that a fuller comparison to KISD can be made. Some information on how KISD students perform in Higher Education compared to Plano ISD students would be helpful too.
smg,
I just gave her a hat tip. The credibility comes straight from the state reports.
Do you think that the reports are not credible?
The Plano rate is lower. Want me to post it?
#8 Ok here you go,
Plano ISD Tax rate $1.2684 per 100
54,478 students
6825 Employees / 4171 Teachers 60% teachers
http://www.pisd.edu/about.us/
Fort Bend ISD Tax rate $1.25 per 100
68,000+ Students
9,486 Employees / 4,272 Teachers 45% teachers
http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/about/Documents/District_Profile.pdf
Katy ISD Tax Rate $1.5266 per 100
53,762 Students
6,786 Employees / 3,674 Teachers 54% teachers
http://www.katyisd.org/about_kisd.htm
The problem is Katy ISD has been floating bond issues every 2-3 years claiming that they need to expand, but at the same time are not being prudent with their land purchase and construction plans. That and the board has developed a very anti citizen attitude towards anyone who even comes to a meeting and looks for answers.
BigJolly
No need to post the Plano Tax rate - I can find it thks
My comment about credulity is not to doubt the stats, I just find it kind of weird that someone who fed from the tax trough for 12 years plus now is such a strong public advocate of abolishing same. Perhaps her insight is what made her turn. Still, it takes all sorts to make the world go around
#10
thks - saved me a few mins research.
From how I see the crisis in funding, unless something is done to fix the problems at a State Level, local or regional bond issues may very well be a more frequent issue here and statewide
Observations of the 3 challengers at the public meetings and from some personal interaction with some of them (not all) I am not so sure that this slate will be any less dismissive than the current board towards citizens seeking answers. I admit the bar is very low on that one.
As a general comment, I just want to say “welcome” to smg… the other day in response to one of these posts, we had other “pro current board” commenters join, and I want to encourage a real debate here, not just a one-sided bash-fest.
For that, we’ll always have Ron Paul.
#11,
If you mean being a teacher for 22 years they you need to look at things a little closer. If you take the average Teacher’s Salary for someone who is has been teaching for 15 years, that is 1/2 the way to a full pension, with a Masters Degree their salary is 51,974 for 187 days of work which is $227.94 per day, now assume that they are a secondary school teacher, they will have 6 classes each around 1hr long with 20-30 kids per class, for calculations we will say 25 that is 150 hours of teaching per day. That means that the average 15yr veteran teacher makes $1.85 per HOUR per child to teach your little one.
Now please tell me how that is feeding at the public trough?
It is the Administrators that sit in their buildings and make 6 figure salaries that need to be eliminated. They are the leaches.
#12, the problem can be fixed but it means a complete elimination of the property tax as revenue source for all entities and move to a straight sales tax. I know I would be spending the 3K in taxes on things in the area if I did not have to send it to KISD, Harris county, and others.
Bash-fest it is, but I will venture in anyway.
I encourage anyone reading these posts to dig a little deeper. The issues in this election are about more than the numbers listed. Many of the players have long histories and agendas other than cutting taxes. I admire CLOUT, Dan Patrick and Ed Hendee and am a long-time listener. This election has been tainted by distortions and half-truths and I would hate to see CLOUT members deceived like so many sport league parents have been. You cannot look at one chart of numbers and go vote. There is certainly room to cut expenses in KISD, but what else do these candidates stand for? Have the CLOUT candidates lived up to more than just your tax-cutting values? Does any member of your organization who runs for office get your automatic support? Please look deeper.
Here is a sample of some comments that ought to give you pause:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/memorial/news/5764417.html
#16, an I would respond with this. The KISD Trustees have a willing partner in the comicle, the Watchdog group sent each candidate a questionaire and their responses are here
http://www.katycitizens.org/
and here is a sample of the questions asked.
look who answered what
The thing is those currently on the board do not want to answer questions from those that put them in office, nor are they very open to critical commentary about their actions, even when the commentators are correct about things.
Just in case most or ALL don’t agree that the services and performance we are receiving from ISDs all over rarely even come close to the level of taxation……..I call your attention to the THREE STORY PARKING GARAGE for Taylor High School students less than 500 feet from the end of our alley…..
#19 or the fact that KISD is the only District to have swimming pools, at EVERY HS, when one could have been build that could support all of them. Net savings $15 Million..
Or the bond issue that was going to put 42″ HDtvs in all the halls and classes of Morton Ranch HS.
#20 - nO KIDDING! That $15 mil would fund a BUNCH of bus rides from each school to just ONE pool!
