WORLD Magazine: Education Results vs Spending...By The Numbers

Ronald Reagan once said, “If you serve a child a rotten hamburger in America, federal, state, and local agencies will investigate you, summon you, close you down, whatever. But if you provide a child with a rotten education, nothing happens, except that you're liable to be given more money to do it with. Well, we've discovered that money alone isn't the answer.”    



He couldn't have been more correct.  WORLD Magazine wrote a post they titled By The Numbers. in which they discuss this very issue.  Here are the stats they shared to drive Reagan's quote home:

10.3

"The percentage increase in the number of students in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016, according to a September study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). The increase was from 45.9 million to 50.6 million."

57

"The percentage increase in the ­number of teachers in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016—from about 2 million to 3.17 million—according to the AEI study."

147

"The percentage increase in nonteaching staffers in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016—from 1.4 million to 3.3 million—according to AEI."

150

"The percentage increase, adjusted for inflation, in per-pupil spending in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016—from $4,934 to $12,220—according to AEI."

And finally,

287

"The reading score for 17-year-old Americans on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2015. This was virtually unchanged from the score of 286 in 1975. Scores on both reading and math have been essentially flat since the early 1970s, despite the more than doubling of spending per student and a sharp increase in the number of teachers per student. A Department of Education report concluded: “Average reading and mathematics achievement for 17-year-olds did not change significantly between the early 1970s and 2012 or between 2008 and 2012.”

So the next time your local school district comes to you with their hand out looking for a billion plus dollar bond, remember this and tell them to go take a hike, and not a tax hike.  




 

Two Katy ISD Board Positions Up For Grabs On May 9th

It's election time again!  Yes, Political Chicken readers, Katy ISD School Board elections are around the corner!  It may seem as though the November elections just ended, but it's time to dust off your voter registration card once again and put it to good use; to elect a solid, informed school board trustee to represent the taxpayers in the Katy Independent School District.

It is imperative that we get voters out for the May election.  Looking at election history for Katy ISD Trustee elections, more often than not, the trustees are selected by a small number of the district population.  Here's a statistic that should get your attention; for the 2014 Katy ISD board election in which three trustees were up for election, out of 142,000 registered voters, only 4,000 votes were cast!  The trustee election was decided on by less than three percent of registered voters.  I've always said that local involvement is important, and that theme once again runs through this blog, and the Katy community.

Two positions are up for grabs, position six and position seven, currently held by incumbents Charles Griffin and Bryan Michalsky.  They have served a three year term and have both drawn opponents; John Pendergraff and Leonard Ledford.  Here's a little information about all four candidates.

Bryan Michalsky "was elected to the Katy ISD Board of Trustees in May 2012. Michalsky is a graduate of Sam Houston State University where he holds a BBA in accounting. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.  Michalsky currently works as Chief Financial Officer for Cotton Holdings, Inc. and sits on the Advisory Board for Cotton Foundation that is dedicated to helping children affected by life-changing challenges. He has lived in Katy for six years and is a member of Parkway Fellowship, where he serves as a Men's Small Group Leader. He has served the Katy community through various sports organizations. He also serves Katy ISD through both the Seven Lakes and Katy High School Booster Clubs."


John Pendergraff, concerned Katy ISD parent is running for position 6.  From his website, his qualifications include, "I have a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri, Columbia.  I am an engineer at a small company where I am known to be an outside the box problem solver.  I have a very strong ability to use common sense to solve problems. I am also good at detecting bad ideas and the unintended consequences of seemingly good ideas. I love my kids more than I fear getting involved with the school board."

Leonard Ledford is also challenging an incumbent for position seven.   From his website: "As a Katy ISD concerned parent and taxpayer, I believe we need to be more focused as a community on the quality of education that is offered to our children. We need a school board that will communicate with the community before, during and after issues and votes. A board that will work with and listen to our teachers, not set direction and sit back and watch."

Charles Griffin "was elected to the Katy ISD Board of Trustees in May 2012.  Griffin graduated from Katy High School in 1985, making him the second generation to graduate from the high school. Following graduation, Griffin attended the United States Air Force Academy and started his path towards a retirement from the military. He held many jobs in the Air Force, including flying, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Currently, Griffin works for United Arlines as a Captain on a 737.
Griffin is married to Nikki, who is also a Katy graduate, and they have four children. The Griffins wanted their children to attend Katy schools so, following the military, they moved back to Katy. For three generations and more, Katy ISD has done an outstanding job educating Griffin's father, himself, his wife and his children.
Griffin became a school board member to pay back the community for all the skills, education, and support it has provided for his family. He has been active in his children's PTA, local sport teams, and booster clubs for many years."

So, Katy ISD parents and residents, you have a decision to make!  The election is May 9th, 2015.  Get out and vote and bring a neighbor with you!  We CAN'T let such a small portion of the electorate be the deciding factor in this election.  I'm not supporting or endorsing anyone in this race, but the need to GOTV in these May school board and bond elections is paramount.  Remember, grass roots grow in your own backyard!

