School Board race

[tonigking]

Pardon my ignorance...

Who is Scott Ross ?

Who is Craig Mabry?

Both have posted signs in Granite Shoals.

They are on the ballot, I can vote for either one or neither. I pay school taxes, no kids in school , still pay taxes.

You'd think they might knock on a door or two, make a phone call, but in the years I have lived here, nary a candidate has asked for my vote.:confused:

[JakRussll]

Toni, I'll bet you a dollar to a donut- that they don't stick a flyer in your mailbox. :)

[adrin34]

Scott Ross moved here when he was in Middle School and graduated from MFHS in 1986. He is married to me, D'Ann Ross. I teach 1st grade at HLES and I have taught in MFISD for 26 years. We have a daughter who is a freshman at MFHS. Scott helps our school whenever he is needed. He was the PTO President at HLES while our daughter attended school there. He is the V-President of the Oxbow Trail POA and helps with the HS Choir. He wants to do what he can as a School Board member to support the kids and provide them with the education they need. We are tax payers as well and would like to see some changes in our district. The Highlander hosted a question-answer forum and the turn out was very poor. If knocking on doors and making phone calls is what the people want, Scott would be glad to do that. The Picayune or River City Tribune will also be running an article about the candidates. Hope some of this information helps. We would appreciate your vote.

[tonigking]

Thank you Ms. Ross !

I appreciate your candor and information , it will be very helpful in making my decision at the ballot box.
For people who don't get out much, this forum is a wonderful tool for dessiminating and receiving timely information.
I have nothing against print media but in the hill country one needs to buy 3 different papers to stay abreast of the news which is usually delayed.

I and many others rely on this forum so let me welcome you and hopefully your husband.
As always, many thanks to the Jett's for providing this medium. Be sure and support the advertisers so we will continue to have this wonderful resource.

[SCHOLAR]

Hello to everyone.

There are four of us running for Place 3. My name is Craig Cosgray and I'm also running.

We have had two candidate forums... one for Picayune TV and one for the Highlander. I hope someone watched the TV production but I haven't a clue how many people did. Unfortunately the Highlander event was not well attended. I have to say that both Mr. Ross and Mr. Mabary are excellent candidates... in fact I found all of the candidates to be very fine men.

We do have some differences as to what we want to accomplish. My plank is simple: Academic excellence and fiscal management.

As to academics I have it in my mind Marble Falls ISD can be the best in Texas... to do that we need to change failed curriculum... what does that mean? We need a Renaissance. Did you know teachers no longer teach drills in math? No flash cards, no memorization required. Did you know English sentence structure is no longer taught? Also... Jargon... I call it jibberish... has infiltrated the language of education which is confusing our children. The Federal Education Department is even planning on dropping classics from curriculum to be replaced by government pamplets!

I intend to turn this around and go back to the wisdom of the ages and make sure every child knows his math tables and knows how to structure a sentence before he or she advances. Who reading this thinks the Federal Government can better educate our childen than us? Imagine calling Washington for an answer to a problem?

As to fiscal management... our current debt service is over $ 150 million. I plan on looking at every line in the budget... to see what spending we can cut. The homeowners are tapped, we have lost many companies here and raising taxes is really impractical. In addition I have ideas of using the stadium to raise money and am working to bring industry into Marble Falls. These ideas are just a start... we need to think out of the box.

I was born in Ft. Worth. I am married and my daughter graduated from Baylor. I'm a Texas Tech grad and spent nearly seven years as an Air Force pilot. I attended the war college for junior officers. I retired from Delta Air Lines after 23 years as a captain on the Boeing 767. Presently I own Marengo Films, Inc. We manufacture classic movies on DVD in Dallas.

I started my company with my own money in 1999. We have manufactured hundreds of thousands of DVD's. We are profitable and there is no debt. I undersand how to manage people and assets.

My constituents as I see it are: the children and the taxpayer.

There are problems in education. I intend to fix as many as possible and resist ideas which will actually create MORE problems. Feel free to contact me I'd love to hear from you.

Best regards,

Craig H. Cosgray
Candidate for Place 3

[mdarling]

Mr. Cosgray,

Maybe I missed it. Are you a full-time resident in MFISD? I ask because you said your company is in Dallas.

[SCHOLAR]

Yes. I moved here from Dallas 3 years ago. I live in Spicewood and pay MFISD taxes.

Thank you for asking. I should have made that clear.

Best regards,

Craig Cosgray

[tonigking]

Once upon a time we had a Commish for Granite Shoals from Spicewood and the only time we saw him was election time.
How many times have you been to HLES and what do you believe needs to be done there specifically ?

[JakRussll]

How many times have you been to HLES and what do you believe needs to be done there specifically ?

How do you get into HLES if you do not have children there? If you wanted to prepare yourself for becoming a candidate on the school board - how would you go about preparing for a question such as this? Can you contact each schools administration and make an appointment for a one-on-one tour, briefing and Q&A? Do school administrators have the time to accommodate this request from each candidate? Should you go more than once? Doesn't sound reasonable to me. Good question(s) though Toni. How does one prepare to answer it?

[tonigking]

If you have legitimate business there and an appointment you will know how to get in.

If you don't have business there it is a really good idea to stay away...

[Belle]

Good for yo Toni, I find Jak's question offensive and inappropriate.:mad:

[lmam88]

How do you get into HLES if you do not have children there?

The way that is stated it sounds creepy:confused:

[KINGCHIP]

How do you get into HLES if you do not have children there?

