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Heads up, taxpayers and parents: We’ve audited the upcoming FRIONA ISD agenda. There are 4 items targeting parental consent and taxpayer funds that need your immediate attention before the gavel falls.
| 🚨 Alert (LEVEL 8) |
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Approving Budget Changes in the Dark
The board is scheduled to ‘approve budget amendments’ under Item 15 with no supporting documents attached to the public agenda. This practice allows money to be moved around after the main budget has been adopted, potentially funding new programs, consultants, or positions without public scrutiny. Taxpayers have no way of knowing what changes are being made to the budget before the vote.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email the Friona ISD Board of Trustees: ‘Regarding Item 15, the public deserves to see the proposed budget amendments before you vote. Please postpone this item until the full details are published with the agenda.’ Taxpayers can find board contact information on the district’s official website.
💰 Impact: Unknown. Could be thousands of dollars shifted to new priorities without public input.
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| ⚠️ Warning (LEVEL 7) |
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Using Your Tax Dollars to Lobby Against You
Under Item 22.a, the board is discussing attending the TASA/TASB convention. These organizations (Texas Association of School Boards/Administrators) use local tax dollars to lobby the state legislature, often against policies like property tax caps, parental rights, and school choice. Taxpayers are funding the travel and conference fees for board members to network with the very groups that lobby against taxpayer interests.
Response
Email the Friona ISD Board of Trustees: ‘Please disclose the total cost for attending the TASA/TASB convention. Why are we sending our local tax dollars to organizations that lobby against property tax relief and parental rights in Austin?’ Taxpayers can find board contact information on the district’s official website.
💰 Impact: Conference fees, travel, lodging, and implicit support for lobbying activities funded by annual dues.
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| ⚠️ Warning (LEVEL 6) |
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Setting the Stage for a Property Tax Hike
The board is holding a ‘Budget Workshop’ (Item 19) to discuss the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) and Interest & Sinking (I&S) tax rates. While no vote will be taken at this meeting, this is the first step in the annual process of setting property tax bills. This is the critical time for taxpayers to engage and demand the board adopt the ‘no-new-revenue’ rate, which would prevent tax bills from rising due to appraisal increases.
Response
GET ENGAGED NOW: Email the Friona ISD Board of Trustees: ‘As you begin budget discussions in Item 19, I urge you to commit to adopting the no-new-revenue tax rate. Protect homeowners from rising appraisals by not taking more tax revenue than you did last year.’ Taxpayers can find board contact information on the district’s official website.
💰 Impact: Potentially hundreds of dollars per household if the board later adopts a tax rate higher than the no-new-revenue rate.
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| ⚠️ Warning (LEVEL 6) |
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What Are Teachers Being Taught on Your Dime?
The board is voting to approve the district’s ‘Professional Development Plan’ for the upcoming school year (Item 10.d). The agenda provides no details or attached documents explaining what this training will include. These plans can be a backdoor for introducing controversial ideologies like ‘Social Emotional Learning (SEL),’ ‘equity audits,’ or ‘implicit bias’ training to teachers, which then filters down into the classroom.
Response
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Email the Friona ISD Board of Trustees: ‘Before approving the Professional Development Plan under Item 10.d, please publish the full plan for public review. Parents and taxpayers deserve to know what ideologies and methods our teachers will be trained on.’ Taxpayers can find board contact information on the district’s official website.
💰 Impact: The cost of the training itself, and the potential for mission drift in the classroom away from core academics.
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