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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming JUDSON ISD agenda and found 7 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| ALERT (LEVEL 8) |
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Board to Approve 52 ‘Development’ Consultants
The board is being asked to approve a pre-qualified list of 52 vendors for ‘Consultants, Speakers, & Program Presenters for Staff & Student Development.’ This list includes ideologically-focused vendors like ‘Equitable Breakthrough Solutions’ and those promoting ‘culturally responsive instruction,’ creating a blank check for spending on political activism in the classroom.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘I demand Consent Item 7.D be pulled for a separate discussion and a roll-call vote. Taxpayers should not pre-approve a blank check for 52 consultants, especially those with an ideological agenda.’
💰 Impact: Undisclosed Consultant Fees
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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Board Cedes Oversight of New Hires
The Board is voting to give the Superintendent year-round final authority to hire all contractual staff up to the assistant principal level. This removes the Board’s role in approving these key positions, reducing transparency and public accountability for who is hired to work with students.
Response
DEFEND ACCOUNTABILITY: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Vote NO on Item 7.K. The Board’s duty to approve contracts for key personnel is a critical part of public oversight and should not be delegated away.’
💰 Impact: Reduced Public Oversight
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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Police to Share Student Info with School
The ‘Handle with Care’ program allows police to notify the district when a student is present at a traumatic event requiring a police response. While well-intentioned, this creates a formal data-sharing channel between law enforcement and the school about students’ private lives, without any mention of parental notification or consent.
Response
ASK ABOUT PARENTAL RIGHTS: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding the “Handle with Care” MOU in Item 7.J, what is the policy for notifying parents and obtaining their consent before their child’s information is shared between police and the school?’
💰 Impact: Student Data Privacy
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| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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$280,000 Grant-Funded Teacher Coaching
The district plans to spend $280,000 from the ‘LASO 4 Lift Grant’ on ‘Carnegie’ teacher coaching for math. While the goal is to improve test scores, this creates a dependency on federal grant money that will eventually run out, potentially leaving taxpayers to fund the program.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 7.B, what is the district’s obligation to continue the $280,000 Carnegie coaching program after the federal grant ends? Taxpayers must not be saddled with a new unfunded mandate.’
💰 Impact: Future Unfunded Mandate
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| WATCH (LEVEL 4) |
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Pre-Approval for Administrative Consultants
This item creates a pre-approved list of firms for a wide range of administrative consulting services, from ‘Financial Analysis’ to ‘Marketing Services.’ This streamlines hiring outside consultants and reduces public scrutiny on individual contracts, opening the door to vague, high-cost agreements with no clear benefit to students or taxpayers.
Response
REQUEST TRANSPARENCY: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 7.E, please ensure any contract executed from this pre-approved list is posted publicly with clear deliverables and costs before funds are spent.’
💰 Impact: Consultant Creep
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✅ Wins for Taxpayers
Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 9) |
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Board Adopted No-New-Revenue Tax Rate
Minutes from the September 24 meeting show the Board voted to adopt the no-new-revenue tax rate of $0.9796. This is a significant victory for taxpayers, as it means the district chose not to increase the overall property tax levy on existing property.
How to Lock It In
This is a win worth locking in. Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Thank you for adopting the no-new-revenue tax rate as reflected in the September 24 minutes (Item 7.A). Please make this the standard for future budgets.’
✅ Why It Matters: Taxpayer Savings
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| Major Win (LEVEL 8) |
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District Recovers $1.2M in State Funding
The district is paying law firm Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson $110,000 for work that increased state funding by an estimated $1.2 million. This was achieved by challenging the state’s property value study, a smart move that brings more state dollars to Judson ISD and reduces the burden on local property taxpayers.
How to Lock It In
AMPLIFY THE WIN: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Thank you for the prudent financial decision in Item 7.B to audit the state’s property value study. Recovering $1.2M in state funds is a major victory for local taxpayers.’
✅ Why It Matters: Reduced Local Tax Burden
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