With the new year underway, I am reminded of the many blessings that have been bestowed upon the Lewisville Independent School District. Last year was a special year full of amazing academic accolades, fine arts reviews, athletic wins and ongoing community support. As you know, our district continues to increase in student enrollment, which is a direct reflection of our outstanding teachers, principals and staff.

       As this year quickly comes to a close, I am reminded of the many blessings that have been bestowed upon the Lewisville Independent School District.  This year has been a special year full of amazing academic accolades, fine arts reviews, athletic wins and ongoing community support.

     As the 2009-10 school year gets underway, the Lewisville Independent School District is projecting to serve more than 50,000 students as they enter our doors for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 24. Our teachers and staff are busy preparing our classrooms and buildings to make them inviting and engaging places to learn.

    This is the second article of a three-part series on school finance, LISD budget process and future financial challenges.

    In the previous column, I shared the history of school finance and the most recent funding changes by the state legislature.  Our district applauds our legislators’ commitment to local property tax relief – it was a long time coming.  

    However, I am disappointed our legislators didn’t have the same focus in funding our public schools in a truly meaningful way by implementing a long-term, sustaining revenue generating alternative. 

    As the Lewisville Independent School District prepares to welcome students on August 25, staff members have spent these summer months focused on continuing our long standing tradition of excellence. Recently, the Texas Education Agency released its campus ratings based upon the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. This year we are proud to share that we have 23 “Exemplary” campuses, 21 “Recognized” campuses and 15 “Acceptable” campuses and no “Unacceptable” campuses. These ratings are a testament of our outstanding teachers, principals and administrators who have worked tirelessly to help our students achieve success.

Note: This is the first of three articles regarding the history of school finance, Lewisville Independent School District budget process and future financial challenges.

    Since the passage of House Bill 1 in 2006, I have been asked about Texas public school funding and how it has impacted the Lewisville Independent School District.  The most popular question is why are local citizens mostly responsible for funding the public school system? Over the last half century, local taxpayers and the state of Texas have shared the responsibility of funding public schools.  The history regarding this very issue is extensive and I hope I can provide a summary to help answer this question.

    Note: This is the final article of a three-part series on school finance, LISD budget process and future financial challenges.

    During the month of January, our Board of Trustees will begin the 2009-10 budget process.  This eight-month planning period will allow our Board of Trustees to prioritize its financial goals, review current spending and adjust monies where they deem appropriate.  Managing and preparing our district’s budget is time intensive and requires forward thinking.