I would suggest using the front door.

Sorry, I had to...

[SCHOLAR]

Good question. I can promise you this... if elected I will be visiting all the schools a lot. As a school board member I will make it my duty to get to know the leadership in each school. I want to talk with the teachers also... find out their thoughts and ideas.

I have visited the high school and one of the elementary schools. At this point I don't have any authority, don't want to be intrusive and feel like further visits should wait until I am elected... if the voters honor me.

Specifically I am going to try to convince the school board to change the curriculum in the first three to four grades. We need to get back to basics... drill and memorization in math and sentence construction, spelling, rules of grammar memorization in English language skills.

FYI - There is a federal drive to eliminate cursive writing and the study of the classics in literature - to be replaced by government pamplets. I find both ideas totally unacceptable.

The federal government also wants to eliminate local school boards and replace them with regional boards - 1 per state - controlled by bureaucrats in Washington. This too is unacceptable. You think it was bad to have a missing commissioner - try calling someone in Washington with a problem.

The ABOVE are several SPECIFIC things I will be pushing for... and several SPECIFIC things I will be resisting.

But these are just a few items I'm concerned and troubled about... but you get the idea. I'm for passing on the wisdom of the ages... knowledge and useful skills. We can make MFISD the best district in Texas and I intend to get that done.

Best regards,

Craig Cosgray

[ohcuriousone]

I was one of the few who attended the forum on the 14th for the school board canidates. Some of the canidates gave indepth answers in their alloted time and others continuiously parroted those before them. We heard 14 times, give or take, that one canidate has a "finance" background because he has a degree. IMHO my the fourth round of questions is was apparent to me that the only choices were Craig Mabry and Tommy Chaney. Voters, please attend these forums, you see friends and neighbors (a few at least) and it helps give you some insight into those running.

[Reapp]

I have no problem with the elimination of cursive writing, I see limited use for it in the real world. As far as getting rid of the classics, bad move - they are classics for a reason.

[Horns86]

Hello everyone, this is Craig Mabray. It is great to see so much interest and participation in the School Board races this year as I think everyone realizes that we are at a critical point in time in terms of the future direction of MFISD.

I lived in Granite Shoals and graduated from MFHS in 1982, then received a degreee in Mechanical Engineering from UT in 1986. I spent the next 14 years in the Aerospace industry in the areas of finance, operations, business management, sales and engineering. During that time, I married, we had three children, and I earned my MBA from the University of Houston. I left the corporate world in 2000 and started my own business in The Woodlands and just recently (late 2009) sold that business to another corporation. We moved our family back to Granite Shoals in early 2010 and are happy to be home again. I currently volunteer 4 mornings/week at the high school and we are looking forward to continuing to raise our children and investing our time and efforts in the community for the long term. Sorry for the narrative, but I wanted to answer the intial question.

On the School Board issues, I have kids in school in the district that range from the 2nd grade to the high school level, so I certainly have a vested interest in the educational aspects of the district. As a taxpayer, I certainly have a vested interest from a financial management standpoint, as we all do. The district's General Fund is currently $2.3 million below what it should be, according to the last external Auditor's report. The only way to make that deficit up is to consistently spend less than our revenue stream provides. This will require tough and thoughtful decisions by the Board and the new Superintendent that the Board will select, which is why this election is so critical. In terms of decision-making, I will make objective decisions (I have no personal or financial ties to the district other than being a taxpayer) based on data and facts and what is best for the students and the community as a whole. On the educational front, the district has made consistent progress in the ratings of the campuses, which are based on student test scores. However, we must continue to push forward in terms of providing our childern the overall tools needed to reach their potential in the real world, not just on specific tests. One area that I believe needs immediate attention is the area of vocational education. We currently have formal curriculum pathways for kids that want to go to college in specific areas, such as medical, engineering/science, etc. However, we need to provide that same type of career and curriculum guidance for kids that are interested in vocational sciences (building trades, HVAC, welding, plumbing, electrician, etc). MFISD is well positioned for the future: we have great teachers, excellent staff, incredible facilities, and children with limitless potential. I would like to help the children, the district, and the community as a whole reach our potential and I would appreciate your support in that effort.

For those that could not make the Highlander's candidate forum, the video is currently on The Highlander's website on the right hand side of the home page. Granted the video is a little long, but I think it is another great tool, in addition to this forum, to provide insight into the candidates and their positions for the voters.

Thank you for this opportunity!
Craig (Mabray)

[countryboy]

I have no problem with the elimination of cursive writing, I see limited use for it in the real world. As far as getting rid of the classics, bad move - they are classics for a reason.

Limited use for cursive writing in the Real world. WTH? How do you write in basic print?

The Classics are great..especially the oldest classic of them all. The Bible. Maybe that should be placed back in the schools as a replacement for the pledge of allegiance.

[grumpy]

Can a printed signature be a legal signature?

[tonigking]

AMEN, Countryboy !:)

But please do not replace the Pledge of Allegiance...

PS: Thanks to those candidates who have responded I appreciate most of your remarks and my decision was made much easier by your comments.
Too bad the others haven't responded. !

Grumpy, I think a signature is a signature, it is what it is...

[Caretaker]

Can a printed signature be a legal signature?

If one can only mark an X then that is their signature.Also the question should be. Is it a Legal or Lawful signature.

[Caretaker]

Limited use for cursive writing in the Real world. WTH? How do you write in basic print?

