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Hope and Regret

10/31/2013

This one is personal. This video was difficult to watch. For me, it brings tears. But it also brings hope.

New Possibilities because of AIDS.

If the link doesn't take you to the film "Fire with Fire" then look for that on the site.

I love that the virus that's killed so many may be the key that now saves lives.

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Schools have 2 pockets

10/26/2013

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Before a bond election the talk is generally about how much my taxes will go up.

That's a reasonable concern.

Let's make sure everyone knows that schools have 2 pockets.

The Bond election pocket is limited to bonded indebtedness and is generally earmarked for facilities. With voter approval, districts can issue bonds that will be repaid from future taxes over the life of the bond. Rules essentially limit these bonds to property that could be sold if required. Districts can't issue bonds to bring in winning football coaches (or teachers).

As I recall (this is going back 20 years and rules do change so please check the appropriate site for Texas) there is a limit to the rate for the combination of the Bond side and the Sustaining side. Let's say the limit for these two pockets is about one dollar and fifty cents per hundred dollars of property evaluation. This means that the bonded indebtedness cannot raise the total tax rate beyond $1.50/$100. Usually the Maintenance (or Sustaining) pocket is around $1/$100. So, the bond pocket is smaller than the Sustaining pocket.

We could say that the bond is temporary. It is. Texas law says the term for the bond cannot exceed 40 years. Truth is, the facilities built with a bond will wear out. By the time this bond has been paid off there will surely be other needs in the district and new bonds will be needed. It isn't likely that this expense will go away once the bond is over.

Every community has its share of grouches so there will always be some people who oppose whatever is proposed. Likewise, each community has some folks ready to vote "YES" for whatever comes along. A bond election allows the rest of us to weigh the proposal and cast our votes based on our best judgment. And after the votes are in, we'll all have to live with what the majority decides.

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School Bond elections

10/26/2013

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The combination of the federal budget woes and the increase in city water bills makes this a really tough time for other entities to ask for more money. But it is always hard to reject measures that will improve conditions in local schools. Voters in several local districts are being asked to approve bond elections.
Jim Ned patrons will have to decide how local they want their schools to be. They'll be voting on a proposal that would consolidate elementary campuses into a single site in Tuscola. The sites in Lawn and Buffalo Gap would be closed so the issues for these folks involve more than just money.
As folks vote about facilities and school funding, I'd like mention a few items about how schools are financed in Texas. First, the legislature has spent years wrestling with equitable funding for schools and may never find a good way to make that happen. Second, our schools have 2 pockets.
About twenty years ago I studied school funding because I was serving as a school board trustee. I learned that the state doesn't fund education in Texas. That falls to the individual school district. Each district sets and collects taxes on property. Then, the district has to find a way to educate their students while meeting the obligations of unfunded mandates that come from state and national rule makers.
Since not all property is created equal, districts have very different incomes. Generally, business and industrial property bring in much more income than farming and residential property. There is an equality of taxation when tax rates are based on valuation. But this does not translate into parity of funding for "rich" districts and "poor" districts.
I don't think Solomon could find a way to spread education funding equitably across the state. But I do believe that districts should benefit from their own wise monetary choices.
And now, because of the way blogs work, I'm going to close this portion and address the 2 pockets idea in a new entry.

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Eccentric Abilene

10/4/2013

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I'm not saying that Abilene is alone in the eccentric nature of the activities listed here. But they aren't the usual sorts of things one expects to find in the news.
Take micro-chipping an animal for instance: Area pet owners are invited to have microchips implanted in their animals for only $10 on Saturday (Oct 5th). AND there will be a movie that's been paw-picked for dogs to enjoy alongside their people. The movie (BOLT) is an animated film spotlighting the adventures of Buzz Lightyear's canine equivalent. Expect free popcorn and dog food samples to be available.
If a person's interests flow more toward hunting with dogs rather than watching celluoid critters, Abilene's website spotlights the city's ordinances affecting weapon use inside city limits here.
A recent Texas Crossword answer called attention to the Lacrosse team at the University of Texas in Austin. Did you know that the City sponsors Lacrosse lessons? Lessons available at Sears park.
Don't forget the Fall Clean up event. City residents will be able to dispose of used tires for free (exceptions apply please check the press release for more information). I can really appreciate that because someone dumped a tire in the alley behind my house.
For a short tour of Abilene sculptures see the around Abilene link above. Some of those are definitely eccentric.

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Hope and Regret

Schools have 2 pockets

School Bond elections

Eccentric Abilene

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