The San Angelo Standard TimesAUSTIN — The Texas Education Agency is taking back millions from school districts because of a glitch in its system and an interpretation of state law that an organization specializing in school finance said should not apply.
State Rep. Jose “JM” Lozano, R-Kingsville, said he came across the situation when the Orange Grove Independent School District faced a $1.8 million reduction from the TEA. Its 2014-2015 budget is about $17 million, meaning the reduction would be about 10 percent of its total budget, federal fund and state funds included.
According to the TEA, the agency overpaid certain state funds.
“This overpayment occurred because your district reduced its interest and sinking fund tax effort following the district’s successful tax rate ratification in September 2009,” a letter from Lisa Dawn-Fisher, the associate commissioner for school finance, states. “Unfortunately, the Texas Education Agency failed to detect the overpayments to your district and other districts that had insufficient tax Our failure to detect the problem earlier was caused a lack integration between multiple systems used to record and calculate those payments previous years. We have completed upgrades our payment system that have now resolved that problem so that cannot occur again.”
Lozano offered legislation that would have cleared interpretation of school finance law so the districts wouldn’t have to pay.
“I think of this little girl … when I toured the school whose family I know because I grew up in that county,” Lozano said at a committee hearing. “I think about one of our agencies asking that little girl to send them money because of their mistake. I can’t believe that.”
The legislation, House Bill 2607, was entered late and got a committee hearing, but it carried a price tag, also called a fiscal note, of $81.4 million the first year and then $18.4 million after that.
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4 comments:
We should trade DA BLIMP in for a used black chalkboard! That bozo is dumbing down my town. Writing about me this week, Blowboy? Ha ha ha
The Governor said not to worry. El Chapo will make- up and put up the difference .
Dear Sir: Thank you for giving me this information. I went to my credit union and borrowed $4500 at an incredibly low interest and saved a ton of loan shark money. Think twice before you borrow from car title loan companies. Thanks again for the information !
Speaking of abuse in money. What is the situation with the
2 million dollar lawsuit?
Doesn't Luci Longoria have a record of filing for bankruptcy twice? We tax payers and parents of BISD students are not her bail out money. She needs to get a job like everyone else and act her age.A woman in her late 60's should know better.
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