The Classics are great..especially the oldest classic of them all. The Bible. Maybe that should be placed back in the schools as a replacement for the pledge of allegiance.


I like that suggestion except for one thing. You may have to include the Koran.

[butchkemper]

If one can only mark an X then that is their signature.Also the question should be. Is it a Legal or Lawful signature.
Reminds me of the story about the Aggie who checked into the Shamrock Hotel in Houston. When he signed the register, he put down his X and after thinking about it for a bit, he drew a circle around the X.

The clerk said, "I know you Aggies have trouble with writing and that's why you put down an X but why did you draw a circle around it?".

The Aggie replied "Well, when you are in the big city, you don't want to give your right name."

Butch

[tonigking]

:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing: :rockon::D

[Reapp]

Can a printed signature be a legal signature?

I have signed affidavits for arrest warrants, search warrants and notarized documents for other officers with just my printed last name and badge number for over 10 years. I'd say it is perfectly legal.

[Reapp]

Limited use for cursive writing in the Real world. WTH? How do you write in basic print?

The Classics are great..especially the oldest classic of them all. The Bible. Maybe that should be placed back in the schools as a replacement for the pledge of allegiance.

Yes, I write everything in basic print as does every other law enforcement officer that I know of.

[Caretaker]

Yes, I write everything in basic print as does every other law enforcement officer that I know of.

Interesting. Is that for legibility or standard procedure?

[Reapp]

More a standard for legibility's sake. The only thing worse than a doctor's handwriting is a police officer's. Truth be known, there is very little that we do write out by hand (even citations are printed).

[BaBuck]

I have a question for Mr. Mabray. I read your narrative and I wanted to know what department you volunteer in at the high school? What do you do when you volunteer? If you have children from 2nd grade to high school, I assume at least the 2nd grader attends the elementary school in Granite Shoals. Are you an active volunteer at that school as well? What will you do to help the children at the elementary age?

[chemistryhawk]

I am Scott Ross. My wife gave you a few bullet points as to my life earlier in this tread. I don’t have not a completed a college degree. I was working on a degree in Chemistry at the University of Texas until 2003; however, due to finances was not able to complete. I also felt to be able to make any kind of career with this degree I would have to move away from Marble Falls. At that point in my life, I was not willing to do that to my wife and daughter. As far as professional credentials and qualification, I have run two sole proprietorships. Both of which did very well for me financially; however, I ran both of them early in my daughter’s life. I quickly realized that, working at such a pace was taking too much away from my family and myself. Time, which I could never regain. Beyond that I am life everyone else out there. I make my living and pay my bills.

In response to a couple of Craig Cosgray’s points: at the elementary level our students are taught with flashcards, when remediation is needed. I am a huge proponent of mathematics being the major subject taught in school. It is the one subject that teaches the critical problem solving side of the brain to develop. It gets the brain to make the little connections that are necessary for the brain to grow. However, in the time since even I graduated, mathematics itself has not changed, but methods of teaching have. I have seen that seen for myself how early grade mathematics is being taught and it is good. The problem I see is that the later grades, math is not stressed as much. As many of us all know, if you don’t use something is begins to wither and become weak and ineffective.

Sentence structure is not something that children are taught until middle school and high school, as far as sentence diagraming is concerned. Through the third and fourth grade students are taught basic sentence structure such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and what not. This is not the level where in depth sentence diagraming should be taking place. I have to say that I was disappointed to find out that as a freshman in high school that my daughter has never been exposed to diagraming. That is sad and alarming and I feel it should be changed. That being said, the school board does not get into the meat and potatoes of the curriculum that is developed or chosen by the district. My wife has through her years as a teacher here in Marble Falls, has been apart of many of the committees which have developed curriculums to be used here, just to have the school board choose a one developed by some learned scholar. Most of which have never seen the inside of a classroom as a teacher.

Actually, our current debt service is just over $141 million including principle and interest. Yes, there are current spending concession that need to be made to make up the budget shortfall; however, the only way that the district is going to be able to become fiscally strong and viable is by paying down the crushing debt we currently carry. The current annual budget for our district is just over $36 million dollars. The monthly debt service on our bond indebtedness is just over $1.5 million dollars. That makes half of our expenditures just to pay our debt. Long term we have to pay down our debt, which will free up much needed money to be spent in the classroom and elsewhere. Debt is slavery. If we are giving away half of our budget we are limited in the future we can provide our children. The problems we face are not something that are going to be solved in the short term, with line item cuts, or selling ad space on busses that do not belong to the district. As a board, we need to start making long-term changes that will free us from crushing debt. As many people know, in good times, the future looks great and spending money is not a problem. However, when things turn south, money stops flowing as freely. If you are not saddled with a lot of debt, you can weather tough time with minimal hardship. That is where we need to be as a district.

As Craig Maybray has said, we should have avenues for students to be able to develop skills other than academics; however, at this point in our current state of financial stress, the district is not going to be able to take the burden of such programs. The only way I see something in this vain working is in a work program in alliance with our business community. There are many companies in our community that have a vested interest in our school, not only because the owners and employees have children in our school, but also because these business are going to need future employees to be a part of their workforce. With a good plan and some willing participants, I feel we could build a program, which would provide some necessary work skills at a minimal cost to the district.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who actively cares for our children and schools future; also, to ask for your support to be able to work for a brighter future for us all.

