Dear Lovejoy Community:
Parents, grandparents, and community members can have a profound impact on the legislative debate over how to fund schools and reform the property tax system. Now is the time to make your voices heard! Here’s where we are:
The Texas House approved House Bill 3, a $9 billion school finance bill with only one dissenting vote. HB 3 increases new resources into public schools, reduces property taxes, and decreases the amount of money the state takes away through Robin Hood by $3 billion every two years.
However, this legislation must be expanded to include districts like Lovejoy for transition funding. If not, Lovejoy will receive less funding under this legislation than we receive today
. Any additional cuts in state funding for Lovejoy will considerably harm student offerings and district programs.
The Texas Senate is working on its own school finance bill. It is also a $9 billion proposal, but it aims to reduce property taxes in ways that are not fully funded. This could lead to a very high cost for the state and trigger future reductions in education funding down the road. Most of the new funding in the Senate bill is tied up in an across-the-board pay increase for teachers and librarians only, which doesn’t allow for hiring new staff and reducing class sizes. Due to the harmful impact on Lovejoy and other school districts, please extend a thank you to Senator Paxton for reserving her support for HB 3 until it is certain that districts will not receive less money from the proposed reforms.
Finally, the House bill bases school funding on property values from the previous year. This is a tried-and-true method that is predictable and responsible. The Senate proposal attempts to save the state money by using property values from the current year, but this creates uncertainty for schools and shifts more of the cost of education onto local property taxpayers.
Please use the following resources to engage with your legislators and with your friends and neighbors about these important bills. At this stage in the process, it’s important that legislators hear from those they were elected to represent.
URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED
as the Texas Senate will vote on this bill this Friday, May 3rd.
Please click on the following links for detailed information regarding how you may help:
Social Media
Thank you, in advance, for your assistance as we work to ensure our programs remain intact for the 4,406 students in Lovejoy ISD.
With respect and admiration,
Dr. Dennis Womack
Interim Superintendent
