RISD TRE Information Meeting at BHS

The Richardson ISD held another of many information meetings about the upcoming Tax Ratification Election. The meeting was held at Berkner High School. I was there live-tweeting the show. What follows are my tweets, with only the most cursory proofreading. If I heard wrong or garbled what I heard, that's on me. Don't blame the RISD without checking your own sources first. Here, you get what you pay for.

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• Woman walks in late carrying a large "Vote NO" yard sign. Then she walks out the front, with a smirk, holding the sign up for all to see. Smooth.
• Not quite synonyms. When you mean to say "duplication" but instead say "Questions will be screened for duplicity."
• Q. Are you positive the 65+ tax freeze applies to this TRE?
  A. Yes.
• Q. Can the 65+ tax freeze be passed on to a new homeowner?
  A. No.
• Q. What accounts for increases in expenses over the last five years?
  A. Increasing enrollments, staff raises and other investments in instruction in our classrooms.
• Q. Why not spread out the tax increase over several years?
  A. RISD didn't want to raise taxes this year, then come back next year and raise them again.
• Q. When will RISD meet its goal to have every student perform at grade level?
  A. It's a four year goal.
• Q. Is there a correlation between investments and student outcomes?
  A. Yes. (I didn't catch what evidence was cited. My bad.)
• Q. Why do we need an assistant principal for additional security?
  A. Backup, specialized training, and there's always useful and needed work when security needs are met.
• Q. Are budget forecasts for next five years realistic?
  A. RISD believes so. It's based on enrollment growth, inflation, and expected new educational programs. We still need a legislative fix to school finance.
• Q. Why budget for 2% inflation when inflation this year is 2.7%?
  A. If inflation is higher than 2%, budget will have to reflect that. For now, RISD believes 2% is a conservative estimate.
• Q. Why doesn't RISD budget more conservatively?
  A. Budgets are conservative and needed. RISD doesn't have the luxury to leave money on the table.
• Q. Why do high schools need so many assistant principals?
  A. Instructional support, discipline, parental communications, safety, supervising extracurricular activities, etc., etc.
• Q. What is superintendent's raise going to be?
  A. 2.5% just like all the teachers. For all, it's only if the TRE passes.
• Q. How do you explain teacher turnover?
  A. There are a lot of different reasons. RISD did "stay interviews." Teachers want more time, more special education staffing, and higher pay. TRE will help, directly or indirectly, with all three.
• Q. Why build the indoor practice fields?
  A. They were part of the 2016 bond election. RISD is carrying out the voters' decision in that vote.
• Q. Why did RISD build a new operations center (i.e., "bus barn")?
  A. The old operations center on Security Row was out of date. The old bus barn on Greenville Avenue was out of compliance.
• Q. Why was property on White Rock Trail acquired then sold?
  A. The initial plan was to build a school. Later plan was to expand a school instead, at less cost. Sale of property is in progress, which should allow RISD to recoup purchase price.
• Q. How do we get the state to provide more funding for schools?
  A. Lobby your state legislators.
• Q. If state increases funding, will RISD reduce tax rate?
  A. School board can certainly do this and will consider it.
• Postscript to RISD TRE mtg: I learned something. TRE will raise $30m more revenue. RISD will owe $5m to state in recapture payments. That I knew, but...state allotment will increase $5m so RISD will effectively get to keep all the extra revenue the TRE raises.