Remember, early voting begins Monday May 2nd and runs through May 10th at the County Courthouse Annex south of Marble Falls on Steve Hawking Parkway. This is, of course, followed by Election Day May 14th.

Thank you for your time,

Scott Ross.

[Caretaker]

I am Scott Ross. My wife gave you a few bullet points as to my life earlier in this tread. I don’t have not a completed a college degree. I was working on a degree in Chemistry at the University of Texas until 2003; however, due to finances was not able to complete. I also felt to be able to make any kind of career with this degree I would have to move away from Marble Falls. At that point in my life, I was not willing to do that to my wife and daughter. As far as professional credentials and qualification, I have run two sole proprietorships. Both of which did very well for me financially; however, I ran both of them early in my daughter’s life. I quickly realized that, working at such a pace was taking too much away from my family and myself. Time, which I could never regain. Beyond that I am life everyone else out there. I make my living and pay my bills.

In response to a couple of Craig Cosgray’s points: at the elementary level our students are taught with flashcards, when remediation is needed. I am a huge proponent of mathematics being the major subject taught in school. It is the one subject that teaches the critical problem solving side of the brain to develop. It gets the brain to make the little connections that are necessary for the brain to grow. However, in the time since even I graduated, mathematics itself has not changed, but methods of teaching have. I have seen that seen for myself how early grade mathematics is being taught and it is good. The problem I see is that the later grades, math is not stressed as much. As many of us all know, if you don’t use something is begins to wither and become weak and ineffective.

Sentence structure is not something that children are taught until middle school and high school, as far as sentence diagraming is concerned. Through the third and fourth grade students are taught basic sentence structure such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and what not. This is not the level where in depth sentence diagraming should be taking place. I have to say that I was disappointed to find out that as a freshman in high school that my daughter has never been exposed to diagraming. That is sad and alarming and I feel it should be changed. That being said, the school board does not get into the meat and potatoes of the curriculum that is developed or chosen by the district. My wife has through her years as a teacher here in Marble Falls, has been apart of many of the committees which have developed curriculums to be used here, just to have the school board choose a one developed by some learned scholar. Most of which have never seen the inside of a classroom as a teacher.

Actually, our current debt service is just over $141 million including principle and interest. Yes, there are current spending concession that need to be made to make up the budget shortfall; however, the only way that the district is going to be able to become fiscally strong and viable is by paying down the crushing debt we currently carry. The current annual budget for our district is just over $36 million dollars. The monthly debt service on our bond indebtedness is just over $1.5 million dollars. That makes half of our expenditures just to pay our debt. Long term we have to pay down our debt, which will free up much needed money to be spent in the classroom and elsewhere. Debt is slavery. If we are giving away half of our budget we are limited in the future we can provide our children. The problems we face are not something that are going to be solved in the short term, with line item cuts, or selling ad space on busses that do not belong to the district. As a board, we need to start making long-term changes that will free us from crushing debt. As many people know, in good times, the future looks great and spending money is not a problem. However, when things turn south, money stops flowing as freely. If you are not saddled with a lot of debt, you can weather tough time with minimal hardship. That is where we need to be as a district.

As Craig Maybray has said, we should have avenues for students to be able to develop skills other than academics; however, at this point in our current state of financial stress, the district is not going to be able to take the burden of such programs. The only way I see something in this vain working is in a work program in alliance with our business community. There are many companies in our community that have a vested interest in our school, not only because the owners and employees have children in our school, but also because these business are going to need future employees to be a part of their workforce. With a good plan and some willing participants, I feel we could build a program, which would provide some necessary work skills at a minimal cost to the district.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who actively cares for our children and schools future; also, to ask for your support to be able to work for a brighter future for us all.

Remember, early voting begins Monday May 2nd and runs through May 10th at the County Courthouse Annex south of Marble Falls on Steve Hawking Parkway. This is, of course, followed by Election Day May 14th.

Thank you for your time,

Scott Ross.


Very well put Mr Ross.. Its nice to see a candidate I can relate to.Similar life and thoughts.. You have my support.

[grumpy]

I'm sure you are all correct. It just seems to me a printed signature would be more subject to forgery than one in longhand.

[Horns86]

Hi, Craig Mabray here again. First to answer BaBuck's questions; I volunteer in the MFHS weight room in the Spring, Monday - Thursday from 6:30 - 8:00 when the weight room is open to the community and MFISD athletes. I coordinate the breakfast program, which includes cooking, menu selection, shopping, volunteer recruitment/coordination, and cleanup. We range from 10 to 40 people per day and average about 20, both boys and girls; nothing too glamorous but it allows the kids to workout and have a good breakfast before going to class. My 2nd grader is at HLES. Although my wife does periodically help with reading, I am currently not doing volunteer work at HLES. The best thing we can do for the elementary students is to create a district that prepares them ALL well for life after MFISD so they can follow their dreams/interests. Love it or hate it, the test scores and resultant campus ratings are the only quantitative data that we have to measure our schools by. Our 4 elementary schools rate as 3 exemplary and 1 recognized. That is not to say we don't still have work to do at that level, I'm sure we do. However, where I see a glaring and immediate need is to provide career/curriculum pathways for kids that are interested in careers that may not require going to college. I'm very concerned that we are losing these kids' interest, attention, and future potential during the high school years because we are not providing these opportunities to them.