Katy ISD: Got Debt?

There are many issues that we encounter and deal with as a community on a local, city, state, and a national level.  Some are more controversial than others, obviously.  There is one issue that can tear apart an education community or school district faster than any of these other issues; a school bond proposal.  Want to make it even more divisive?  Throw in a new football stadium proposal in the bond proposal.  Look. Out.


The Katy ISD bond is no different.  And sadly, it's a statewide epidemic.

However, even the folks that support the bond are coming up short on their logic, seemingly failing to consider what the passage of this bond would do to the local and state economies.  The debt of Texas' cities is comparable to California's cities, even to that of bankrupt Detroit.  Even Breitbart has picked up on it in this article titled, Texas Cities Should Learn from Bankrupt, Spendthrift Detroit.  Jess Fields said, "Texans must work to ensure that our localities do not rack up enormous debt and waste money on pet projects we cannot afford. Taxpayers should demand that local governments spend money on priorities, like good public safety and sound infrastructure."

On the other side, the Katy LiberTea group led the fight in 2013 and helped defeat an earlier bond.  Their desire to see the bond voted down is no different this time around.  Cyndi Lawrence, president of Katy LiberTea has this to say about the state of affairs in the Katy Independent School District: "We acknowledge the fact that Katy ISD is a highly desired community. We need to look at a package that addresses classroom space for our kids and that is fiscally responsible. This community has expanded so much because it is a great area to live, but we want it to remain that way. We do not want our community to be in such a large amount of debt.  This bond reminds me of Bills that come through the U.S. House, the INTENTION is always good, but somehow tons of pork gets added and then the intention of the Bill ends up lost.  We need to be more transparent and fiscally responsible when preparing a bond.  There has been way to much “fluff” money added to this current bond package. This bond should only be addressing growth while respecting the community’s hard earned tax payer dollars. According to debt at a glance, for school districts of similar size in Texas, Katy ISD ranks the 5^th highest in debt with the amount of $1,234,844,928.  The cost per student is $19,172."

Cyndi continues: "The community has already voted down the 2013 $99,000,000 bond because most felt like the school district was proposing to spend too much money on things that are not necessities. Here we are a year later, and not only did they NOT listen to the community’s concerns, but they added 700 MILLION more dollars to the bond and MORE “fluff.” This is not representative of what the community wants and what is best for our children. They need to consider our concerns and address the growth needs in a fiscally responsible manner. Our community and our children will be paying this debt off for years to come."

Most people think that conservative groups are always railing against any sort of bond referendum or proposal.  That's simply not true!  To back that up, I thought it would be interesting  to include some quotes from some folks who would like to remain anonymous.  The first person comments concerning the stadium that has been injected into the bond:

"Why is the stadium being forced into a bond that is primarily for education and facilities pertaining to education? Why is it not on its own ticket?"

"The stadium did not make the vote last year and there has been a whole year to prepare for a better solution. Why has Katy ISD not researched and secured corporate sponsors, stadium naming rights, and etc… They could sell seat options, raise ticket prices, and paid parking. There are many ways that this could have been sold to the voters without shoving it down our throats in a bond that includes mass much needed educational components. That's just dirty and unethical no matter what side your on."

"Sometimes you have to pay to play!"

Some people are not even talking about the stadium.  Here's one taxpayer who is concerned about whether or not Katy ISD already has the money on hand to spend without passing the bond: 

"On the KISD Bond issue, I have a house that last year was valued at $92,500 - KISD taxes $1415. This year the same house value was upped to $149,000 - KISD taxes $2279. This appears to me to be a little more than $10-$20 per year. And it's a rental with no exemptions. So, if my KISD taxes are going up $864 per year, I guess that I am accounting for the $10 increase for 86 houses. They should not need any bonds approved inasmuch as the increase in valuations more than makes up for the bonds they want to issue."

Here's more from another concerned citizen about the tax rate:

"KISD tax rate is 1.5266% (1.1266 M&O and 0.400 I&S). This is before the planned tax rate increase in the proposed bond. This current rate is already higher than over 93% of all other school districts in TX and even higher than CFISD. Not sure how that is possible with the behemoth of a Berry Center cost already included in CFISD M&O and I&S rates. Good news is it is still lower than Allen ISD but they already have their 60MM stadium. Well it's really even more than the 60MM when you add the costs they are currently incurring to repair all the cracked concrete in it."

Unfortunately, as is always the case with school bond debates, those presenting rationale, financial reasons to oppose the bond will be labeled “anti-children.” 

These are real concerns from real people.  They are legitimate concerns, too.  None that can just be explained away by the pro-bond side as 'ignorant' or uneducated.  If you live in Katy ISD, please consider a 'no' vote on this bond.  It's time that we stop loving our children to debt.