Wow - I go out to lunch and the board is filled by my return - cool
In chronological order then
#13
David - thanks for the welcome - I will always to try to keep a civilized debate on any topic - respectful disagreement = the richness of democracy. I will also apologize if in reading on the screen my words come across as offensive (see below)
#14
Apologies - to both you and Ms. McGarr. “Tax trough” was kind of strong - it was meant as a metaphor unattached to $$ values. It’s the concept I was trying to illustrate not the level. I could have worded it better.
#15
You have no argument from me as the suitability of your idea as a potential solution - whether it is politically viable to implement is another story, although I feel that debate belongs in Austin and not at a local election as an indicator of a community’s satisfaction or not of a school board.
#18
Agreed, and as I said earlier the bar is very low on that criteria. Nevertheless replacing like with like obviously is not a way forward. My observation is that from the admittedly limited exposure the community has had with the three challengers, and from their handling of certain questions posed by voters at public meetings, I did not see much that indicates we will be getting
a vast improvement in community/board information flow
I don’t thing we needed a performing arts center at every high school. After all, they all had stages in the cafeteria, and we build Merrell Center. We could have built one central performing arts building or we could (heaven forbid) make use of the so-called “free” Merrell Center.
Also, what is all those acres and acres of grass in front of Cinco Ranch HS being used for? That is very high dollar property. I think originally it was to be used for elementary, but someone decided it would “block the view” of the HS, so they bought another piece of property. If I am wrong, feel free to comment.
Smg, I understand your hesitation to make a change, but if you return the current members, you will get none. Wouldn’t it be better to give these people a chance to make a difference?
Ms. McGarr, Big Jolly and all who are interested in the truth about KISD:
I am posting my response to Ms. McGarr’s distortions here. I was unable to post them to her original piece since for some unknown reason I was not able to comment on that thread.
Your comparison of Plano ISD to Katy ISD does not support your conclusions because Plano ISD has been a large district far longer than KISD making Plano ISD more of a big brother to KISD than an “archrival”. Moreover, the educational attainment of the parents of Plano ISD students was higher than the educational attainment of the parents of KISD students as of the 2000 census when 36% of Plano ISD residents over 25 had a bachelors compared to 29% for KISD and 18.2% of Plano ISD residents over 25 had graduate degrees compared to 11.8% for KISD. Here are the links.
http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/Sf3ISD/K-N/Katy.Pdf
http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/Sf3ISD/O-S/Plano.Pdf
These figures also support the argument that KISD has seen massive growth since the 2000 census while the Plano enrollment appears to have been relatively stable.
Let’s throw out the TAKS since you have declared it worthless. Please be sure to tell this so-called “conservative” trio to stop using the TAKS scores to cast aspersions on the accomplishments of KISD students and teachers for political gain. I do not like the TAKS either, but if you want to go to achievement tests, then talk with your legislator because the school board cannot change TAKS.
The higher educational attainment of Plano ISD parents compared with KISD parents explains the higher percentage of G/T participation (more parents pushing) and the higher ACT and SAT scores of Plano ISD students.
The reports you cited also show that only 18.7% of the students in Plano ISD are considered economically disadvantaged compared to 24.3% of KISD students so KISD definitely has more challenges than Plano ISD in this area since we all know that economically disadvantaged students need more support to succeed.
These reports indicate that KISD has 762 more “auxiliary staff” than Plano ISD. Auxiliary staff includes bus drivers which are mostly part time employees. Katy ISD has an area of 181 square miles and is roughly 81% larger than Plano ISD (100 square miles) so the difference in auxiliary staff is now explained.
By the way you forgot to mention that KISD employs about half as many central administrators (44) as Plano ISD (80). You should laud KISD for having so few central administrators compared to Plano ISD.
The differences in salary for teachers would appear to be explained by experience as 42.5% of KISD teachers have over 11 years of experience versus 35.5% of Plano ISD teachers. The data is not available, but perhaps the same is true of the administrators.
If Plano ISD places 10% of its students in the GT program due to parental pressure and spends 3.4% of the budget on them while Katy places 5.8% of its students in the GT program and spends 2.6% of the budget on them then KISD is doing well in comparison to Plano ISD in regards to the proportion of money spent on GT students given that Plano ISD has chosen to put 1.8 as many students in the GT program as KISD.
Your quote on the athletic budgets is extremely disingenuous. You imply that KISD spends twice as much of its budget on athletics as Plano ISD when in fact KISD spends 1.7% to Plano ISD’s 1.3%. KISD spent about $400,000 more on athletics than Plano ISD according to the figures you cited. If you want to shut down KISD athletics just say so.
This campaign has been very nasty because this “conservative” trio has consistently misrepresented the facts concerning KISD’s finances including taxation per student, KISD’s crime rate and the academic achievement of KISD students. Your post is of a piece with the misinformation that has been spewed by this campaign and the Watchdog$ in the last few weeks.