On the financial side, it is my understanding from my research that MFISD essentially has three "pots" of money: I&S, M&O (Maintenance & Operations), and the General Fund. The I&S is essentially the long term debt service fund that pays Bonds that were passed by the taxpayers; this is currently $141.4 million and MFISD is set to pay $6.7 million this year, or approximately $555,000 per month. However, I don't believe the current debt structure is up for financial modification until 2016. The M&O is essentially the annual budget that we all hear about ($36 million) and is really what the Board and the district work with on a day to day basis. This fund covers all day to day expenses including salaries, utilities, and smaller/ongoing capital expenditures, however long term debt is not paid for out of this fund (as stated previously). The General Fund is essentially the district's emergency/savings account. If the district spends less than its revenues, the excess funds go in the General Fund. If the district spends more than their revenues, the excess funds are taken out of the General Fund. MFISD used to have a surplus in our General Fund, but the last two years the district has spent $3.5 million more than our revenue stream. MFISD's General Fund is currently at $7.2 million; however that is $2.3 million below the $9.5 million target that the external auditor's report on MFISD showed. In fact, the only financial item that the auditors "red-flagged" in January was our low General Fund balance.

Sorry for the numbers barrage, but I think it is important for everyone to understand that our financial focus HAS to be on the M&O budget and our day to day expenses, not on the long term debt; once we spend less than our revenue stream, the excesses will build our General Fund back to where it needs to be and then create a surplus. Once that happens, we will be in a better financial position to modify our long term debt when the opportunity presents itself in 2016.

The other reason for the numbers barrage is that the new Superintendent and the new Board need to look at the idea of moving $1 million from the M&O budget to the I&S side as a VERY short term maintenance bond. The reason for this is that MFISD pays 18% recapture (Robin Hood) on the M&O budget but not on the I&S side. So the district as a whole would pay $180,000 per year less to the state as recapture, although we would have some financing costs (but certainly nowhere near 18%!). This will require taxpayer approval in an election and education for the public by the new Superintendent and the Board, but it is perfectly legal and makes financial sense.

Again, thanks for the opportunity and this is a great thread for both voters and candidates alike!

Craig Mabray

[Belle]

I really appreciate the posting of each of you gentlemen and wish the other candidates would post too. It helps so much to get a feel for where your coming from.
I live out in the country so nobody comes to my door.

[BaBuck]

Dear Mr. Mabray: As an active volunteer at HLES, I understand that the PTO President there Cindy Friedrichs has been asking for volunteers and board members for years and I do not recall seeing you volunteering at any of the functions or fundraisers that the PTO put on there, even though you say you have a 2nd grader there. While you seem to volunteer at the high school quite a bit, do you not feel that your younger child or HLES deserves your volunteerism there as well? I believe we can make a difference in these kids lives beginning in elementary school instead of waiting until high school.

[Horns86]

BaBuck, not sure what your angle is here? Every one of us chooses to volunteer differently based upon our personal circumstances, which allows us to spread our collective efforts around. I applaud your volunteer activities at HLES, but please don't slam me for where and how I choose to volunteer my time and efforts. This has been a great thread so far, so let's stick to the issues we have facing MFISD and how we can collectively resolve them.

Craig Mabray

[KINGCHIP]

Dear Mr. Mabray: As an active volunteer at HLES, I understand that the PTO President there Cindy Friedrichs has been asking for volunteers and board members for years and I do not recall seeing you volunteering at any of the functions or fundraisers that the PTO put on there, even though you say you have a 2nd grader there. While you seem to volunteer at the high school quite a bit, do you not feel that your younger child or HLES deserves your volunteerism there as well? I believe we can make a difference in these kids lives beginning in elementary school instead of waiting until high school.

I'm not sure how you can be at two places at once, regardless why you are at either/both of them. I also don't see why it matters where you volunteer your time. The fact that you do volunteer, should express your intent to try to help.

I feel that although help is needed and appreciated at all levels, it seems to me that we start to loose touch with the kids somewhere between the middle school and high school levels.
I like the small town conservative values afforded to us here. I came in when my kids were in middle school. I hope that I was not one of those that moves here, and brings the big city problems and ideas with them. I applaud the fact that Mr. Mabry was raised here, left for an education and work, but returned to instill those small town values in his children. Those that have seen the other side, but came back to those values here, are the people I want calling the shots here for the betterment of our youth.

Mr. Mabry, you have my vote.

[countryboy]

On the financial side, it is my understanding from my research that MFISD essentially has three "pots" of money: I&S, M&O (Maintenance & Operations), and the General Fund. The I&S is essentially the long term debt service fund that pays Bonds that were passed by the taxpayers; this is currently $141.4 million and MFISD is set to pay $6.7 million this year, or approximately $555,000 per month. However, I don't believe the current debt structure is up for financial modification until 2016. The M&O is essentially the annual budget that we all hear about ($36 million) and is really what the Board and the district work with on a day to day basis. This fund covers all day to day expenses including salaries, utilities, and smaller/ongoing capital expenditures, however long term debt is not paid for out of this fund (as stated previously). The General Fund is essentially the district's emergency/savings account. If the district spends less than its revenues, the excess funds go in the General Fund. If the district spends more than their revenues, the excess funds are taken out of the General Fund. MFISD used to have a surplus in our General Fund, but the last two years the district has spent $3.5 million more than our revenue stream. MFISD's General Fund is currently at $7.2 million; however that is $2.3 million below the $9.5 million target that the external auditor's report on MFISD showed. In fact, the only financial item that the auditors "red-flagged" in January was our low General Fund balance.

