The 81st Legislative Session begins Jan. 13.
"Northside has a strong relationship with the people elected by the voters to represent us in Austin," Superintendent John Folks said. "They need to know what we believe is important and more importantly, why. We may not always agree with them or them with us, but they certainly know where we stand on a variety of issues."
Before the new Legislative Session, the NISD Board of Trustees traditionally adopts legislative priorities in the areas of finance, governance, school choice, and students. These are NISD's 2009 Legislative Priorities:
FINANCE
- Support efforts to adjust targeted revenue per student to allow for the proper funding of a weighted student system that recognizes essential programs and services including academic instruction, instructional support, extracurricular activities, and technology necessary to prepare students to contribute positively to society.
- Support legislation that would increase facilities funding to include a higher percentile of students who would benefit from the funding and allow for the needs to be met at a lower tax rate. Legislation would enhance the current Instructional Facilities Allotment and Existing Debt Allotment.
- Support increasing state funding for technology, including distance learning programs, equipment, on line testing, technology based interventions, information management systems, and staff training. The Legislature should begin by appropriating funds it has previously committed.
- Support an increase in funding formula sufficient to maintain and operate a pupil transportation system, especially in light of the current inflationary pressures on the instructional budget. No such adjustments have been made since the last legislative adjustment of the formula in 1985.
- Support a formula that redistributes the benefit of property value growth back to fast growth school districts.
- Support legislation requiring community housing development organizations to pay full ad valorem taxes to public schools when using tax exempt bonds to acquire existing affordable housing (with the intent to renovate).
- Support legislation on access of equalized maintenance and operation tax rate without voter approval.
- Support legislation prohibiting unfunded mandates, and reduce bus evacuation training requirement to once a year.
- Support funding for increased teacher compensation.
GOVERNANCE
- Support legislation that would amend the Texas Government Code to authorize school districts to impose construction residential impact fees on residential developers.
SCHOOL CHOICE
- Oppose private school vouchers, tuition tax credits, and other such programs funded with public tax dollars.
STUDENTS
- Support legislation to clarify that districts will receive regular state transportation funding for students who attend a magnet school within their own district and who live more than two miles from the school.
- Support legislation that provides for a replacement accountability system that is fair and equitable to large diverse districts and campuses.
- Support legislation that provides relief to districts with a large influx of unschooled refugee children, particularly in regards to the data that has an impact on a school's or district's accountability rating.