Frisco was unable to pass a TRE. They are the ONLY district in Collin County to have not done this. Since the votes said NO, the school district is going to have to make significant cuts.

Teacher's, Budgets, & Extracurriculars are all about to be slashed.

They proposed a 13% property tax increase that would go to teacher salaries and other operating expenses. The district is growing while state funding is shrinking, but i think the biggest issue was the optics from the $30 million contribution to The Star and a very nice new admin building. I think there are also a lot of questions as to whether they've overdone the "anti-Allen" concept by building too many schools. They are constantly rerouting kids and there is a lot of money flowing to the administration required to support that network. Add all of that up and it failed. I think a lot of voters hit "Now hold on a second, let's stop writing checks and make sure we're being smart about the money being spent" mode.

(I'm in Plano/PISD but have a number of Frisco friends and coworkers)

TRE stands for Tax Ratification Election

This is a referendum vote (state law) that must be passed by the votes in order to raise a districts M&O tax rate. (Maintenance & Operations)

Frisco is the only district in Collin County that has not passed one.

The tax rate can be up to $1.00 for every $100 of valuation without voter approval. It can be raised up to a maximum of $1.17. This changed in 2006 by our 'wonderful' Texas state legislature.

All proceeds from 0-1.00 & 1.07-1.17 are also up for recapture by any district that is Chapter 41. (This means a wealth property district.)

All the 'major' ones in Collin County are Chapter 41 and send funds to the state to pay for the less wealthy districts.

The TRE can boost salaries, but Frisco needed theirs to simply keep salaries the same and hire the needed teachers for new schools being built. Frisco made a deal with the investors of Stonebriar years back that capped the taxes they pay no matter the revenue that the area generates. For a while, it did not hurt them. Now, they could be in trouble, monetarily speaking.

Also, the state previously has provided aid for new schools being built. Unfortunately, our legislators are not defending public schools, and did not fund this in the last biennium. This is a horrible situation and will not change until Texas goes back blue, thus electing people who actually support public schools. (Need an Example - See Lt. Gov. Dan Goeb, his real name is not Patrick, assaults on Public Schools & the UIL)

Since the questions will be asked.... No, I am not a teacher or administrator in Frisco ISD. Yes, I am a public school educator, and certified administrator in Collin County.

Frisco ISD has more administrators per student than just about every school district in the state. They are top heavy, with the superintendent having hired several of his family, including his wife, to cushy high paying executive admin positions.

And their solution to the TRE failing is to go after teachers and extracurricular programs because that's visible to the students and families in the district.

Complete crock.

AG 2000' said:

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Frisco ISD has more administrators per student than just about every school district in the state. They are top heavy, with the superintendent having hired several of his family, including his wife, to cushy high paying executive admin positions.

And their solution to the TRE failing is to go after teachers and extracurricular programs because that's visible to the students and families in the district.

Complete crock.

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Wow. This could not be more false. I understand if you don't agree with the TRE, but at least get your facts straight regarding the admin to student ratio and the Lyons.

The Teacher/Admin ratio for 2015-2016 is 16:1, with a Student/Admin ratio of 239:1. The Admin Cost per Student in Frisco is lower than Little Elm, Allen, Prosper, Plano, Lewisville, and McKinney.

Dr. Lyon's wife, Dr. Ellen Lyon, is the Department Chair of her school's science department and teaches AP Biology; she is not in a "cushy high-paying executive admin" position. She makes just as much as any other AP Bio teacher.

The only crock I see is ignorant people like you spouting off about subjects you have no clue about in reality.

I voted no for the TRE for one reason...

The FISD School Board failed to plan for a $30 million reduction in revenue from the State.

About 3 years ago, a bond election was passed that allowed FISD to fund the construction of 7 (not sure on the exact number) new schools that, (I don't remember the exact quotes below, so I'm paraphrasing), "account for the growth in students that is going to occur." That bond passage rose the debt levels for the district to one of the highest in the state.

A key question from that bond election was "how will FISD pay for the obvious staffing increases that the new schools will need?" The board's answer..."future staffing needs have been accounted for in the long term budget." In essence they said, "trust us."

State funding to FISD was scheduled to be reduced by about $30 million in 2017. IIRC, the state law spelling this out has been on the books for over 10 years. Never once during the bond election did I hear of an impending budget crisis on the horizon, however soon after the bond passage, stories starting appearing from FISD on the need to increase funding due to the long term shortfall. In a matter of months, it was determined that the only way to get the necessary funding was to raise taxes; and to raise the tax to the maximum allowed by law. All this was occurring at the same time that property values were increasing rapidly in the FISD footprint. FISD Board wanted to raise an average $450 per household, on top of the $300 average per household increase that had already occurred due to the increase in property values the last few years.

In 2017, there will be several schools in FISD that will be under utilized at the same time that 4 new schools were opening (*** as of last month those schools will now be delayed to at least 2018 ***).

To me, the FISD completely failed in its duty to be fiscally responsible with the constraints placed upon it. It planned its future on a funding model that was obsolete and did nothing but come hat-in-hand to the taxpayer to solve a problem they made worse through their own actions.

I will not be voting for any currently elected board members in the future. They all need to go because of this.

twilly said:

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All this was occurring at the same time that property values were increasing rapidly in the FISD footprint.

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I don't have a dog in this hunt, and I understand your sentiment; but one small note on this statement because it's a common misperception. School districts do not get the benefit of taxes generated by increased property values. The way the state funding formula works - and has worked for years - is all property taxes go towards education and the state supplements the delta between property taxes received and the overall budget from other state funds. Ten years ago, funding in Texas was split fairly evenly: 45% property taxes, 45% other state funds and 10% federal dollars. For 2017, that split will be 52% property taxes, 38% other state funds and 10% federal dollars. Because property values grow, the state's portion can decrease.

