EVERYONE IS ABLE TO HEAR THE PRESENTATION AND THE QUESTIONS ASKED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
[1. Call to Order]
[00:00:07]
SERGEANT. THE TIME IS 5:31 P.M. AND THIS MEETING IS HEREBY CALLED TO ORDER. WE HAVE THE PRESENCE OF A QUORUM ATTENDING IN PERSON. NOTICE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTED ONLINE[2. Public Comment]
AND AT THE FORT BEND ISD ADMINISTRATION BUILDING FOR AT LEAST THREE BUSINESS DAYS.FIRST UP FOR US IS PUBLIC COMMENT, AND WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER SIGNED UP TONIGHT. I WILL CALL WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME. PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. DOCTOR GILLIAM, OUR BOARD SECRETARY, WILL TAKE TIME AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A 32ND WARNING. OUR SPEAKER THIS EVENING IS JIMMY LINDEMANN.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, DOCTOR SMITH. BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE. I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE THIS EVENING. SO MY NAME IS JIMMY LINDEMANN, AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK FOR THIS TAX RATE PROPOSAL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IN FORT BEND ISD. MY FAMILY AND I MOVED HERE IN 2022, MOVED BACK HERE. AND EVERY YEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN BACK HERE, THERE'S BEEN SOME SORT OF TAX INCREASE THAT HAS BEEN LEVIED AGAINST THE CITIZENS OF FORT BEND COUNTY. FORT BEND ISD, WHETHER IT'S IN THE RATE OR THE THE WAY OF BONDS, VAT TAX RATE INCREASES EVERY YEAR AND EVERY YEAR WE'RE BACK HERE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE NEED MORE MONEY FOR THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO PAY SALARIES, PAY FOR PROJECTS WITHIN THE DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT COMPLETED, THAT WERE STARTED BEFORE I MOVED BACK HERE TO BUILD SCHOOLS THAT WERE PROMISED TO THE VOTERS TO BE BUILT, THAT ARE NOT BEING BUILT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE SPENDING THE MONEY, I APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE FORT BEND ISD LAW ENFORCEMENT HERE TONIGHT FOR THE BOARD AND FOR THE VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PERSONNEL THAT ARE HERE. MUCH MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT HERE THAN I SEE.
PROVIDING SAFETY AT ELKINS HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE WE STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC ISSUES, U-TURNS. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RAISING TAXES, JUST REMEMBER THE BOARD VOTED TO GIVE DOCTOR SMITH A 7% SALARY INCREASE. WE ALREADY KNEW THAT WE WERE UPSIDE DOWN ON MONEY IN THIS IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND WE GAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT 7% INCREASE. INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT HOW WE COULD ALLOCATE THAT TO OUR OTHER STAFF, TO OUR TEACHERS, TO OUR SAFETY PERSONNEL HERE IN THE DISTRICT, NOT TAKING ANYTHING AWAY FROM YOU. DOCTOR SMITH, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE. BUT WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT HOW WE SHARE THE WEALTH WITH ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES HERE IN THE DISTRICT, AND HOW WE MAKE IT FAIR FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE COMPETING ACROSS A VERY LARGE DEMOGRAPHIC, BOTH ECONOMICALLY, SOCIALLY, CULTURALLY, THROUGHOUT FORT BEND ISD. SO I AM AGAINST A TAX RATE INCREASE, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS GOING TO BE JUST FOR ONE YEAR. AND THERE'S THE TALK OF A POSSIBLE VAT BEING PROPOSED TO BE ON THE BALLOT TO MAKE IT A LONG TERM PERMANENT TAX INCREASE. YOU CAN ALREADY SEE THAT PROPERTY VALUES ARE STARTING TO STAGNATE AND HAVE PROBLEMS HERE IN FORT BEND COUNTY. JUST TODAY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD OF RIVERSTONE, A HOUSE WENT ON AUCTION FOR FORECLOSURE. WE SEE MANY PROPERTIES THAT HAVE BEEN SITTING ON THE MARKET FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. THAT HOMESTEAD FOR FOR THE THE HOMEOWNERS FROM THE STATE WAS MEANT TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO THE HOMEOWNERS, NOT TO BE AN EXTRA PIGGY BANK FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO GO IN AND TAKE IT AWAY FROM HOMEOWNERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP ON OUR