Please note that according to the above reports, Plano ISD seems to have over twice the tax base per student as KISD so a comparison of the tax rates is meaningless.
I understand that people want to pay lower taxes, but that wish is no excuse for blatantly misrepresenting the truth and making false promises that the “conservative” trio has no way of fulfilling.
I’m interested all right - I’m interested in every single administrator in ANY school District not being paid one DIME more than the highest paid teacher with the exception of 1 principal per school (or per grade principals) and 1 superintendent. PERIOD / end of STORY.
If and when I see THAT will I truly believe there are any administrators at all who’s interests are truly for educating out kids and not just making SURE to spend / waste every single tax dollar to “Gawd forbid” prevent any possibility of ever showing a surplus or giving some back!
#23
Whether you place value on it or not, 7 Tommy Tunes Awards this year and many in previous years, as well as regional and state awards in Orchestra, Choir and other Theater programs represents no smaller a feat in their field as the Tigers being State Champions is in theirs.
Every year KISD Performance Arts students receive merit based scholarships to further their chosen field in colleges based on their achievements on stage.
Could they have achieved this with one central PAC or at the Merrell Center? Perhaps, but with
6 High Schools (and two more coming)each having 3 perhaps 4 disciplines to accommodate, the logistics, scheduling and transportation requirements alone will prove problematic, perhaps not providing the annual cost savings you imagine. Although it will absolutely result in a fully utilized Merrell Center during the year, the facilities there do not necessarily provide a suitable stage venue on which to prepare students in the competitive environment that enables them to sustain the level of excellence KISD has a reputation for.
One could ask the same question of necessity in the early 80,s and the decision to build Katy ISD Stadium (Rhodes) – What was wrong with everyone playing at Tiger Stadium?
Get ready to revisit this topic soon when the plans for a second stadium move from the “look out we might be needing this in the future” phase to the “here’s how much it will cost, how we gonna pay for it ” phase. Whether we need a second stadium is of course going to be the subject of a different discussion thread, but the rationale is the same as I described above for the PACs. Six high schools with two more coming each offering/requiring football/soccer/band other events just all cannot be accommodated at one location, unless the new 4/4 curriculum will allow for afternoon/evening double headers every night of the week.
The fact is the PACs are here, and used. If we diminish the facilities available to Performing Arts students, say by turning the existing PACs into general use classrooms, have we really helped – or hindered?
I don’t know what the truth is here, but Tom Pogo has written what appears to be an excellent, detailed, and thoughtful analysis of the where and why on the differences in the numbers, while not disputing thing. It does not appear to be apples to oranges - or in my case since I’m 3,900 miles west - coconuts to pineapples.
Smg #28, I would be more impressed with a State Championship football team that ALSO won a Tommy Tune award playing music.
What is so urgently needed in all school districts is a real citizen review board of accountants to go over the weekly check runs of each district - an outside audit volunteer group. Expenses need to be questioned from a business like approach. Also, the Taj Mahal, Roman Coliseum, Museum of Fine Arts approach foisted upon us by the AIA to allegedly satisfy the fire codes, ADA, and productivity geniuses mentality has got to go. That needlessly drives up the costs. Temporary buildings do just fine and extend the life of brick and mortar buildings. Please don’t give me a cost per square foot. Give me a savings per year.
Corporate classroom are austere. Corporate buildings have offices that are utilitarian. If they are plush, well, it’s sure not being done on the taxpayer dollar.
Additionally, we need to revisit special ed and start shielding districts from lawsuits from parents who want their profoundly handicapped child to have private piano lessons when the IEP for the child this year is to teach them how to use the toilet. Special Ed takes up to 1/3 of schools budgets for 10% of the kids. Many Special Ed directors will tell you their sole purpose in life is to keep the district out of court, so they cave into nonsensical whims of parents.
Okay, my rant is done.
Big Jolly and all,
The reports are credible, but Ms. McGarr’s spin is incredible (see my other post on this thread as well as smg’s thoughtful comments). Moreover as smg pointed out Ms. McGarr does not believe in taxpayer funded schools (http://schoolandstate.org/view/display.php?state=TX) so her objectivity is questionable at best.
That the Plano tax rate is lower than the KISD tax rate proves nothing as Plano has a tax base per student that is 2.15 times that of Katy according to the very reports you have cited.
bweldon quotes the Fort Bend ISD tax rate and then goes on to write that “the problem is Katy ISD has been floating these bond issues every 2-3 years claiming that they need to expand, but at the same time are not being prudent with their land purchase and construction plans”. While I agree that KISD has been challenged by growth (for instance from 1999-2006 it grew by about 18,600 students while FBISD grew by about 14,000 students), I have not seen any information ever presented that would show that KISD has been unwise in their land purchase and construction plans. By my calculations based on the AEIS reports, it appears that for 2006-2007 KISD’s debt service tax collection rate was anywhere from $360-$420 more per student than FBISD’s debt service tax collection rate. I think that this is in line with KISD’s faster growth rate. Now I am not a statistician or a demographer or a mathematician or an accountant and my speculations could be wrong, but my point is that no one has definitely shown that KISD has been mismanaged as claimed so vociferously by the slate and their Watchdog supporters.
