Monday - October 26, 2009
Good morning!  Another week has passed and we are nearing the month of November.  It only seems like yesterday that we started the school year.  I just can't believe the year is going by so fast.  Each week I see so many great things going on in Northside and I am so proud of our district!

Last Wednesday night we continued our school dedications with the dedication of Ralph Langley Elementary School.  This school is dedicated to a man who was known as the father of Texas school law and was committed to both public service and public education.  Mr. Langley was one of Northside ISD's first district lawyers and was instrumental in helping this rural school system transition into a large urban, suburban, and rural district.  He visited many schools in Northside and could always be counted on to speak at a school's Career Day.  He also served as Chairman of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.  Certainly he was a great individual who was an integral part of the development and transition of this wonderful district.  I want to say congratulations to Principal Brenda Farias, Vice Principal Tesilia Soliz, the faculty, and staff at Langley Elementary for the wonderful job they have done in opening the school and preparing everything for the first year.  The dedication program was excellent, and I was so impressed by the performance of the students.  It was a great evening of celebration in Northside and we say congratulations to the Langley Lobos.  Welcome to the Northside family, and we are so proud of you!

I want to thank all the participants and especially the "school teams" who participated this weekend in the Northside Education Foundation 5K Walk/Run.  It was a fun event and another manner in which funds are raised to support teacher grants.  The NEF "Prize Patrol" just traveled throughout the district and distributed 183 grants for a total of $81,000.  Thanks to all of those who do so much to support our Foundation!

I know many of you have been reading or hearing on the news about the financial reductions that North East ISD is making in its budget.  I certainly recognize this difficult time for them and feel for them as they look at budget reductions.  Many of the actions they are taking are actions which we had to take six and seven years ago when we cut $23.5 million and gave no salary increase, and the following year eliminated block scheduling to save $16 million.  The accumulation of not spending those funds over the time period since the cuts were made has positioned us to be in what I would say is a solid financial state at this time.  We have been able to give salary increases and take care of necessary expenditures even though very little increase in revenue has occurred at the state level.

Yet as I look at our financial projections in the out years, I am very concerned that in two years we will be looking again at additional cuts to our budget.  This past year we instituted several cost saving measures that saved us an additional $4.5 million that helped us finish the last budget year with a greater fund balance than anticipated and will only help us to better meet our needs this fiscal year.  These measures included things such as not filling some positions or delaying the filling of some positions, reduction in overtime pay, and not subbing for certain positions.  Yet at no time did we not proceed with filling a classroom teaching position, or subbing for a teacher who was absent when a substitute teacher was necessary.

These types of measures, along with others, will be continued this year as we look to continue to reserve and save as much money as we can.  In two years when the Legislature convenes in the 2011 session I have heard that they will be looking at close to a $12 billion deficit.  Also, at that time the Stabilization Stimulus funds which the state used to increase funding to schools and to fund a mandated salary increase will go away.  Also, the amount of Stabilization Stimulus funds used by the state to supplement the Available School fund will not be available.  This could mean a $25 million funding cliff which Northside will be facing at that time, unless the Legislature does something to replace these federal dollars with state dollars.  This scenario is being played out in practically every school district in Texas over this biennium and as we look to the 2011 legislative session.

If we had not made the cuts we did several years ago, we would be making those cuts at this time.  The need to cut just came quicker to us in Northside, but now it is hitting North East.  And I feel for them, and I respect the decisions they are making to address their budget concerns.  Am I worried about where we will be in the next two years if the Legislature does nothing to help schools?  Absolutely, and all of us must realize as cost saving measures are put in place it is to help us in the long run to be in better financial condition as we face a time of very serious school finance decisions being made by our state leaders and our state Legislature.

As you have heard me say several times, in this past legislative session the Legislature put no new state funds into education, only federal stimulus dollars, and then required us to use it for salary increases when they knew the funding was only good for two years.  The inequitable distribution of those funds, along with the "target revenue" system under which we operate, only exacerbates the problem.  Last week I spoke to two different groups, one a group of realtors and the other a group of retired teachers.  I told them they needed to understand one major thing about school finance, and that is since 2006 school districts do not get the advantage of property value increases that occur because of new construction or reappraisals.  The state of Texas gets the advantage!  We are still operating in this year 2009-10 on the same local/state revenue per pupil that we had in 2006-07 plus the $120 per student we received in stabilization stimulus funds.  The advantage of property value increases statewide of at least $1.8 billion was not even returned to school districts by the 2009 Legislature!

Nearly all districts in the state are at the $1.04 tax rate for maintenance and operations and the only way to access more funding locally is to ask for a tax rate election for an increase that could move anywhere from the $1.04 to $1.17.  I heard in a meeting this week that school districts should just go ask their voters to approve an increase in the tax rate, yet the money paid by the property taxpayers that advantaged the state was not even returned to school districts which certainly could have prevented some districts from holding tax rate elections, or making further budget cuts.

I know school finance is complicated and many times convoluted.  Yet all I think any of us are asking is for the state to put a priority on funding education and realize that the education of our children is the most important investment that can be made.  You work hard and our kids are achieving at an all-time high, but please understand what every school district in Texas is facing.  The adequacy of funding and the equity of funding must be addressed!

Thanks for all you do!  I appreciate you so much and I promise I will keep working and fighting for the adequacy and equity of funding that must occur for Texas and for Northside ISD to remain great!  "Deep in the Heart of Northside" speaks to our students, and we must not fail them.

Have a great week!