Wimberley leaders may forgo 'Robin Hood' payment

[IndianFan]

Another example of a school district suffering from the state's socialist effort.

Feb. 8, 2008, 10:45PM
District weighs defying state
Wimberley leaders may forgo 'Robin Hood' payment

By GARY SCHARRER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — Wimberley school and community leaders will decide in a few days whether to defy the state of Texas by refusing to make their next "Robin Hood" school finance payment.

Wimberley schools face consolidation with a neighboring district, Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott warned Friday, if Wimberley officials follow through with threats not to make the payment that state law requires of property-rich school districts.

The Wimberley Independent School District, with just under 2,000 students in the Texas Hill Country, owes the state $2.3 million, with the first installment due Friday.

School officials have threatened to withhold payments as a protest against state law that requires them to surrender tax revenue while, at the same time, they have to cut programs, reduce staff and stall maintenance repairs because of a funding shortage.

About 150 of the state's wealthiest school districts must share tax revenue by sending a certain portion to the state or directly to a property-poor school district. A school district's wealth is determined by dividing the value of all the property within its borders by the number of students.

Scott told a House legislative committee he's confident a crisis can be averted and offered to delay the Wimberley school district's obligation to repay the state for an unrelated school funding issue of about $1 million until August 2009.

But that won't fix the problem, Wimberley ISD officials said later.

"The community supports us, and I think we're going to press on and not pay them, and we'll just see what happens," said Gary "Catfish" Pigg, vice president of the Wimberley school board and a small-business owner. "We're not going through this thing blind. We know that there's going to be repercussions."

The Wimberley school board will address the potential crisis during a public forum Tuesday night, followed by an official board meeting, which Pigg anticipates will result in school officials saying, "See you in court."

Up to 90 percent of the community residents are itching for a fight with the state over the Robin Hood school funding plan, Pigg said: "That's just an awesome feeling, knowing that people are behind you."

State lawmakers came up with the Robin Hood provision 15 years ago as a temporary solution to address the vast disparity in property wealth.

Texas school districts are classified as property-rich once their property wealth reaches $319,000 per student. The property wealth in the Wimberley district is about $456,000 per student. The district is considered unique because of minimal student enrollment growth. The area has little industry but a growing retirement population.

The education commissioner complimented Wimberley schools for high achievement but warned they could be consolidated by midsummer if they refuse to make their Robin Hood payments, which are formally known as recapture payments.

"I can't be any more emphatic. I have no choice but to take action against a district that fails to make a recapture payment," Scott told the House Select Committee on Higher and Public Education Finance.

Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, is working with state education officials and the school district he represents.

"We can't afford to be consolidated. That is a terrible outcome for our community and for the 2,000 students," Rose said.

District options
Because of financial pressures, Wimberley Superintendent Dwain York said the district's only options are to raise taxes or "bus kids from the surrounding area and market ourselves as a private school." Increasing Wimberley's enrollment by accepting students from outside its boundaries would allow the district to keep more of its local tax dollars.

But raising taxes is not an option because the district has already reached its limit and would require voter approval to increase it, York said. Voters would not approve a tax increase knowing that a significant portion of the revenue would go to the state, he said.

David Hinojosa, a lawyer with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, reminded lawmakers that the fight over equalization and recapture payments from wealthy school districts ended with a state Supreme Court ruling in the mid-1990s.

Even with the lost money, the Wimberley school district still spends $600 more per student than the state average and has far fewer low-income and English-deficient children than property-poor districts do, he said.

"What they fail to understand is that all of the obstacles they face are even more pronounced for those districts with high-need populations," Hinojosa said.

The controversial Robin Hood plan creates division among Texans, said committee Chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas, who has been fighting the system since his election in 2002.

Property-rich schools are giving up nearly $1.2 billion this year, which is about $700 million less than last year because of modest changes in the school finance system.

gscharrer@express-news.net

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5527060.html

[PNG NDN Fan]

Should be interesting.  Seems like as a country is getting more and more dependent on the government to provide for them.  Self-reliance and capitalism is what made this country great, now it is all about "what is the government going to give me?".  They talk about "equal opportunity", but what they really mean is that they want everyone's path to desired outcome to be equally difficult/easy, that's just not going to happen. 

If you want to live in a better school district, do what it takes to live there. The opportunity is there, it may not be easy, and you may have to work 10 times harder than the next guy to get there, but it is there.

[PNG Proud]

I agree.  It kind of reminds me of those folks that move outside the city limits ("because the taxes are lower"), but then they gripe (I'm really being nice here) every time it rains and their streets flood, because the "city" doesn't do something about the drainage....Duh!  Here's your sign!

As ALWAYS...you get what you pay for.
Sometimes I think the governments are hellbent to create a socialistic society.  If that happens, I'M going to move out of the city.....WAY out!

[IndianFan]

Better be prepared to move out of the country then.  Our state and federal governments are hard at work on some social engineering of never before seen proportions.  Better pray that neither Dem is elected because our world will, to use the much abused campaign buzzword, 'change'. 

Sadly I don't know that there is a better place to move to.  Other than possibly Australia, I draw a blank.

[MightyNDNS]

I plan to eventually drop out of society and find a remote island somewhere and eat fish, bananas and crabs all day( I'm bringing lots of Tony's seasoning with me)!!!!  You think I'm jokin but is sure sounds better than what lies ahead of us.

[bamakid]

And now, looking back on the election all these months later, I have to say that the next four years are gonna suck. Alot. A whole lot.

[squaw]

And now, looking back on the election all these months later, I have to say that the next four years are gonna suck. Alot. A whole lot.

Please!! Obama has done more in his first 100 days that either Bush did in 8 years.  Today's news--the recession is ending (the shortest recession I've ever seen).  Only 21% of Americans admit to being Republican.  Why do you think that is? It's not because the Republicans did such a fine job.  Let's not talk politics on this site--I feel that however you vote is your business and I don't go around cutting down Republicans, but I am sick of your rhetoric about this topic.  Truce, OK, and lets not talk religion or politics.  No one wins when you do.

[bamakid]

And now, looking back on the election all these months later, I have to say that the next four years are gonna suck. Alot. A whole lot.

Please!! Obama has done more in his first 100 days that either Bush did in 8 years.  Today's news--the recession is ending (the shortest recession I've ever seen).  Only 21% of Americans admit to being Republican.  Why do you think that is? It's not because the Republicans did such a fine job.  Let's not talk politics on this site--I feel that however you vote is your business and I don't go around cutting down Republicans, but I am sick of your rhetoric about this topic.  Truce, OK, and lets not talk religion or politics.  No one wins when you do.

squaw, look at the date on that post.

[PNG NDN Fan]

The honest truth is that Republicans got into this mess by getting away from conservative principles.  Had they stuck to fiscal and social conservative principles they would have done fine.  Like sports teams, sometimes you need to real buttkicking to give yourself a reality check and right the ship.

[bamakid]

The honest truth is that Republicans got into this mess by getting away from conservative principles.  Had they stuck to fiscal and social conservative principles they would have done fine.  Like sports teams, sometimes you need to real buttkicking to give yourself a reality check and right the ship.

Good point. Can't wait till 2010. Get ready, Congress. Here we come.