Sorry for the numbers barrage, but I think it is important for everyone to understand that our financial focus HAS to be on the M&O budget and our day to day expenses, not on the long term debt; once we spend less than our revenue stream, the excesses will build our General Fund back to where it needs to be and then create a surplus. Once that happens, we will be in a better financial position to modify our long term debt when the opportunity presents itself in 2016.

The other reason for the numbers barrage is that the new Superintendent and the new Board need to look at the idea of moving $1 million from the M&O budget to the I&S side as a VERY short term maintenance bond. The reason for this is that MFISD pays 18% recapture (Robin Hood) on the M&O budget but not on the I&S side. So the district as a whole would pay $180,000 per year less to the state as recapture, although we would have some financing costs (but certainly nowhere near 18%!). This will require taxpayer approval in an election and education for the public by the new Superintendent and the Board, but it is perfectly legal and makes financial sense.

Again, thanks for the opportunity and this is a great thread for both voters and candidates alike!

Craig Mabray


Could you let the folks know a little about (Robin Hood)and why we have to pay to recapture OUR money?. Some of the voters may not know excactly why we have to do that.

Seemes to me that if we are Paying to recapture that money then we Must have overpaid somewhere along the pathway. Could it possibly be due to that the MFISD tax rate is over inflated or maybe the tax appraiser for the county has over inflated property values?. If either of those are the problem then it seems logical that if they were substantially lowered then we would not be Recapturing OUR money.

Would you say that is a good assessment of the financial problems we have?

[tonigking]

Mr. Mabry. it's a little off topic but my grandson partook of your breakfasts in the weight room and enjoyed it a lot. I mean a lot, if I know him. lol I heard all about your impact.

I think that kind of volunteerism speaks volumes about you and there is nothing more important than positive community role models for the youth in high school.

I really applaud your unsung efforts on behalf of the kids. Ya got my vote!:rockon:

[BaBuck]

Mr. Mabray, I am sorry. I didn't intend for my post to be a slam. My emotions got carried away. I do spend a lot of time at HLES. The teachers work with kids during lunch, conference time, and after school. They are volunteering beyond their call of duty and there are just not enough volunteers coming to help them. Again, I am sorry, it wasn't intended to be a slam. Good luck in the race.

[Horns86]

BaBack, I appreciate that, very classy response. I certainly understand the emotional part because nothing could or should be a more emotional issue than our children and their future. The great thing is that we all (candidates and voters alike), have a common goal here.

In terms of the state recapture, or "Robin Hood", this is my basic understanding of how it works (any experts please chime in if I am incorrect). The formula that the state uses to determine if a district is a "property wealthy" district (termed a Chapter 41 district) or a "property poor" district (I believe termed a Chapter 40 district) is very convoluted, involved, and confusing. It is my understanding that the districts input specific information into the state's formula and a determineation is made, although I have not found anyone that can back track and tell me what the actual formula is. Although this is an oversimplification, I believe that it basically comes down to how much property value you have in a district divided by the number of students in that district. Our issue in MFISD is that we have a huge geographic area that the schoold district covers (262 square miles) with a total value of around $2.6 billion (what I could find on the internet) and we have a low number of students (around 4150 I recall from the last meeting). This would give MFISD a $/student ratio of around $600,000/student. I think the dividing line between Chapter 41 and Chapter 40 is in the area of $300,000 per student. Again, this is an oversimplification I'm sure, but this is the analysis that I have found on the internet and gets the overall point across.

Now depending on how "property wealthy" a district is, the state then "recaptures" some of that district's money and distributes it to "property poor" districts. So in essence, if our collective property vaules go up, so does our recapture (at some point). If our student population (actually it is the weighted student attendance figures), go up, our recapture would go down. That is why MFISD is currently an "open enrollment" district; we actually save more $ on our recapture than we could make up if we charged out of district students. MFISD is currently at an 18% recapture rate; which means that roughly 18% of our annual M&O revenue goes back to the state. This year we are sending about $5.2 million of our MFISD dollars to the state for them to redistribute to other districts.

I hope this helps to understand this issue. Is it right that a district that has 61% of its kids labeled as low income be sending this much money away? No. The system is broken but it must be fixed at the legislative level. The local school boards have to adhere to the state laws and regulations, as ridiculous as they can be at times. This is the reason that we need to move $ from our M&O budget to our I&S fund (which the state does not get recapture from), however, I believe we are limited to $1 million annually. But that would still save us $180,000 per year (minus the financing costs). It also highlights the point that our new Superintendent must be experienced in Chapter 41 and school finance. Again, sorry for the long-windedness, but it is a difficult issue that we all need to understand as well as we can.

Thanks,
Craig Mabray

[carvet44]

Mr. Cosgray - by drill and memorization, do you mean going back to learning by rote? That has proven to not work, students only remembe what they need for tests. I'm from the really old school that remembers many teachers saying, constantly, "sound it out." I got tired of hearing it, but I can spell and use the English language more properly because of it!! Where do these candidates stand on home schooling? I personally see a state-wide assault on the public education system in its entirety, and I'm against that. I think we need to improve the public education system, not destroy it with hidden agendas. As for cursive, who care if it's legible and spelled correctly. As for the classics, I agree, Reapp. Leave the classics in the curricula - as you said, they're classics for a reason. Leave the bible out of the schools!!! Go to any church you wish and worship any way you wish - keep the school systems for education only, not a specific agenda. Hence, the koran would have to be included, as well as the book of mormon, etc.