The Board operates according to state law which is very clear about how meetings are to be conducted. While the meetings are public, the intent is not to have the public participate in the decision making process at the meeting. There is a public forum, but Board members do not respond except to ask questions on occasion. There is a public information office at KISD and anyone is welcome to request any information that they would like to have. The “answers” are sometimes very complicated and it takes time to find them for that reason, not necessarily because the district is trying to be difficult.
Bweldon and Katfish,
Administrators work long hours and they work more days out of the year than teachers. They also have more supervisory and managerial responsibilities. The higher pay for administrators is a combination of a higher rate of compensation per day due to the degree of responsibility and the fact that administrators work more days. If you want to pay administrators like teachers, then be prepared to have less qualified people willing to take on the task of administration. Do you also believe that the CEO of a company should make the same amount as the people who have direct contact with the customers?
One swimming pool located in the center of the district would not support the practice sessions or other athletic activities of six high schools. Forget about the gas costs. What about the instructional time lost?
The HDTVs were removed from the bond issue that passed. They were in the one that failed, but the Board listened to the people and removed them from the second bond proposal of 2006.
Where would you have the Taylor HS students park, if not in the parking garage?
In The Middle has asked some awesome questions that ought to give all conscientious CLOUT members pause. KISD does need to cut expenses and KISD is cutting expenses by drawing up master schedules to maximize the number of students in each class, auditing departments for opportunities to cut costs, participating in utility coops and other cost saving measures. It is quite likely that more can be done and equally likely that more will be done out of necessity to cut costs. The superintendent and the Board are showing that they are up to the task of making these difficult decisions.
I also am a long time listener of KSEV, but I feel there needs to be more of an effort to understand the academic, political and financial challenges facing our public schools rather than immediately jumping to the conclusion that school districts like KISD must be fiscally irresponsible because we all wish that our taxes could be lower. In other words I believe that we need to focus more on reality than our wishes.
I have learned quite a bit from visiting here and even though we do not always agree I appreciate the opportunity to discuss these matters that are important to all of us.
#32 - The only admin person I can fathom that truly worked hard was the one that devised that virtually-impossible-to-get-a-live-human-on-the-line phone system I called yesterday.
Where should the students park? In an open parking lot like the previously non spoiled 5 or 6 decades worth of H.S. students did! ‘Performing Arts Centers’? Sure but not designed and built to resemble High School versions of Broadway for goodness sakes!
Kids are well………..KIDS and certainly do NOT need world class metropolitan grade facilities - particularly in an economic climate so heavily tax laden as this!
I’d bet if I had a thorough ‘tour’ of ANY KISD High School I could easily list / eliminate enough stuff to HALVE the original building cost without reducing one decimal point of grade point scores!
Schools are SCHOOLS for goodness sakes not resort facilities at Cabo San Lucas!
My high school in my small farm town in Illinois is the same high school my grandfather went to. When I graduated 3/4 of my class had a B average and the principal had to write special letters to our prospetctive Universities because of our unusual situation with grade point average. The ” theater” is the same stage with the velvet curtains that have been there since the school was built.
I argue that the schools are spending tax payer dollars to build elaborate arts programs and schools to ATTRACT more home buyers to their district. More home buyers, more kids, more federal dollars. It’s a business, it’s not education. It’s the business of growth, managing federal and state dollars, and what it produces is becoming a less desirable product.
Don’t argue with me that a one cannot attract good teachers unless one has the best facility, because a real teacher. with desire to teach, will not care about the building.
bweldon, katfish, american woman,
The Chronicle and LST are both private concerns that are free to do what they want, but the Chronicle did not write up three features endorsing candidates while using statistics that were neutral at best (downright misleading at worst) to make their case despite various posts correcting their errors. I like LST because it is more accessible and generally invites more feedback. LST has outperformed the Chronicle on other issues, but this particular KISD school board election is not one of them.
That someone cannot fathom hard working administrators is a sign of a lack of knowledge of what goes on in the schools. Administrators support the work of teachers. Administrators support students and parents. Administrators interact regularly with public. Administrators help guide the curriculum development process to ensure that students have every possible opportunity to learn. Administrators support teachers by handling discipline matters. Administrators help ensure that the school district in compliance with state laws. I could go on and on, but hopefully people will get the point that administrators have plenty of work to do.
Please look at the land near Taylor High School and tell me where an outdoor parking lot can be built that is large enough (I am assuming that your alley is not an option, but I do not believe that would be enough space anyway).
