Published: August 01, 2008 04:12 am            

WISD adopts budget; calls rollback election

PALESTINE — The financial fate of Westwood Independent School District is now in the hands of taxpayers, as trustees adopted two different 2008-09 budgets and called a rollback tax election for Oct. 4.

After hashing out financial details in a 2-hour public hearing, the board adopted the two budgets — one based on a rollback tax rate of $1.17 per $100 of property values, and a smaller budget based on a tax rate of $1.04, four cents higher than the current rate of $1.005.

The budget based on the rollback tax rate of $1.17, which must be approved by the district voters in October, will allow the district to provide an additional $2,000-above-base salary increase for teachers, and a $1,000 raise for auxiliary personnel.

“Those raises increase the budget by over $500,000 and will give teachers a $3,000-above base salary,” WISD Business Manager Roxie Jackson said Thursday.

The budget supported by the $1.04 tax rate — the one that will be used if the rollback election fails — will increase teacher salaries by $1,500 and auxiliary personnel by $750.

Several WISD taxpayers took advantage of the public hearing to voice their concerns about the timing of a tax increase and the calling of a rollback tax election.

“It is rough out there,” one citizen told the board, “gas prices are high, people are losing their jobs and children are going hungry.

“And there are a lot of older folks on fixed incomes in Palestine,” they added. “They are barely making ends meet and you want to increase property taxes.”

Trustee Diane Davis address the citizen’s concern, reminding him that “board members are taxpayers too” and they were not increasing taxes “just because they can.”

“For me, this is all about the kids,” Davis added.

WISD Superintendent Dr. Ed Lyman agreed, calling the board’s action “an investment in the future” and one the district “would only benefit from.”

“Public education is the great equalizer,” he added. “Rich or poor, black or white, the public education system is designed to give all students the same education.”

But the system was not without flaws, board members agreed. Trustee Carey McKinney, in particular, voiced his frustrations on the issue to the board and attendees.

“Almost 90 percent of what we do is mandated by the state,” McKinney said. “And most of those mandates are not funded by Austin.

“Out hands are pretty much tied,” he said. “It is frustrating.”

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

        

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