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Voters say no to tax increase
By Chris Roark, croark@acnpapers.com
Voters in Lewisville ISD rejected a tax increase during Tuesday's election.
Total figures show that 2,795 voters (67.97 percent) voted against the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) increase from $1.04 per $100 valuation to $1.06 per $100 valuation. There were 1,317 voters who voted for it.
Had it passed, the total tax rate would have been $1.4467 per $100 valuation.
“I’m disappointed,” said LISD Board of Trustees president Carol Kyer. “We would have gotten $7 million, and $3 million of that would have come from the state. That would have been good.”
Those who opposed the rate increase during the last several weeks cited a variety of reasons. Many said the administration hadn’t handled the district’s money properly and didn’t think the public should pay more because of it. They questioned the number of administrators, the recent pay increases and various projects going on throughout the district.
“It was a TRE (tax ratification election), and we asked the community what they wanted us to do … raise taxes or make cuts,” Kyer said. “So if they want us to make cuts, that’s what we’ll do. Because unlike the federal government, we can’t run in the red.”
Kyer said the board will discuss how to start making cuts during its retreat Nov. 11 and 13.
“That will be a major point of discussion,” Kyer said.
LISD officials had discussed a series of proposed tax rate increases earlier this year, and the LISD Board of Trustees voted for the two-cent increase. Though not a serious consideration, a 10-cent increase was a topic because it would have allowed the district to break even. The board had several options in between in which to set the tax rate.
Kyer said she wasn’t surprised by the results, saying that people tend to vote more when they’re unhappy.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
texaslizzy wrote on Sep 14, 2010 11:23 PM:
" People vote more when they are unhappy??? I hope that comment by Carol Kyer means that she recognizes that the voters in LISD are very unhappy with a district who would give pay raises to top administrators during the worst economy of our lifetime. Taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet. Companies are not giving pay raises, pensions are being cut, people are losing their homes, but we keep being asked to pay more and more in taxes. LISD must tighten its fiscal belt the way the rest of us have had to do. "
imthird wrote on Sep 15, 2010 1:06 AM:
" Yes, Lewisville ISD voters are unhappy, and we will continue to be unhappy as long as big-spending, big-control liberals continue to think they can waste our tax money on 'education' of our children. Denton county schools spent over $7,000 per student for '06-'07, and we'd really like to know where all of the money goes before forking over more of it. $7 grand per student per year! Take a classroom of 20 children and you have $140,000 spent in one year on what? Moral relativism & brainwashing?
We homeschool our 3 children, and they're getting a more well-rounded, classical education (with ethics and faith ~included~ instead of excluded) for less than half of that $7,000 -- TOTAL -- per year. So go ahead, make some cuts, show you can be responsible with our money, show you can really prepare the children for life, and maybe in the future the voters will begin to trust again. And while you're fighting over what cuts to make, try reading Marlin Maddoux's book 'Public Education Against America' to find out what's really going on in our public schools. "
We homeschool our 3 children, and they're getting a more well-rounded, classical education (with ethics and faith ~included~ instead of excluded) for less than half of that $7,000 -- TOTAL -- per year. So go ahead, make some cuts, show you can be responsible with our money, show you can really prepare the children for life, and maybe in the future the voters will begin to trust again. And while you're fighting over what cuts to make, try reading Marlin Maddoux's book 'Public Education Against America' to find out what's really going on in our public schools. "
Concerned in FM wrote on Sep 15, 2010 9:45 PM:
" I am glad the proposed increase was defeated. LISD has no business raising our taxes!!
Now, however, the real work begins. We have to stay alert and scrutinize how the administration cuts expenses. We need to be sure our students and teachers are protected. The cuts need to come from administration, not the classroom! "
Now, however, the real work begins. We have to stay alert and scrutinize how the administration cuts expenses. We need to be sure our students and teachers are protected. The cuts need to come from administration, not the classroom! "
FM resident wrote on Oct 12, 2010 8:55 AM:
" I have worked in the school system on the maintenance side. If the average person saw the total waste of money and other resources they would be mad. There is no reason for them to try to save money on anything. They have to spend every cent of their budget every year or they won't get an increase the next year. The administration side is even worse. The waste, nepotism redundancy. If one person can't do their job they hire someone else to help them. People would be sick if they actually saw how they waste your tax money. "
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