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Last year we left our talk about school finance 
with school property taxes.

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Now I know this is not everyone’s favorite 
subject...

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...but a community is only as healthy as 
the school district is successful.

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We learned in the first school finance session 
the current system does not provide equal 
funding per student to Texas school districts.

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In addition to that, it is important to know 
that increased property values which cause 
your school taxes to increase...

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...do NOT lead to an increase in funding 
for the operations of Klein ISD.

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As local property tax collections increase, 
our state funding decreases proportionately.

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The state then has the discretion to appropriate 
the local tax funds into any state budget 
- not just education.

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And the fixed amount set by the state -- 
which is allocated on a per student basis...

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has not kept up with rising costs due to 
various reasons including inflation.

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Klein ISD does receive the fixed amount per 
student for new students to help cover the 
costs of the additional teachers and staff 
needed...

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...but the increase does not address the 
inflation costs for supplies and services 
as mentioned earlier.

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Payroll costs account for 90% of the entire 
school district budget with teachers and 
support staff making up the largest percentage 
of the payroll.

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To make matters more challenging, school 
districts receive the same transportation 
allotment as they did in 1984.

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So, how can districts secure additional funds 
to support and sustain a high quality educational 
environment?

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Can the district afford to open two new schools 
with the existing revenue structure provided 
by the state?

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The answers to these questions and more, 
in the coming weeks.

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I’m Bret Champion and that’s Klein ISD in 
90 Seconds.

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