Nobody opens a new extravagant $25 million elementary school for IH-35 new students – except Hays and we did it twice last year with the opening of Carpenter and Pfluger. We opened Lehman for 65 new students and we opened Camino Real with nothing but pasture around it. We had to import almost 100% of the students for Blanco Vista since, when that school opened, the subdivision had 14 houses. Maintaining under enrolled facilities has wasted and continues to waste millions.
The district hired Lyon from Oregon. But, he is from Leander, Texas having left three years prior. He elected to leave the Texas Teacher Retirement System (TRS) on his own accord, before we knew him. Presumably, while out of state, he and the school districts he worked for contributed to his out of state retirement.
Nonetheless, Hays CISD decided his $179,000 salary plus deferred compensation plan, guaranteed 4% minimum annual raise and creating another exclusive Central Office position for his wife was not enough. Our School Board agreed to buy back his state retirement in Texas for work he did not perform and let him “double down.” TRS wanted what he would have paid in and what his employer would have paid in had he not left, plus interest. This cost Hays CISD over $100,000. What a steal with our “nationwide search”!
These transactions have compromised the district and compromised the superintendent. Did this situation contribute to the decision to hire back all the people terminated this spring, awarding raises of 3-7% and failure to drop the head count in the bloated Central Office? Since the majority of this money goes to the professional staff and the majority of the professional staff does not reside here, this additional burden is extremely hard on taxpayers.The district is not working for you. We’re working for it.
Creating these avoidable new continuing cost metrics is foolish. Borrowing over $2 million from savings outside the budget and then calling the budget a “projected surplus” is misleading. These actions do not build support for education. Affordable quality education is achievable with the right leadership.
Bryce Bales
Manchaca