[SCHOLAR]

Hello all,

Thank you for asking about curriculum. Before I answer... as you can tell I'm running against two excellent candidates and many of their ideas on finance are workable and superb.

But there are differences. I am determined that we must change the way we are presently teaching. Everyone knows the elephant in the room is the fact that our children are being dumbed down.

Did you know Marble Falls High School is in the bottom 22 % of Texas high schools? Did you know only 22.8% of our children meet criterian on the SAT/ACT exams?
Did you know the 10th Grade taken as a whole is flunking math?

(I believe I heard that last fact at a school board meeting in January... I could be wrong... the slide was flashed so fast before us in the crowd that I barely had time to focus... and no one on the board commented. I believe it's true. If wrong, someone feel free to correct me.)

Regardless the first two facts are confirmed and they are unacceptable in my opinion.

Yes, I am for what is called "drill and kill". This is the use of repetition, flash cards and memorization. This is done in the lower grades to teach children their math tables. I watched it in action at the Boys and Girls club two weeks ago. It goes like this:

A student is required to trace a problem 1+1= 2... ten times on paper. Then a teacher begins drills in the one's table - 1+2=3, 1+3=4 and so on... the flash cards are ever moving... the student is required to say, "One plus one is two", etc. And he must get the right answer as the cards flash by...

I watched in facination as two lady volunteers drilled the children. After a short time the children suddenly "got it." It is hard tedious work for the teacher but I also saw the smiles on the ladies' faces as child after child learned their tables.

So I'm a big, big fan. I am also a fan of teaching English in the same fashion... there are rules of English which have to be memorized concerning sentence and paragraph structure, grammar, etc. It is hard work but the results of memorizing these rules are a complete grasp of the English language.

A massive federal and state bureaucracy has conspired to strangle our schools. We all know our teachers are forced to TEACH A TEST. Educational jargon has crept into schools so much so that it confuses our children. Professors of education at our universities have nearly ruined our younger teachers with failed curriculum and goofy teaching methods. Politicians need to stay out of our schools. No child left behind means no child gets ahead. A class cannot be forced to wait while one child has problems. I can think of three ways right now to help that child without hurting the rest of the class. We all know these facts to be true - this stupidity must not stand.

Many parents believe the schools are there to raise their children and when their child is disciplined they complain and blame the teachers. I intend to hold parents responsible for their children's behavior not a hard working teacher.

So, if elected I will be on the front line. We are going to change things... we are destoying our childrens' futures. I will probably be asking for help - the federal government has Core Curriculum headed our way. This program will absolutely destroy education. I encourage you to Google it.

Well you get the idea of where I'm headed. I would appreciate your vote. Thank you for staying in the game and participating in this forum

Craig Cosgray

[Peaches]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but some of these candidates are over-estimating the powers of local school boards. Some of the "planned changes" I've seen here would have to come from the State Board level.

Local school boards have fairly limited powers. For example, local school boards may "adopt a budget." What that means is that the administrators (generally the Superintendent) present the budget, and the school board either votes to accept the budget, or votes to reject the budget. The board's hands are pretty much tied on this issue because certain levels of funding must be met for almost all M&O in the district.

A local school board may vote to "hire a superintendent" but cannot vote to "fire" a superintendent.

A local school board may vote to hire a teacher or renew a contract, but the campus principal has final word as to whether or not a teacher works on his or her campus.

And, local school boards do not decide how students are taught.

Mr Mabray is fairly correct on his assessment of Chapter 41 and Chapter 42 School Districts. It's somewhat like your IRS tax return - each dependent gets a certain deduction. This is where attendance and graduating become import for the district - adjustments are made when students miss school or drop out. Another "recapture saving" factor is determined in how the recapture is paid...property rich school districts that partner with property poor school districts and pay recapture directly to their partners get to keep a bit more money than those school districts that send their recapture money to the state.

And, school districts get Federal money for special education and food programs, so those, and other Federally funded programs, are off limits to the school board...and the school districts must meet all Federal requirements to receive that funding.

The best information regarding duties and responsibilities can be found by Googling Texas Education Code - Chapter 11.

I didn't spend a lot of time researching these issues tonight because, as I said, I don't have a dog in this fight. My memory may be rusty on these issues, and some things may have changed since my last dealings with a school board. MFISD school board will be hiring a new superintendent and it's important that they educate themselves as much as possible before the election. I really wish all school board candidates had access to school board education classes before their names went on the ballots.

Good luck to all candidates.

[SCHOLAR]

Peaches,

Of course what you say is true. But THAT is the problem. Corrupt legislators and groups have acted to steal the people's power.

We are supposedly an Independent School District... Federal government politicians, federal government bureaucrats, Obama appointed Czars, Czar's staff, state legislators, legislators' staffs, the superintendent lobby, teachers' lobby, school board lobby, state bureaucrats, developers, architects, university professors, consultants, firms which make money off of school districts... book sellers, political parties and on and on... all have their fingers in OUR schools... right here in Marble Falls.

The result - our children are getting the shaft. The tenth grade is flunking math for crying out loud and Marble Falls High School is in the bottom 22% of all high schools in the state!

All of this is corruption of the first order.

Where does this power come from?

THIS IS OUR POWER... THEY HAVE STOLEN IT FROM US - AND FOOLISHLY WE ARE ALLOWING IT.

We can all sit back and let these people destroy our children and this great country - that's obvious.

But, I've had it with this nonsense. I hope you have too.

