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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming TERRELL ISD agenda and found 5 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| ALERT (LEVEL 8) |
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$2.4M Transfer Hides Cost of Developer Deal
A budget amendment transfers $2.4 million received from the City of Terrell related to a ‘housing development agreement.’ This often means a developer received a tax break, and this payment is to offset the school’s losses, shifting the future tax burden for new services onto existing homeowners.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Pull Item 7.A from the Consent Agenda. Taxpayers deserve a full explanation of the $2.4M housing development agreement and to know how this deal impacts residential property taxes.’
💰 Impact: Shifted Tax Burden
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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Federal Grant Funds SEL ‘Conscious Discipline’ Training
The district is applying to continue its federal Head Start grant, which includes funding for staff to attend ‘Conscious Discipline’ training. This is a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program that focuses on behavior modification and can introduce controversial concepts into the classroom, bypassing parental input.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Pull Item 7.E from the Consent Agenda. Taxpayers should not fund SEL training like ‘Conscious Discipline’ that can politicize early childhood education.’
💰 Impact: Politicizing the Classroom
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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$432k Federal Grant for School Turnaround Consultant
The district plans to approve ‘Targeted Improvement Plans’ for two elementary schools, funded by a $432,000 federal ESSA grant. A significant portion of this money will pay an outside consultant, ‘Bailey Education Group, LLC,’ for services like instructional coaching, creating dependency that may not lead to sustainable improvement.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 9.B, what are the specific, measurable deliverables for the $432,000 contract with Bailey Education Group? Taxpayers deserve to see a clear return on investment for this federal grant money.’
💰 Impact: $432,000 (Federal Grant)
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| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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Hidden Fees in ‘No Cost’ Purchasing Agreement
The district is joining the Region 10 Purchasing Cooperative, presented as having ‘no cost.’ However, the agreement shows vendors are charged a ‘Vendor Participation Fee’ on all sales, a cost that is passed directly back to the district and taxpayers through higher prices.
Response
DEMAND THE DETAILS: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 7.D, what is the total estimated cost of the vendor pass-through fees? Taxpayers deserve to know the true cost of this ‘no fee’ agreement before it’s approved on the consent agenda.’
💰 Impact: Inflated Vendor Pricing
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✅ Wins for Taxpayers
Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 7) |
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Community Donates $133k for Student Scholarships
The William H. Burnett Family is transferring a scholarship fund of approximately $133,303 to the Terrell ISD Excellence Foundation. This generous private donation will create a permanent endowment to provide annual scholarships for deserving TISD students, demonstrating strong community partnership without using taxpayer money.
How to Lock It In
SECURE AND AMPLIFY: Show up to thank the Board and the William H. Burnett family for this incredible partnership on Item 7.K. This sets a great example of community support for education that doesn’t rely on raising taxes.
✅ Why It Matters: None (Private Donation)
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