Humble ISD Legislative Committee – update 3/3/09
Posted by Texas Education on March 4, 2009
Below is a compilation of information the committee has put together for anyone interested in contacting any of our legislators, or writing letters to the editor of your local paper, or even major papers. Sorry, I did not update from our last meeting, but here are the results. Our next meeting is:
Monday, March 9
6:30 pm
Administration Building – Board room
Letter to Community Organizations, Local Media and Friends
March 3, 2009
Dear Humble ISD Residents and Business persons,
We have a very serious situation facing every person who lives in the Humble Independent School District area today. Despite the school tax increase that was approved in November 2008, and $27 million in school budget cuts in recent years (including $9 million for 2008-09 alone), Humble ISD is still in serious financial trouble. Humble ISD will become insolvent within 18-24 months unless it receives additional state funding or makes cutbacks that will lower the standard of education we have come to expect and also further depress our home values.
You may ask how this can be, given the budget cuts and increase in school taxes we have endured. The following is a summary of the issues causing this situation: State funding for education has been frozen at 2005 levels despite inflation.
Humble ISD’s State Funding allocation amount (WADA)—currently $4,937 per student per school year—is well below the state average. Compare this with other districts that have over $6,000 per student and the difference amounts to thousands of dollars per classroom.
Humble ISD does not receive any additional tax revenue from increased property values or new businesses that open in our fast-growing district.
Because ours is a fast-growing school district (#24 in Texas out of 1000+), Humble ISD must benefit from local property tax revenue growth without an equivalent reduction is state aid.
The bottom line is that Texas has a seriously flawed education funding system that needs to be overhauled. I am writing this letter to ask for your help in contacting your State Legislators to request a change to this outdated and inadequate State Education Funding system. Please try to do this by Friday, March 13th, 2009, which is an important deadline for the legislature.
No matter what, though, it is critical that we express our concern as quickly as possible!
We need increased state funding for Humble ISD and we need it NOW!
Sincerely,
Members of the District’s all-volunteer Legislative Committee and
Other Concerned Residents of Humble ISD
*For legislators’ contact information and a sample letter on the District’s website, click here*
**For more sample letters to state legislators, see attached sample-letter-1 and sample-letter-2 and sample-letter-3**
Suggested recipients (for phone, e-mail and/or letter) – and for more click here:
Rep. Joe Crabb
1110 Kingwood Drive
Suite 200
Kingwood, Texas 77339
281-359-1270 (phone)
281-359-1272 (fax)
joe.crabb@house.state.tx.us
adrian.rocha@house.state.tx.us (chief of staff—Austin)
philip.ivy@house.state.tx.us (Kingwood office)
Sen. Tommy Williams
P.O. Box 8069
The Woodlands, Texas 77387-8069
281-364-9426 (phone)
281-364-9473 (fax)
tommy.williams@senate.state.tx.us
janet.steinben@senate.state.tx.us (chief of staff—Austin)
amanda.montagne@senate.state.tx.us
Many thanks to Margaret Fraissinet for putting all this together!