I might bet that if I had a thorough tour of any of your homes or your businesses, then I could easily list / eliminate enough stuff to HALVE your costs without reducing your productivity, but I would be wrong because I do not know the first thing about your lives or your businesses. I would take your bet about the schools because I know that I would win. Besides, despite the rhetoric on both sides of the issues, grade point scores are not the only thing that schools are concerned about.
Katy ISD is not rural Illinois and probably never will be again until the next ice age. I can assure you that it is not Cabo San Lucas. Wishing it were so will not make it so.
Schools are doing the best they can to meet the demands of taxpayers, citizens (taxpayers), the state (the taxpayers), the federal government (the taxpayers) and students (the future taxpayers) with limited resources.
I’ve posted my list of places to cut elsewhere. Maybe you didn’t see it. I’ve already been criticized for “wanting to get rid of the pre-school program and kindergarten”! What I really say is that the District should not use the excuse of setting up pre-school classes in elementary schools with declining enrollments–my point being that they don’t really care about the pre-schoolers, just filling up the schools so it doesn’t look like the district messed up in planning! I also was pointing out that having all day Kindergarten is not a prudent activity when little five year old kids don’t need to be in school all day at such an age. Last I heard KISD was not even trying to teach them to read at this level, but I have no way of knowing that now as they hide everything they do from the public. It costs twice as much to educate Kindergarten kids now as it did before in KISD when they went half a day because they have to have twice as many teachers. Go to http://www.katycitizens.org/index_files/Page1566.htm to see the article I have written in the past about kindergarten.
Here’s my post. Chop and spin away, but all of you know there are a gazillion items like this that constitute REAL WASTE of our tax dollars, and right now there’s no one minding the store to stop the waste.
There are lots of things that could be cut or curtailed. KISD is a school district that is in runaway mode. Our board has sat for years rubberstamping every proposal Merrell and now Frailey have put in front of them. Even when they question items and have legitimate reason to vote against something, they crater when the vote comes and vote “FOR.” They are elected to represent the voters who elected them and the children of this school district, and not the vested interests of their friends who stand to make money off of the district.
Although unreported in the media, Superintendent Frailey reportedly is cutting the budgets of high schools by 10% and is getting rid of 9.5 employee units at each high school (that’s from 4 to 19 people at each school). [My critics claim these people will be placed at the "new" schools opening in the fall, but I would point out that there are no high schools opening this fall.]These are cuts in spending that center on the classroom. That’s NOT where the conservative school board challengers have suggested that cuts be made if you’ve bothered to go to a forum to listen to them.
Why isn’t this matter of cuts to teachers and school staff being made public? I guess the incumbents don’t want anyone to know that while they chastise their challengers for wanting to cut taxes, they are already at it, but cutting in the wrong place. In my opinion, cuts should come FIRST at the Central Administrative offices before teachers have to go. Cutting teachers means higher pupil teacher ratios, bigger classes, and the elimination of some classes.
Not that anyone will heed my advice, but here are some expenditures in Katy ISD that could be curtailed or cut out altogether. And remember these are MY thoughts and ideas, so don’t go attributing them to school board candidates or anyone else.
How about putting the technology contract out for bids again–they are paid way too much for what they do. (Those eight Xpediant guys sitting in a back room monitoring all the teachers’ computers to see if they surf the Internet during the school day are unnecessary.) How about bringing back our in-house print shop that Merrell got rid of which was a very fine and well run department and cutting out the middle man? How about cutting out worthless staff development which is a waste of time for teachers? And if they KEEP all the worthless staff development, how about providing it sometime when they don’t have to hire a substitute to cover the teacher’s class? How about getting rid of KMAC and leaving the teachers alone to teach their classes with the knowledge they acquired when they went to college? [Another of my critics has suggested that teachers are unable to walk into a classroom and teach after graduating from college without the help of a "mentor" and someone else's lesson plans! If that is so, Heaven help us all!]