And if you are a Ch. 41 District (like Frisco), you get double screwed because your recapture payment grows with property value growth.

If you do a deep dive, you can actually trace direct benefits elsewhere in the State budget because of the increased reliance on property tax growth. Remember last sessions $2.56B business tax relief package? Funded by increasing property values.

There is growing pressure on the Lege to address school finance. The current system is unsustainable. What's happening in Frisco and Houston are just two examples.

You're a little confused on how public school funding in the state of Texas works... Might want to read School Finance 101 released by TEA.

As for going after teachers, they may have to RIF at certain schools, but that is only because of the budget shortfall from the state.

Dr. Lyon, and I am talking about the superintendent's wife... is one of the most certified teachers in the district. She has her doctorate, yet she is still teaching at Lone Star HS. Might want to know the facts before you take shots as people!

Your vote is your vote... but you're only hurting the students within Frisco ISD. The Board of Trustees does not get a salary.

If you are not going to re-elect someone... try the State Legislatures. The individuals we send to Austin are those that actually can get something done. BUT, since we continue to elect the same individuals... they do nothing, and the financing of public education in Texas continues to fail our students.

A fair amount of misinformation in this thread.

I am a Frisco ISD employee, and have been for nearly a decade. I have a principal's certification as does my wife. (There is no such thing as being licensed in Collin County, it's a state level thing, not local)

School finance is complicated and that is a gift from our esteemed legislature, not local officials.

There are 2 property tax types that make up the tax rate.

Maintenance & Operation is for basically everything except construction.

• Over 80% of this is salaries and the rest is everything from copy paper to utility bills.
• As mentioned earlier, when school finance was last redone it capped it at $1 per $100 valuation without voter approval. (This is capped at $1.17)

The other tax is Interest & Sinking.
All of this is voter approval of bonds

Issues at hand-

• We have a ton of growth! (do not compare FISD with Irving)
• Frisco does not want to be Plano, we have adopted the small schools model in that we don't want to be Allen or the Planos. We want our schools in 5A (less than 2200 students so they have more opportunities) This has been a selling point for the district for over a decade.
• We could build big high schools and save some money but our board and parents don't think that is what is best for kids.
• Let's start with the administration building. Dr. Reedy, the last superintendent wanted all the admin in one place to work more cohesively, instead of 3 builds that were pretty dang old. You could place fair criticism that our new building is a bit excessive and not the best use of some money. However, they were able to pay for it without raising any of the tax rates.
• Inside the Admin building there has been a lot of growth in personnel. Many of these positions are filled with quality professionals who do a good job of managing a district with over 50,000 students and several thousand teachers. There are some unneeded positions up there, however it is not $30 Million worth of unneeded people. I'm not sure of their exact salaries, but you could probably trim at most $2 Million but there would be some decline in efficiency and student services.
• There is a lot of money out at the campus level that could be saved as well, but with that, there comes a cost as well.
• The basis the district works on is that for over 20 years now, the residents of FISD have said through bond voting and board meetings that they want the best for their kids and are willing to pay for it. The district admin was probably anticipating the same message with the TRE, but it wasn't. Now there are going to be some changes to work within the confines of the new budget.
• I live outside Frisco and pay the max $1.17 M&O rate, it's not the end of the world. I also understand that the main rise in taxes has to do with the CAD valuation, not the school M&O raise. Generally speaking, a rising property valuation is a good thing. If your value is stagnant or dropping then you probably live in an area where there is no demand and thus the schools might be lacking the quality people are looking for.
• Honestly, I can see both arguments. Some people want the best for their kids and are willing to pay for it, while others want to save money whenever they can. What I don't like is the fact that the Frisco ISD pushed the election onto a single ballot election when there was already a primary in May and a general election in November. This was costly and shows a lack of faith in the general electorate. For this reason alone, I would have probably voted against the TRE. Thus making my job more difficult.

Fire away!!

Ags06Win said:

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Your vote is your vote... but you're only hurting the students within Frisco ISD. The Board of Trustees does not get a salary.

If you are not going to re-elect someone... try the State Legislatures. The individuals we send to Austin are those that actually can get something done. BUT, since we continue to elect the same individuals... they do nothing, and the financing of public education in Texas continues to fail our students.

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I would argue that it is the board that hurt students by forcing an irresponsible election/tax plan upon the the families of FISD. Failure to adequately plan for funding issues while getting more bonds to build schools that the district can't fund? The way the tax election was handled, along with the poor planning and the other reasons I listed before doomed it to failure. The board was counting on the families of FISD to just hand over money without looking at adequate alternatives, because "it's for the students." The board had several years to solve the funding crisis and chose not to. Total failure on the board's part. That failure hurt both the salaried employees of FISD as well as the students.

Public education is not a blank check. Nothing in government is a blank check.

While I agree the TX Lege needs to address school funding, that is a separate issue. Whether they change school financing or not, the state funding for FISD wasn't going to change before the tax increase from the TRE would have taken effect. The vote had to be based on current funding laws.

From what I've seen, Frisco should top out around 270,000ish. Prosper doesn't have that much land so it will be much smaller. The one to watch is 10 years from now with Celina, it is huge land wise and they could be a monster or a nightmare depending on how they handle it.

There is a bunch of undeveloped land east of 75, but it is not seen as desirable as the tollway corridor. Melissa and Anna are a different breed. I used to coach out in Farmersville, no way they can handle growth effectively.