Dateline: March 14, 2002
Local schools could lose $500k from state
By
Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise
Clarendon
and Hedley school districts stand to lose almost half a million dollars in
state funding if appeals to the state Comptroller’s office are not
successful.
Each
year the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts conducts a study to estimate
the total taxable value of all property within each school district to
determine how several billion dollars in school aid is to be distributed.
This
year, the state’s property valuation and the Donley County Appraisal
District’s valuation differ by over $2,781,000 in the Hedley district
and almost $10,600,000 in the Clarendon district.
“When
the Comptroller determines from its study that Clarendon CISD’s taxable
value is higher than the local values, it causes the district to receive
less funding from the Texas Education Agency,” Clarendon’s
Superintendent Monty Hysinger said.
The
difference would mean the loss of approximately $400,000 in Clarendon and
$100,000 in Hedley not only for the 2002-03 school year, but also for
2003-04.
“According
to the state, property values are much higher because of the utilities,”
Hedley Superintendent Bryan Hill said. “They think we should be getting
more money from those companies, so the state doesn’t have to give it to
us.”
Both
districts have filed an appeal with the Comptroller’s Office to try to
prove that the state’s estimate is in error and the districts should be
assigned its local estimate.
“This
problem is not unique to us,” Hill said. “We are being represented by
a man who works specifically with this kind of issue. He says it’s been
happening all over the state for years.”
Paula
Lowrie of the Donley County Appraisal District said that if the appeals
are unsuccessful, both schools are within their rights to file suit
against the state.
“We
believe our values are correct,” Lowrie said. “Both schools have
successfully appealed in the past, and the state adjusted to our estimate.
We feel that means our values are right.”