Something is Wrong With School Spending! By: Ron West

There are some statistics being published about our local school districts that should be disturbing to everyone. It seems as if every publication we read is bemoaning the fact that there is not enough money being spent on education. Shortfalls for the next year’s budget are the hot topics.

At state level, there is talk of a statewide property tax, a statewide income tax and/or changes to increase the corporate franchise (income) tax just to bail out our local school districts. We operate under provisions of a "Robin Hood" financing system that attempts to take from the richer districts and give to the poorer districts. To make this palatable, the legislature has passed new laws to exempt our school districts from the taxing limitations placed on other taxing bodies. This allows them to raise taxes annually – by almost any amount – without a cap from the legislature, and they have taken full advantage of the changes.

Lets look at just one local school district as possibly representative. Recent data published on the Carroll Independent School District shows:

In 1997 - approximate total taxable property was $1,698,571,409.

In 1997 the tax rate per $100 valuation was: $1.74

In 1997 property owners paid approximately $29,555,143 in taxes

In 2001 - approximate total taxable property was $3,042,670,230

In 2001 - the tax rate per $100 valuation was: $1.935

In 2001 – property owners paid approximately $58,875,669 in taxes

This amounts to $29,320,526 more in tax revenue per year than just five years ago.

These numbers indicate a 99.21% INCREASE in tax revenue over the past

five years - or about a 20% increase in revenues to the district each year.

Statewide figures show that the entire state average increase for the same period is 46.2% - or about 9.2% per year. Since 1993 the same numbers show a statewide property tax collection increase of 74.7%. In both cases, the numbers indicate a very substantial increase in revenues to every school district in the state.

If you looked at this from a business perspective, you would look at the results of this increased spending.

Questions like:

1. Has the quality of education gone up as we have spent more money?
2. Has the school population increased as fast as the spending?
3. Are our children actually getting twice as much education value today as they were five or nine years ago?
4. Have the school systems become more responsive, customer (student) friendly, and sensitive to the needs of the community?
5. Are the funds being spent effectively?
6. Are our children better educated today?
7. Are our teachers more empowered today?
8. Do our teachers have the support and tools that the increased spending should support?

Unfortunately, if you talk to our students, you find that educational quality may have in fact, declined. Education is now focused on teaching to the TAAS testing. Some students are leaving high school barely able to read and write – much less do math.

Unfortunately, if you talk to the teachers they express frustration with discipline, rules and regulations and teacher pay and benefits. As a group, they don’t come across as very happy campers with the existing spending levels.

Unfortunately, if you talk to the politicians, all you will hear is talk of more tax increases from every possible source. There seems to be no concern with limitation of spending, rather a general atmosphere of "how much do you want to spend" then lets increase taxes to get it. Accountability is just not part of their language.

Unfortunately, if you talk to the taxpayers, they don’t even know how the property tax system works. They blame the tax appraisal districts for raising their taxes and let the taxing authorities off without comment. (Our legislature has done a wonderful job of writing the tax code in such a way as to confound the casual taxpayer. This includes the consideration that most property taxes are included with the monthly mortgage payment – similar to payroll taxes – and are therefore, not "felt as taxes" by the taxpayer.)

Is it time for accountability?

Is it time for a taxpayer involvement or do we just sit back and allow our property taxes to grow at 10 to 20% or more per year without action?

I see the monuments to the school district administrators such as grandiose new stadiums and sports facilities and I also see the temporary classrooms. I wonder if our priorities are correct? I wonder where all the money is going? I wonder……?

Do you wonder too?

Ron C. West

817-831-2942