Test scores are terrible under the TAKS so the Superintendent is dishing the new even more rigorous test as it threatens the district. Looking at Snapshots, a TEA data metrics tool, the district does not compare favorably with other major suburban districts; it does not compare favorably with districts of similar size, and, it does not compare favorably in geographic regions. Of course, these poor metrics have nothing to do with business as usual in the district as we create more and more programs and spend, spend, spend with no accountability whatsoever, top to bottom. Just excuses please.
This year the district transferred $3 million to the debt service account as property values did not rise as forecasted. When they sold $88 million in bonds in 2008, they said, “I don’t know why anybody would be against this, since there will be no tax increase.” Well, to pull that off they used overly aggressive assumptions regarding property values appreciation and, they financed the bonds for 30 years with 22 years of interest only repayments!
Your property tax bill consists of two parts: Maintenance and Operations (M&O) and Interest and Sinking Fund (I&S). By law, without a local option election, the district cannot raise the M&O rate. That’s ok; they have a $3 million surplus again this year, despite suing us, the taxpayers, for more money so they can continue their free spending ways.
The I&S rate is $0.42/$100. The taxpayer’s have pledged to raise this rate to whatever rate necessary to cover escalating debt service. But, if the I&S rate goes above $0.50/$100, then HCISD cannot have another bond issue. This leads to the temptation for further debt refinancing stretching out the existing debt while few are paying attention.
Instead of having an extra $30 million for capacity expansion from the 2008 issue when construction prices declined 30%, the district wasted the opportunity and built more expensive monuments with larger classrooms with no corresponding increase in nameplate capacity!
Since 1997, Superintendents only interested in short term solutions for their tenure have compounded this growing debacle.
Bryce Bales
Manchaca