[3. Conduct Public Hearing to Discuss Tax Rate]
AGENDA IS TO CONDUCT THE PUBLIC HEARING TO DISCUSS THE TAX RATE. DOCTOR SMITH. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. OUR CFO, MR. BRIAN GWIN, WILL LEAD THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING. GOOD EVENING, MADAM PRESIDENT. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND DOCTOR SMITH. THIS EVENING WE ARE PRESENTING INFORMATION ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE AND CONDUCTING THE PUBLIC HEARING AS REQUIRED BY LAW, BEFORE THE TAX RATE CAN BE ADOPTED, THERE ARE FOUR REQUIREMENTS THAT MUST BE MET. AND THE DISTRICT HAS MET ALL FOUR OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS. FIRST, THE DISTRICT MUST ADOPT THE BUDGETS FOR THE GENERAL AND DEBT SERVICE FUNDS. THAT WAS DONE ON JUNE 23RD. SECOND, THE DISTRICT MUST RECEIVE THE CERTIFIED TAX ROLL FROM THE CHIEF APPRAISER OF THE CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND THAT WAS RECEIVED ON JULY THE 15TH. THIRD, HE MUST APPROVE THE MAXIMUM COMPRESSED RATE, AND THAT WAS DONE AUGUST 1ST. AND THEN FOURTH, I NOTICE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT THE TAX RATE MUST BE ADVERTISED IN A LOCAL[00:05:05]
PAPER AT LEAST TEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING, AND THAT REQUIREMENT WAS ALSO MET WITH THE AD APPEARING IN THREE LOCAL PAPERS ON SEPTEMBER 3RD AND SEPTEMBER 4TH. THE PROPERTY VALUE RECEIVED FROM THE CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT TOTALED $58.5 BILLION, AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR, AND THAT IS A RESULT OF THE INCREASE TO THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT WILL GO TO THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER, AND WE'LL HAVE MORE DETAIL ON THAT IN JUST A MOMENT. THE BUDGETS FOR THE GENERAL FUND.WHAT ARE THE BUDGET FOR? THE GENERAL FUND WAS ADOPTED ON JUNE 23RD AND TOTALED $901.64 MILLION. IT'S SUPPORTED BY A MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE OF 78.6 $0.09. INCLUDED IN THE TAX RATE ARE SEVEN DISASTER PENNIES, WHICH ARE REQUIRED TO FUND THE WENT TO WORK IN FORT BEND COMPENSATION PACKAGE THAT WAS APPROVED AS PART OF THE BUDGET. THE SEVEN DISASTER PENNIES ARE COPPER PENNIES AND ARE SUBJECT TO RECAPTURE, AND THE DISTRICT WILL PAY 5.54 MILLION IN RECAPTURE ON THE DISASTER PENNIES. THE DEBT SERVICE FUND IS WAS ADOPTED ALSO ON THE 23RD, AND TOTALS $183.8 MILLION. THE DEBT SERVICE FUND IS SUPPORTED BY AN INTEREST IN SINKING TAX RATE OF $0.27, AND THE DEBT SERVICE FUND. THERE WAS NO CHANGE TO THE TAX RATE, AND THAT FUNDING SUPPORTS THE PAYMENTS ON OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST FOR THE DISTRICT'S DEBT, AND SO THE TAX RATE OF 78.6 $0.09 AND THE INS RATE OF $0.27 RESULTS IN A TOTAL TAX RATE OF $1 AND 5.6 $0.09. I MENTIONED BRIEFLY THE WENT TO WORK IN FORT BEND. THE SEVEN DISASTER PENNIES WILL BE SUPPORTING. THAT TOTALS $30.67 MILLION. AND THERE ARE CERTAIN COMPONENTS OF THIS PAY PLAN THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED, INCLUDING THE WELLNESS DAYS, THE SIGNING BONUSES, AND THE STARTING TEACHER SALARY, AND THE FIRST PAYMENT IN THE TWO YEAR RETENTION SUPPLEMENT WILL PAY OUT IN NOVEMBER. THE PROPOSED TAX RATE OF $1 0.56 $0.09 IS $0.03 LOWER THAN CY-FAIR, $0.06 LOWER THAN KATY, AND $0.09 LOWER THAN LAMAR. AND THIS IS AGAIN ONLY FOR THE 25 TAX YEAR AND 26. THE TAX RATE WILL GO DOWN BY $0.07 AND REVERT TO THE 98.6 $0.09. THAT WOULD BE WITHOUT THE DISASTER PENNIES. STAFF HAS PREPARED AN ANALYSIS OF HOW THE PROPOSED TAX RATE WILL IMPACT THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER IN THE DISTRICT FOR 2425 THE. FOR THE 2425 SCHOOL YEAR, THE TAX RATE WAS 98.6 $0.09, BASED ON THE AVERAGE TAXABLE VALUE OF $303,945. THE AVERAGE TAX BILL WOULD HAVE BEEN $3,000 FOR HOMEOWNER. FOR THE 25 TAXABLE VALUES THAT WERE RECEIVED BY THE CHIEF APPRAISER, THE VALUE OF THE AVERAGE HOME HAS GONE UP BY $16,696. HOWEVER, THE LEGISLATURE HAS PASSED A $40,000 INCREASE TO THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT WILL GO TO THE VOTERS FOR APPROVAL IN NOVEMBER, AND IF PASSED, THAT AVERAGE TAXABLE VALUE WILL GO DOWN BY $23,304. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT PRIOR ELECTIONS FOR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, THEY HAVE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED. MORE THAN 80% OF VOTERS TYPICALLY APPROVE THOSE. SO BASED ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE OF $1 AND 5.6 $0.09, THE TAX BILL ON AN AVERAGE HOME WILL BE $2,966, OR $34 LESS THAN LAST YEAR. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION. MADAM PRESIDENT. I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU FOR ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD AND TO CONDUCT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
THANK YOU, MR. GWYNNE. WE APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE TRUSTEES? MR. SHOAF? ALL RIGHT. SO I'VE ASKED THIS BEFORE AND I'M GOING TO ASK IT AGAIN. IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT MORE STUDENTS COST MORE TO EDUCATE, RIGHT? THAT IS AS THE YES, AS WE RECEIVE MORE STUDENTS, WE HAVE TO ADD ADDITIONAL TEACHERS TO EDUCATE THOSE STUDENTS. RIGHT. AND SO LESS STUDENTS, A DECREASE IN STUDENTS COST LESS TO EDUCATE.
RIGHT? YES. AND THERE'S ALSO A CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN STATE REVENUES WHEN THOSE STUDENTS EXIT THE SYSTEM. OKAY. AND SO I'M CURIOUS AS OF RIGHT NOW WHAT IS OUR TOTAL OUR TOTAL TAXABLE PROPERTY VALUE. IT'S ABOUT 59.5 BILLION. OKAY. AND SO WE'VE GOT I DID A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH. WE HAVE ROUGHLY 17,000 LESS STUDENTS THAN KATY ISD OKAY. AND THE RESEARCH THAT
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I FOUND AS OF RIGHT NOW, KATY ISD'S TAXABLE PROPERTY IS 56.2 BILLION OKAY. SO THAT'S THAT'S SUBSTANTIALLY LESS. ALL RIGHT. AND SO WHY WHY IS IT WITH A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT'S 17,000 LESS STUDENTS WITH A HIGHER TAXABLE PROPERTY AMOUNT. WHY IS IT THAT WE AREN'T OPERATING.WHY AREN'T WE LOOKING AT LOWERING TAXES ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING GAVE A PRESENTATION A FEW MONTHS AGO. IN THE LAST 4 TO 5 YEARS, WE'VE LOST 3 TO 4000 STUDENTS. SO JUST SO OVER THE LAST 3 TO 4 YEARS, OUR ENROLLMENT HAS INCREASED SLIGHTLY. WE'VE GONE FROM ABOUT 78,000 FROM THREE YEARS AGO, AND WE WERE PROJECTED AT JUST UNDER 80,000 THIS YEAR. SO ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN RELATIVELY STABLE. THE OTHER THING TO CONSIDER IS, AS YOU LOOK AT THE TAX RATE, IS TO RECALL THAT THE FUNDING SYSTEM IN TEXAS IS A TWO TIERED SYSTEM. IT'S BASED ON STATE AID AND LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES, AND LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES DO NOT MEAN AS THE THE VALUES GO UP LOCALLY, THAT DOES NOT MEAN AUTOMATICALLY MORE REVENUE FOR THE DISTRICT. THE WAY THAT THE STATE SYSTEM IS SET UP.S US BASED ON ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE. AND SO AS OUR ENROLLMENT INCREASES, WE DO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDING. BUT IT'S DONE THROUGH A FORMULA WHERE IT BASICALLY WORKS IN AND DETERMINES HOW MUCH THE STATE WILL PAY AND HOW MUCH WE'RE GOING TO PAY LOCALLY. AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT KATY'S TAXABLE VALUE AND COMPARE IT TO OURS, IT'S NOT A TRUE APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON BECAUSE IT WOULD BE BASED ON THE STATE AID FORMULAS, NOT JUST LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES. SO MY OTHER QUESTION I'M LOOKING AT THIS YOUR PROPERTY VALUE BY YEAR CHART. AND I TOO ALSO BOUGHT IN THE DISTRICT IN 2022. MUCH LIKE.