How about cutting out free marked parking spaces for the Katy Area Economic Development Council employees who are housed in the arena? How about paying administrators what they’re worth instead of what the Board can sneak through to give them? How about stopping the practice of increasing teacher salaries by 3% while the administrators get two or three times that much? How about rescinding those $10,000 raises that the Athletic Directors at each high school just got? That money could go to the regular coaches who have to work for free two weeks every summer. How about going out for real bids for everything that costs over $5,000 even if the law doesn’t require it? The Distict could save bundles if there were a real and honest bid process used. How about keeping up the maintenance on the buildings that we have? How about stopping the purchase of personal underwear items for boys in athletics when they don’t buy equivalent items for girls? How about not putting up flashing signs in front of schools that use up electricity? How about ending the practice of hiding all the purchases and tax increases for the district in the Board’s consent agenda so no one can know what they are doing? How about not putting up expensive signs on every corner to remind people (and gloat) that the District won the bond election? How about keeping the library books that are already paid for instead of throwing them away? How about not buying so many computers that last only two or three years before new ones are needed or the operating system on them is obsolete? How about not buying televisions, flat screen or otherwise, that no one ever uses? How about not auctioning off the old ones for pennies on the dollar? How about selling the name of the arena to the first company that can come up with a million dollars to pay for the right like other school districts do? How about building outfield bleachers in the right place the FIRST time they are built so that they don’t have to be done twice? How about putting dirt from the Brazos on our ball fields instead of going all the way to the Mississippi to get it? How about not paying for land for schools if they’re being built to help a developer sell houses? How about not buying land for schools from ANY developer? How about cutting out stipends for coaches who move to other non-coaching positions and no longer earn them? How about not getting rid of coaches as teachers just because they quit coaching? How about not paying more for land than it’s worth? How about selling some of the KISD land that will never be used and putting it back on the tax rolls? How about not encouraging the building of so many medical facilities since they don’t generate any taxes taking previously taxable land off the tax rolls? How about building schools AFTER the students exist to fill them as we did until 1996 so the buildings don’t have to sit half empty for years (like Seven Lakes High School) or so students don’t have to be bussed from across town to fill them up? How about leaving pre-schoolers at home with their mothers instead of trying to drum up four year old students by opening pre-school classes in schools with declining enrollments? How about telling the public that their kids don’t legally have to go to school until they’re six years old so they realize they have the option of keeping them at home? How about changing Kindergarten classes back to half day which is all they ever needed? How about teaching our kids to read so they don’t have to struggle through school for twelve years and then take remedial courses at HCC when they want to go to college(where we have to pay taxes for something for which we already paid)? How about not feeding board committees like they’re celebrating the first Thanksgiving? How about keeping the board members home instead of paying to send them to conventions at major vacation spots around the country? How about not sending principals and other administrators on free trips to conventions every year? How about cutting out the free coffee at the Ad building? How about doing away with all the flowers that get bought around the District? How about not paying for personal memberships for administrators to almost every education association that exists? How about making the coaches and school administrators stay at school on the last day of school and working like all the other teachers instead of playing a round of golf organized by the Assistant Athletic Director? How about not handing out worthless but expensive mementos to students who have already received the REAL award somewhere else just so board members can have photo ops and get their pictures in the paper? How about not purchasing $800 portraits of the board members to hang at the Ad building? How about having a forensic audit of the books instead of what is done now? How about holding open board budget review meetings like most other school districts in Texas? How about going back to zero-based budgeting instead of just adding 10% to what schools had the previous year? How about telling the public how much the District spends on legal matters? How about letting the superintendent get a physical every year for the same cost that other employees get one?
Just because people on the outside don’t know what to say when asked the question about what to cut, doesn’t mean that there isn’t HUGE waste by our school district.
I’ve also been accused of “feeding at the public trough” for taking a salary for being teacher. I can tell you that I started teaching with a salary of $4,000 a year. When I finished, it was all the way up to $9,500. I didn’t exactly get rich teaching school. As for my wanting to get rid of public education, that’s another of my critic’s blurring of the truth. Yes, I am in favor of vouchers as long as the government doesn’t force use of them at schools on the property of a corporation; yes I think that children’s parents know more about what their children need than the government school, yes I am in favor of LOCAL control of public education by locally elected representatives. I do not like the state interfering and for sure the Federal Government needs to butt out. What I DO want is for our public schools to provide first and foremost a quality, academic liberal arts education so that each child, with guidance from his parents, not a government counselor, can decide for himself the course of his life. What most do not understand, because they do not investigate is that schools have changed, and our students are NOT receiving a quality academic education. The goal of the Federal School to Work legislation is to dumb them down for the purpose of having a malleable, complacent, socialized workforce that is barely educated, and which will not complain. Judging from comments in this election cycle, I fear they are already successful on my fronts. Read my articles in Mary’s Corner at http://www.katycitizens.org if you truly want to understand what’s happening in our schools.
And last but not least, who do you think tells me about most of these wasteful practices? How about the teachers! They are angry about the waste too, and they have to look at it every day.
Mary! That was the most amazing and informative article I have ever read about the waste in a school district! I applaud you.
If one really wanted to see the waste, go to http://www.katyisd.org, then go to “About Katy ISD,” then go to the “Check Register” link. There you can see for yourself where the money goes. Look back a few months (just change the month in the link). No big mystery here!
I’ve been trying to get the Check Register out to the public since 1993. They wouldn’t even show it to me as a school board member until 1996, and even then they told me I had to leave the copy they provided in the Board room! It’s public information and always has been.
