EPISD bonds–the story changes

October 7, 2016

The proposed EPISD bond issue contains approximately $24 million for things that have short life spans (buses, computers, computer networks).  The bonds would also fund high school turf replacement but we don’t have those numbers.

A recent KVIA report featured one of our school board trustees.  She said:

 “We don’t intend to finance short term assets with long term debt, that was never the plan,” EPISD board member Susie Byrd told ABC-7. “It would not be financially prudent.” Byrd said the district would use different financing terms for different items.

Not true

If that was never the plan then she needs to explain this chart that our former city chief financial officer and current deputy superintendent presented to the bond advisory committee:

episdbondelectionscenarios

The chart shows the tax rate staying level for 25 years.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

12 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

EPISD staff changes

October 6, 2016

Since our former deputy city mangler has moved over to EPISD as deputy superintendent of finance and operations we have seen quite a turnover in the senior operations staff at EPISD.

The deputy director of planning and innovative school construction worked with her before.  We fear that “innovative” will describe the way rules get bent if the bond issue passes.

The position of chief information officer is now vacant.  So is the second level position of director of network services.  Both former employees left a couple of weeks ago.

We need to remember what happened over at the city.

Looks like they are putting together a new team.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

9 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Who is supervising whom?

October 5, 2016

If you watch a video of an EPISD meeting you will see the superintendent sitting beside the president, right in the center of the group.

This post is not a complaint or criticism of either the superintendent or the board president.

In our view sitting in the center of the board gives the superintendent an image of importance at the meeting that he should not have.

The board’s job is to manage the superintendent and to allow the public to comment without administration influence.  In our opinion the superintendent should be sitting at one side of the board.

The superintendent is not in charge at these meetings.  He is one of many that the board may choose to call on.

Who’s supervising whom here?

We deserve better

Brutus

3 Comments | El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
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Is it impact or a collision?

October 4, 2016

If there is an award for telling the truth about local government, this group should get it.

womenofimpact

Our former city chief financial officer and now deputy superintendent of finance and operations at EPISD certainly has had an impact on us locally.

So would a meteor.

We will get an annual reminder of her impact when we get our tax bills.

We deserve better

Brutus

2 Comments | City government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

EPISD bonds–legislative lecture

September 29, 2016

Three of our local state legislators recently came out in support of the EPISD bond issue.  Our state senator was quoted in a Times article this way:

“We can’t count on, we can’t rely on, the state of Texas to help us.”

Not considered

What we did not hear from them is “We will work hard to get the legislature to more fairly fund our local schools”.

It is evidently easier to lecture the voters than it is to represent them.

Spend more

Their solution to the local school finance problem involves taking more money out of our pockets.

Many of us would suggest that the district do a better job of managing its expenses.

It is clear that our children need to be educated.  Our local school administrators should focus on putting more of the money that they already have from us in the classroom and eliminating the wasted spending.

We deserve better

Brutus

9 Comments | El Paso Independent School District, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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