The recent letter to the editor from a former D-49 board member demands a response because of its multiple inaccuracies and lies. As current board members, we have grappled with how to meet the needs of a rapidly growing district with over 1,000 new students THIS YEAR. Is it a blank check for the next 32 years? NO! Here I encourage you, just as Mr. Shook did, to read the ballot language. The ballot language dictates how the money must be spent. With voter approval, the money will be spent on a new high school, a new middle school, a new elementary school and the completion of three other elementary schools. Look closer – the ballot language also requires the district to have community oversight to assure the dollars are spent as outlined in the ballot language. A portion of the mill levy will also help to fund the increases needed to keep up with the rapid growth in number of students – more teachers and support staff, more textbooks and the technology improvements needed in all buildings. The ballot language requires community monitoring of these operational funds as well. And, it, like most of your mortgages, will sunset (go away) in 30 years.Going around the voters with COPs? Again, the answer is NO. The district has been upfront in saying that the money would be used for capital needs – which have been specifically identified and will be financed with a lease purchase agreement- in addition to operational costs, just as surrounding districts like D-11, D-20, Harrison, Manitou Springs, Widefield, Cheyenne Mountain and Lewis Palmer have done. The voters get to decide; this isn’t something we’re doing after the fact – the voters get to decide.The state does set limits on school districts for both bonds and mill levy overrides. D-49 still has $28 mill of bonding capacity remaining. Bonds can only be used for capital projects. The other limit is a mill override, which for Falcon D-49 would be approximately $10.5 million per year. Mill levy overrides can be used for both building facility needs and operational needs. Therefore, the board of education decided the best way to meet its burgeoning capital and operations needs was a mill override of not to exceed $8.5 million – two million under the district’s limit. As mentioned earlier, D-49 is the only district in the area that doesn’t have a mill levy override.The Board has found no other way to provide for the students we have right now in crowded schools and trailers much less the 20,000 expected in the next 10 years. This measure provides students with a quality education in decent class sizes and prevents the district from having to resort to year-round schools, split sessions, cutting arts, music and physical education. The District is doing exactly what the Taxpayers Bill of Rights dictates – it is bringing this issue to the voters for their approval. Shame on you, Mr. Shook for representing that anything but the best interests of the Falcon studentswas the motivation behind this mill override election.I was shocked to read the official finance report filed by those promoting the largest tax increase in school district 49 history.I found the report at www.car.elpasoco.com on the clerk and recorder’s county website. The issue committee is called Commitment for Kids.The report is also posted at www.RaiseTaxesAgain under the D-49 link.Those promoting this 25% property tax increase for 32 years have raised $150,000 to pass it. I couldn’t believe it!The money is coming from two main sources.One is the developers we taxpayers are subsidizing for the school impacts of their new subdivisions. Obviously, they would rather kick in $10,000 once to get taxpayers to pay the $272 million cost of issue 3-I, than to have to pay the true cost for the classroom demand they are creating with their new homes.The other special interest is the building contractors who will get the contracts to build whatever D-49 chooses to build. (They don’t have to build any of the projects listed as mere examples on the ballot title. All the money could go forpay raises.) With $77 million worth of projects, D-49 is asking for $272 million in taxes. Guess where the other 95 million goes.Here are the worst of the “usual suspects” trying to buy our YES vote:–Land Title Guarantee Corp–$15,000–Housing and Building Assoc.–$10,000–Marksheffel-Woodman Investments–$5,000–Nunn Construction–$7,000–Santa Fe Springs LLC–$5,000–Development Mgt–$5,000–Falcon Properties and Investments–$10,000–GTL, Inc–$10,000–GE Johnson Construction–$5,000–Classic Homes–$10,000–Banning Lewis Ranch Co–$10,000–Town Homes Inc of Florida–$5,000–Richmond American Homes–$5,000That’s $102,000 from the Dirty (Baker’s) Dozen.Don’t let them get away with this evasion of responsibility so they can continue to feed at the public trough. Vote NO on 3-I.Jack KeenFalcon
