Magnolia ISD lost their TAX HIKE ELECTION August, 14, 2018 known as a Tax Ratification Election (TRE). They are humbly claiming that they did not message for the taxpayers their TAX HIKE correctly. Let’s us take a look at their messaging.
1) They held a clandestine public hearing on this Tax Hike at 7:30 am on a school morning. Not a single taxpayer was in attendance other than the board and school administration. I am in agreement with the district that is TERRIBLE MESSAGING.
2) The district had a professional video made promoting this TRE election claiming that there would be NO TAX HIKE and the TRE passed teachers would get raises, funds for curriculum needs and security. Note: The Security Needs was already being funded and voted on in Commissioners Court. They claimed they were just doing a “penny swap” from to one account to another though there were no pennies involved. This was all smoke a mirrors and taxpayers started waking up to this fact.
Who saw this video? The district made sure their teachers and staff watched the pro TRE video prior to summer break encouraging them to vote YES. In essence the district used the teachers as guinea pigs in hopes of winning this election. The video was then removed from public view until few weeks prior to the election. The district has zero information on the TRE election until a few weeks prior to early voting. As a matter of fact many received and mailed back their mail in ballots prior to the district posting any information regarding the election.
TERRIBLE MESSAGING (there was none)
3) The district decided to hold the election in the dead of summer while many taxpayers may have still been on vacation, giving no thought that the district was holding a TAX HIKE election. The exception was teachers and staff were starting in-service at this time just prior to school starting. (do not think that is not planned)
TERRIBLE MESSAGING!
4) School Board member, Kristi Baker takes to social media insinuating that taxpayers are just “poor unsuspecting people” and are basically incapable and lack the intellect to figure out the district is scamming. If not for a few activist working for three weeks including myself worked to get word our about the election. And the ones that were spending their time informing the taxpayers were LIARS according to Baker.
TERRIBLE MESSAGING
5) The district fails to tell the taxpayer’s that they are throwing wasting thousands on a UNITED NATIONS PROGRAM International Baccalaureate (IB) that does not value American values or Exceptionalism.
IB World Schools endorse the UN Earth Charter which contradicts our Constitution as well. Earth Charter promotes redistribution of wealth, same sex marriage, pantheism, and military disarmament. The district also just build a 6 Million dollar Event Center to rent out. That is right they used our tax money and built an event center to compete with the private sector.
TERRIBLE MESSAGING
6) This is probably one of my favorites. School Board members after taxpayers were learning the truth posed for their own personal video in an attempt to rebuttal the truth that the TRE election was indeed a TAX HIKE. Board Member, Joe Duncan stated that the “any claim that after the TRE should pass we are going to IMMEDIATELY increase the I&S is simply not true”. So they are going to do it but not immediately? How thoughtful.
TERRIBLE MESSAGING
7) School Board member, Kristi Baker within the “apology” video attempts to make the case claiming the ballot language is what confused taxpayers and that is the reason it did not pass. What she is not saying is that there is a “TRUTH in TAXATION LAW”. The ballot can’t lie. So she is apologetic to the taxpayer that ballot has to be truthful. Seriously? So is she actually saying the district would have worded the ballot in order to trick the taxpayer to vote for the TAX HIKE?
TERRIBLE MESSAGING
Truth-in-taxation is a concept embodied in the Texas Constitution that requires local taxing units to make taxpayers aware of tax rate proposals and to afford taxpayers the opportunity to roll back or limit tax increases.
Do not think for one minute the district actually thinks this election failed due to their poor messaging. Their messaging was intentional but failed this election. Thanks to the taxpayers getting out and voting.
Texas State Senator Paul Betterment is working to inform the taxpayer of these clandestine TAX HIKE elections.
Thank you Sen. Bettencourt.
Magnolia ISD’s School Board need replaced. We have three board members whose terms are up this spring.
Charlie Riley band member, School Board President, Gary Blizzard.