Ms. McGarr,
I believe that it is generally a good idea for preschoolers to be acclimated to the school environment prior to beginning kindergarten so that they are not spending time working on this in kindergarten rather than learning what is in the curriculum. This is my belief, but I have not researched it and I certainly could be wrong. Maybe you have some specific objective information. Otherwise we are just sharing our opinions.
Perhaps you are right about the silliness and unneeded expense of all day kindergarten. Again I have not seen the research, but the politics would be interesting. How would parents feel about having to find someone to care for their kindergarten children for half a day? Whether we like it or not, these factors have to be considered.
I do not know how you can assert that the district does not care about pre-schoolers. How do you know how the district feels? Katy ISD does teach reading in kindergarten. As far as I know the curriculum is available to anyone. No secrets. Just openness and transparency.
It seems to be an article of faith for you that there are a “gazillion” items that “constitute REAL WASTE of our tax dollars”, but I would prefer to look at the facts very carefully (including follow up questions on check registers) before concluding that KISD must be wasteful based upon your beliefs or wishes.
The school board is elected to represent the voters in making decisions that support academic achievement in a fiscally responsible way while adhering to the law. Contrary to your unsupported comments, they are performing this function well.
If you have any independent source to which you can refer us to regarding your claim about cuts in the classroom and your insinuation that there will be no cuts in administration, then I would like to see that link. It is difficult to speculate about unverified information, but my guess is that any cuts in staffing numbers and/or funding will affect administration expenditures as well as classroom expenditures.
As far as I know the “conservative” school board challengers have never suggested exactly what they would cut. They said something about bureaucracy in a radio spot. Do they mean the 44 employees in central administration making an average of about $97K per year in 2006? Even if it were feasible from the educational (curriculum leadership), legal (superintendent, open records staff?), fiscal (chief operating officer, chief architect) and technical (IT leadership) standpoints to do away with all of these positions, this is only about $4 million (salaries) to $8 million (benefits and other costs?). This is not enough money to deliver on promised tax cuts and we haven’t even started talking about teacher raises, dropout prevention or creating an environment in which no student can be harmed (if the promises of this “conservative” trio are to be believed).
Cutting teachers does mean higher pupil to teachers ratios and the elimination of some classes, but I believe that this superintendent and school board know how make tough decisions and I believe that these cuts are affecting the classroom and other departments like central administration. So they are being fiscally responsible and you still criticize them.
I want to correct some of your misperceptions about expenditures that can be cut. I will not raise questions about every one of them, but that does not necessarily mean that they are feasible.
How about putting the technology contract out for bids again?
On contracts of any size, bids are obtained, evaluated and selected. The contract doesn’t always go to the lowest bidder. Factors such as past experience, capabilities, reliability and customer support are also considered. This is sound business practice.
How about bringing back our in-house print shop?
I have a friend who has worked with printers for 30 years, involving very small jobs and multi-million dollar contracts. He told me that unless printing is your only business and you have a very broad customer base, owning and operating your own print shop is a black hole from a financial perspective. The local newspapers don’t own a printing press. The paper is printed, along with many others, at a specialty printer with specific types of multi-million dollar presses. Even big magazines like Business Week or Time haven’t owned their own print shops for decades. Modern photocopiers and laser printers have taken over the small print business – including color. In-house print-shops are simply a luxury KISD can’t afford. This was a sound business decision.
How about cutting out worthless staff development which is a waste of time for teachers?
I believe that some of the staff development requirements are set by state law and it is my understanding that staff development in KISD is based upon what has been shown to be effective, not feel good assumptions based upon faith.
And if they KEEP all the worthless staff development, how about providing it sometime when they don’t have to hire a substitute to cover the teacher’s class?
So now you want to have teachers work additional hours so that you can save some money on a substitute? I thought that you supported teachers.
How about (getting rid of KMAC and) leaving the teachers alone to teach their classes with the knowledge they acquired when they went to college?
We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one, but I think that your faith that a new teacher just out of college can be left totally alone to perform in a classroom with no help as to curriculum management is very, very unrealistic like many of your other suggestions. I know of very few people (and I know quite a few people) who could walk into a job fresh out of college and get along fine without some guidance. I do not even want to think about having to do it with 22 to 40 students in a classroom.
How about cutting out free marked parking spaces for the Katy Area Economic Development Council employees who are housed in the arena?
Who cares? All the spaces are free anyway.
How about paying administrators what they’re worth instead of what the Board can sneak through to give them?
Are you suggesting that the Board should pay administrators more up front? If not, then your failure to recognize the value of an IT specialist, a curriculum specialist, an architect in a growing school district and a leader who is communicative and knowledgeable about education indicates that you do not understand what is at stake.