THE GENTLEMAN WHO SPOKE. AND THAT WAS A PEAK MARKET VALUE THAT WE. THE HOUSTON AREA HAS NEVER SEEN PRICES AND HOUSES SELLING THAT QUICKLY AND FOR THAT MUCH. AND AS OF RIGHT NOW, IT'S CURRENTLY A BUYER. MARKET HOUSES ARE NOT SELLING FOR WHAT THEY WERE IN 2022. AND SO WHY IS IT THAT THERE THAT WE'RE NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN APPRAISING HOUSES ROUGHLY 20,000 MORE BASED ON YOUR OR 16,000 MORE, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE GETTING THAT NUMBER. SO THE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES IN FORT BEND COUNTY USE THE FORT BEND CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT. THE CHIEF APPRAISER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING A REVIEW OF ALL PROPERTIES. WELL, ONE THIRD OF ALL PROPERTIES EACH YEAR AND LOOKING AT THEM AGAINST MARKET VALUES AND HOW THEY ARE SELLING. AND SO THE VALUES THAT WE'RE USING ARE COMING FROM THE CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT, BASED ON THE MARKET STUDIES THAT THEY HAVE DONE AND THE ANALYSIS THAT THEY'VE DONE OF SALES WITHIN SPECIFICALLY FORT BEND ISD. SO, SEE, AND THIS IS THIS IS WHY PEOPLE GET REAL FRUSTRATED WITH GOVERNMENT, OKAY? BECAUSE THEY FOUGHT IN AUSTIN TO GET THIS $140,000 HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AND THEN THEY INCREASED THE QUOTE UNQUOTE, PROPERTY VALUES OF THE OF OUR RESIDENTS, EVEN THOUGH I WON'T, I WON'T BE ABLE TO SELL MY HOUSE FOR 25,000 MORE OR 25, 30,000 MORE THAN WHAT I BOUGHT IT FOR. AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ELSE IN 2020 WHO BOUGHT IN 2022 COULD DO THIS, DO THAT EITHER. AND JUST IRONICALLY, THE INCREASE IN OUR PROPERTY VALUE, IT COMES OUT TO ALMOST THE EXACT SAME PERCENTAGE OF WHAT THE REDUCTION WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH THE WITH THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. SO THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, I'M KIND OF FRUSTRATED LOOKING AT ALL THIS. AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF DADS WHO ARE VERY FRUSTRATED WITH ALL THIS. AND, AND FRANKLY, THIS IS THIS IS WHY PEOPLE HAVE THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS WHY PEOPLE HAVE TRUST ISSUES WITH US. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO I'M GOING TO TAKE A MINUTE TO ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE I GET FRUSTRATED BY GOVERNMENT ALSO. BUT GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH US IS MISGUIDED BECAUSE THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT IF THEY DON'T WANT APPRAISALS TO CONTINUE RISING. THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE ACTUALLY BUDGETS AT
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LEAST 7% EVERY YEAR IN AN INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES. THEY LITERALLY BUDGET FOR THAT.SO IF YOU GO AND LOOK, THEY EXPECT PROPERTY VALUES TO TO RAISE WHENEVER THEY BUDGET. AND WHEN THEY DO THAT, WHAT THEY DO IS THEY KNOW THAT WHEN OUR PROPERTY VALUES ARE GOING TO GO UP, THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S GOING TO GET MORE MONEY FROM FROM YOU GUYS, WHICH MEANS THAT THE STATE HAS TO PAY US LESS MONEY. CORRECT? MR. GWYNNE? THAT IS CORRECT. THAT IS CORRECT. SO THAT'S HOW THE FUNDING FORMULAS WORK. SO I GET FRUSTRATED WHEN LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TO TAKE THE BRUNT OF THE COMMUNITY OUTRAGE WHEN WE HAVE THE ONE, TWO, THREE, THE FIFTH LOWEST PROPERTY TAXES IN THE ENTIRE AREA AND HAVE SINCE I SERVED ON THIS BOARD, WE DIDN'T RAISE PROPERTY TAXES. SO I DON'T