Your Questions Answered!

We have received many insightful questions and have answered them below.  We appreciate your feedback and invite you to share additional issues and questions you would like us to address by emailing the Eanes Education Foundation eef@eanesisd.net .  

Q: Why is there so much construction going on (i.e., redecorating the FAF, new walkways at the 9th Grade Center, Astroturf, etc)?  Why don't we spend that money on teachers instead? 

A: These physical repairs, enhancements, and additions are funded by bond money approved by the voters in May, 2006.  Bond money cannot be redirected for salaries, according to rules and regulations at state and federal levels.

Q: I already pay a ton in property taxes.  Doesn't this pay for teacher salaries?

A: Yes, but...our property taxes fund EISD's yearly operating budget, which includes teacher salaries, BUT by state law, more than 50% of our property tax revenue must be sent back to the state for re-distribution to "property poor" school districts in Texas.  So for example, for every $1,000 you pay in taxes, less than $500 stays here to fund EISD's budget, and the rest, by state law, goes off to fund other school districts’ budgets.  This "exodus" of our property tax revenue still exists with the recent public school finance reform laws passed in the most recent legislative session.

Q: When we're short on teachers and staff, why does EISD retain assets like the large fund balance or the Baldwin tract?

A:  The EISD Board is planning for the future in a climate of state funding uncertainty. That uncertainty is the key reason that the fund balance has been maintained (and, in fact, increased, due in large part to favorable interest rates) in recent years. The state funding formulas have in effect locked in our revenue from property tax at the 2005-06 level so the fund balance will have to be used for any inflationary costs or salary increases. The planning process for the next several years indicates that the district will be operating at a deficit budget, thus drawing from the fund balance year after year.

There are several reasons why selling the Baldwin tract to plug gaps in the annual budget would not be a preferable strategy.  One reason is that the land was bought with bond money and that bond has not yet been paid off; so if it were sold, the bond debt would first have to paid before proceeds could be used elsewhere. Another point to consider is that although we do not have growth at this time, if a large, privately held parcel of land were ever sold, there could be a significant increase in development resulting in increased enrollment (coupled with potential development on the Baldwin tract).

Q: Are donors able to target their gifts rather than have them automatically applied to teacher salaries?

A: The net proceeds of EEF's Annual Giving Campaign (AGC) are granted to EISD specifically for teacher positions/salaries, and the district distributes the money to all campuses on a per pupil basis.  The decision of how to best use that allocation is campus-based under the direction of each principal.

Q: The website shows an EEF grant of $925,000 for the 2007-2008 school year but the bar graph shows $855,000.  Did EEF actually raise only $855,000?

A: Last year, our total grant to EISD was for $925K.  Of that amount, $855K was raised and granted for teacher/staff positions and salaries.  The $855K included the net proceeds from EEF's Annual Giving Campaign, 2007 Gala, Realty Partner Program, and Community Partner Program.  The remaining $70K was donated by five families, who made substantial multi-year commitments specifically for the Partnership for Teacher Excellence (PTEP).  PTEP funds scholarships for EISD teachers who are enrolled in a master's degree program. It is another way EEF helps our wonderful EISD teachers.