How about going out for real bids for everything that costs over $5,000 even if the law doesn’t require it? The Distict (sic) could save bundles if there were a real and honest bid process used.
Weren’t you on the school board once upon a time? Do you have any idea how many bid items above $5,000 that would entail and the subsequent staff time (and possibly extra staff) required to execute monitor such a logistical nightmare? I thought you wanted to save money.
KISD has a strict procedure in place governing all expenditures not requiring public bidding. These are open records – anybody can see where every dollar of the district is spent. State financial auditors have commended KISD for the careful manner in which the district handles its expenditures.
How about ending the practice of hiding all the purchases and tax increases for the district in the Board’s consent agenda so no one can know what they are doing?
Every meeting of the Board of Trustees is an open meeting and that includes budget and tax items. There are often extra public hearings for additional input on budgets and taxes. Everything is laid out in detail. You can request full copy of a proposed budget and it will given to you. There is no hidden budgeting or tax increase procedure in KISD. All anyone needs to do is attend the board meetings or simply request information. It’s all there and willingly shared.
How about not putting up expensive signs on every corner to remind people (and gloat) that the District won the bond election?
The signs are part of the district’s communication with taxpayers to let them know where particular projects are going on – much like the signs we see for the county, Texas Department of Transportation; new building construction, city projects, etc. I thought that you and the Watchdog$ supported transparency?
How about not paying more for land than it’s worth?
KISD and community experts exhaustively evaluate the fair market value of land and follow those recommendations before every purchase.
How about not encouraging the building of so many medical facilities since they don’t generate any taxes taking previously taxable land off the tax rolls?
The two new hospitals (a general hospital and a children’s hospital) are going to be located on undeveloped, vacant land with a low tax yield – and it’s only a 100 acres or so, an exceedingly small proportion of the area of the school district. The economic impact of constructing these facilities should net a huge positive impact for the area. Once in operation, the hospitals will become major area employers with many positions being high-paid, skilled jobs. Typically, other buildings (such as doctors offices) and commercial development are located nearby (all generating a massive increase in taxes when compared to vacant land). Besides improving quality of life for the area, these hospitals will serve as another significant attraction to the Katy area. I know that the Watchdog$ want to rein in growth, but this is unrealistic.
Just because some of us may not be able to handle your questions does not mean that there are no credible answers. Just because your questions may play to the emotional need for some to feel as if their tax burden is somehow unfair does not mean that you are right about there being “HUGE” waste in the district.
I hope that people might be able to see that the issue is way more complicated than you portray it to be. There are no easy answers here. It is not so black and white as you seem to believe.
You have accused your critics of “blurring” the truth with the charge that you want to get rid of public education. Please help us understand what you meant when you signed a proclamation (which was also signed by Ron Paul) that said,
“I proclaim publicly that I favor ending government involvement in education”.
http://www.schoolandstate.org/proclamation.htm
One iteration of the proclamation likens compulsory education to compulsory participation and funding of religion and states that “in a pluralistic society, we should undo government compulsion in school funding, attendance, and curriculum”. One wonders whether this group or you would also favor ending the tax exemption for churches based upon this logic, but that is for another thread on another day. The idea seems to be that parents would find ways to pay for their child’s education just like they find ways to pay for a car. Maybe they would take an extra job or take out a loan. Philanthropists would also help with funding.
I do not understand how you can be in favor of vouchers. This site states that “vouchers still involve forcing your neighbors to pay for your children’s education”. I would also think that vouchers would violate the spirit of the proclamation that you signed favoring the end of government involvement in schools.
Do you think that all the parents of the 24.3% of economically disadvantaged students in KISD “know more about what their children need than the government school”? What about the parents who are never available because they are too busy with work? Do they necessarily know more than educational professionals about the educational needs of their children?
What about the children of all socioeconomic levels who, for whatever reason, do not have a parent who will guide them to decide the “course of (their) life”? Can these students have “government” counselors or are they just out of luck in your system? If these students are lost to society, then how will we get on without their desperately needed contributions? The tax savings will definitely not be enough to carry us through, especially since we will probably have to spend most or all of it on prisons. Would the philanthropists pay for prisons too?
You say that you “want our public schools to provide first and foremost a quality, academic liberal arts education so that each child, with guidance from his parents, not a government counselor, can decide for himself the course of his life.” How would you suggest we pay for this grandiose, expensive, utopian plan while cutting taxes or are you planning to raise taxes?
Our schools have changed immensely because the demands placed upon them have changed as our society and technology have evolved. What is your idea of a “quality academic education”? What do you think the goal of education should be? How would you recruit and pay qualified people to carry out your vision of the purpose of education? Regardless of how this election turns out we ought to continue this discussion. I hope that the community can come to some consensus as to what the purpose of education is supposed to be. I believe that the emphasis should vary depending on the needs of the student.