KNOW WHO'S RAISING PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE I DIDN'T VOTE TO DO THAT. AND EVEN IF I DO GO OUT FOR A TREE, IT'S THE COMMUNITY WHO ULTIMATELY SAYS YES. SO THIS BOARD CANNOT DO THAT UNILATERALLY EXCEPT IN THIS ONE INSTANCE FOR ONE YEAR. SO IF WE WANT THINGS TO CHANGE BETWEEN THE CAD AND THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AND THE WAY THE FUNDING FORMULAS WORK, THEN WE NEED TO CALL OUR LEGISLATORS IN AUSTIN BECAUSE IT CONSTANTLY COMES BACK ON ON US. AND WE HAVE A PRETTY LOW PROPERTY TAX RATE, EVEN AFTER A ONE YEAR BUMP OF $0.07, WE STILL ARE LOWER THAN ALL OF OUR PEER DISTRICTS OR MOST OF THEM. SO THE REASON THAT WE NEED TO DO THIS OR HAVE TO DO THIS, IS BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE PROVIDED RAISES FOR TEACHERS, AND THEN THEY GAVE A VERY NARROW DEFINITION OF WHAT A TEACHER IS. AND SO THAT LEAVES US HOLDING THE BAG TO GIVE RAISES TO EVERYBODY ELSE. DIAGNOSTICIANS PARAPROFESSIONALS, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN YOUR KIDS CLASSROOMS BUT ARE NOT REALLY CALLED TEACHER UNDER THE STATE'S DEFINITION. AND SO THAT'S A PRIMARY REASON FOR IT, IN ADDITION TO SOME OTHER THINGS THAT IF IF EVERYBODY HAS BEEN PAYING ATTENTION FOR A YEAR WHEN WE'VE HAD THIS PRESENTED, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION HAS BEEN OUT THERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. NOT A SINGLE ONE OF US UP HERE HAS SAID THAT WE ARE GOING TO GO OUT FOR A VAT NEXT YEAR. NONE OF US HAVE SAID I MADE THE COMMENT. LET ME CORRECT THAT. I MADE THE COMMENT AT ONE BOARD MEETING SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, ASKING OR CONTEMPLATING WHETHER WE WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT, AND DOCTOR SMITH HAS SAID NO. AND MR. GWYNNE HAS SAID AND HAS BEEN TASKED WITH THIS BOARD FOR CUTTING THE BUDGET SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. BUT WE ARE PRETTY MUCH FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE UP HERE, ALL OF US. AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO DO. WE DID A COST SAVINGS STUDY AND TO SEE IF YOU KNOW HOW WELL WE WERE DOING ALL OF THAT WAS PRESENTED. AND WE ARE PRETTY LEAN. WE ARE PRETTY LEAN IN THIS DISTRICT BY THIRD PARTY STANDARDS. SO I GET A LITTLE FRUSTRATED TOO. AND I DON'T LIKE SITTING UP HERE TAKING THE BRUNT OF A SYSTEM THAT'S FRANKLY BROKEN. AND IT IT DOES NEED TO BE REVAMPED. AND WE WE DO NEED THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE TO STEP UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AND THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE LEGISLATURE WHO FIGHT FOR THAT AND WHO WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. BUT UNTIL IT DOES, WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN TO EDUCATE 80,000 STUDENTS ON THE LEANEST BUDGET THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN. AND WITH THE LOW WITH ONE OF THE LOWEST TAX RATES IN THE AREA. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN ASKED FOR A SEVEN CENT BUMP FOR ONE YEAR SO THAT THEY HAVE TIME TO CUT THE BUDGET AND GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE. AND I, AS A FISCAL CONSERVATIVE, SUPPORT THAT. AND SO WE HAVE TO GO INTO I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE A SECOND BITE AT THE APPLE TONIGHT, SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND ASK FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN, A MOTION TO ADJOURN. DO I GET A SECOND? ALL RIGHT. WE ARE ADJOURNED. AT THE
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.