Published: October 04, 2008 10:37 pm            

WISD voters send a message: No more taxes

Tax rollback attempt fails, 225-141

PALESTINE — Westwood Independent School District voters turned down a proposed 13-cent above-rollback tax increase Saturday — a proposal that would have funded teacher and employee salaries and facility improvements.

The measure failed by 84 votes, with 141 voting for the proposal and 225 district constituents vetoing the tax increase.

Saturday’s election was called by trustees in July, who cited a need to increase their ability to hire and retain quality teachers and staff at competitive wages as their main reason for asking for the tax increase.

“We are only paying $1,500 above state base to teachers where other comparable districts in the area pay $3,500 above state base,” WISD Superintendent Dr. Ed Lyman, who was unavailable to comment Saturday, said in a previous interview. “Because of that, we are losing good teachers to other districts.”

About 35 percent of the additional revenue generated by the passage of the election would have gone towards funding much-needed facility renovation projects such as the high school science/fine arts building and renovations to a wing of the elementary campus.

“Since the first day of school, we have seen an increase of 150 students district-wide, Lyman said. “If this trend continues, we are certainly going to need more classrooms.”

According to the superintendent, if the rollback election did not pass, some of the district’s planned facility improvements will be canceled or paid for from the district’s fund balance.

“We do already have $3.5 million set aside for facility projects, which will fund a lion’s share of the work,” Lyman said. “But, due to factors such as always-increasing construction costs, it could cost even more.”

Lyman also mentioned that, due to high demand for core-subject teachers, the district might have to offer stipends to entice those teachers to come to WISD. If that happens, cutbacks might have to be made in the area of elective courses and personnel.

“That is something the board would be looking very closely at during the summer budgeting process,” the superintendent said. “And all that depends on the results of the election and the state of the economy.”

Lyman reported that the board’s decision to call a tax rollback election was not one they took lightly.

“This district has always been very prudent and frugal with its finances,” the superintendent said Thursday. “We are careful and have worked hard to preserve the district’s fund balance.

“But we are not Wall Street; there are no bailout plans available for us,” Lyman said. “We have to live within our means.”

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Mary Rainwater may be reached via e-mail at mrainwater@palestineherald.com

        

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