This must not stand. I'm going to do everything I can to fix this district. As I've said before the only dog I have in the fight is the children.

As my mother used to say, "'Can't' never got anything done."

Your choice. I hope you help me if I am honored by being elected.

Best regards,

Craig Cosgray

[Reapp]

Wow.

[Peaches]

Craig, I agree that we've lost local control on our school districts.

But, right now, my best advice is to TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED to choose a superintendent. That person controls EVERYTHING because he/she will be the person who comes to the board to make all recommendations.

Here's a good question for the candidates - What will you do to avoid hiring someone for that position who hasn't been "passed as trash"? Remember what I said about school boards not having the power to fire a superintendent? Well, generally when a board finds out their superintendent can't be trusted they offer a "good character reference" so that he/she will move on. That's not the kind of person you want to hire.

I don't live or pay ISD taxes in Burnet County, but I know how important this issue can be for your district. If you want some pointers about checking out your potential superintendent, let me know. I have some ideas...

[chemistryhawk]

Well, peaches I don't know what your credentials are; but I am willing to listen to anyone when it come to that matter. If elected that is first and foremost of all tasks that I and the rest of the board will face. As I stated in The Highlander forum at the Central Office I would set up an e-mail to be able to respond to peoples questions and concerns. I have done that. I would like to discuss your ideas. The e-mail account is scottrossmfisdpl3@hotmail.com.

Thanks,

Scott Ross

[Peaches]

Thanks Scott,

The very first thing I would do in researching a potential superintendent would be to look at why that person is leaving his or her current school district. Clues can be found by looking over board meeting agendas and minutes from those meetings. Some school districts post the agendas and minutes online, but if not, submit Public Information Act (PIA) requests for a sampling of those items.

Next, find out if the potential superintendent has a history of building or remodeling within his or her current and past school districts. If so, look at which companies were awarded contracts. Is there a history of awarding contracts to the same contractors? Also, look at change orders for any past construction projects. PIA copies of change orders, but get those from school districts where the superintendent worked in the past. Remember, he or she controls what information is released in PIA requests. Don't just settle for what the superintendent is willing to tell you.

Next, do some PIA requests for some expense reports. Know what's in his or her current contract, and look for "double dipping." For example, is this person getting a car allowance, AND charging fuel and other vehicle expenses to his or her district's credit card accounts?

A few other suggestions:

Check his or her income against his or her current standard of living. Did this person build or remodel a home? Is it possible he or she received some "kickbacks" in exchange for a school district building contract? Does his or her property value exceed an appropriate amount vs his or her income?

Call newspaper offices and speak with an editor or other person who covered school board meetings, but, be careful. A crafty superintendent knows who to make friends with...but, they often "dump" those friends once they move on. If possible, do this with previous school districts rather than current ones.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but you could do two things to speed the process. First, consider assembling a task force to do this leg work for the board. Second, let the candidates know you're going to be looking at these particular items before making a final decision. You might find some folks who eliminate themselves if they learn you're going to look so closely at their past.

Remember, the board is all too often at the mercy of the Superintendent. Make sure he or she can be trusted to make all the right recommendations.

[chemistryhawk]

Thanks, Peaches. Everything you listed makes perfect sense. I was talking to some folks the other day and told them, that if need be, I would be willing to drive to the districts of the finalist and get a feel for the mood of the people there. I do appreciate your time.

Thanks,

Scott Ross.

[Peaches]

Thanks, Peaches. Everything you listed makes perfect sense. I was talking to some folks the other day and told them, that if need be, I would be willing to drive to the districts of the finalist and get a feel for the mood of the people there. I do appreciate your time.

Good idea...but keep in mind the general public might not be aware of any problems with their current superintendent. If at all possible, check with local people in previous school districts...especially those newspaper people. Jack Patton, for example, built new school buildings that have never been occupied in Hereford. He built those buildings with "matching fund grants" that didn't exist. That information came from a person who covered school board meetings in Hereford during the time Patton was superintendent. She gave me a ton of information, and what he did there matched a lot of what happened in Llano.

[Caretaker]

Peaches,

Of course what you say is true. But THAT is the problem. Corrupt legislators and groups have acted to steal the people's power.

We are supposedly an Independent School District... Federal government politicians, federal government bureaucrats, Obama appointed Czars, Czar's staff, state legislators, legislators' staffs, the superintendent lobby, teachers' lobby, school board lobby, state bureaucrats, developers, architects, university professors, consultants, firms which make money off of school districts... book sellers, political parties and on and on... all have their fingers in OUR schools... right here in Marble Falls.

The result - our children are getting the shaft. The tenth grade is flunking math for crying out loud and Marble Falls High School is in the bottom 22% of all high schools in the state!

All of this is corruption of the first order.

Where does this power come from?

THIS IS OUR POWER... THEY HAVE STOLEN IT FROM US - AND FOOLISHLY WE ARE ALLOWING IT.

We can all sit back and let these people destroy our children and this great country - that's obvious.

But, I've had it with this nonsense. I hope you have too.

This must not stand. I'm going to do everything I can to fix this district. As I've said before the only dog I have in the fight is the children.

As my mother used to say, "'Can't' never got anything done."

Your choice. I hope you help me if I am honored by being elected.

Best regards,

Craig Cosgray

Well said. I couldnt agree more. Also one more thing to add. Article one section 8 of the Texas constitution. All POWER is Inherent in the People..:rockon: