Email Express

Monday Note

September 14, 2009

Dear Lovejoy Community:

I do not usually email you on Monday, but there are several things that I want to share with you or to remind you of upcoming events. This will be a short note:

• LISD Board of Trustees meets tomorrow night at 7:30 pm at the LISD Administration Building
• Lovejoy Gifted Association is hosting a film event on September 29^th at 7:30 pm in the LHS Auditorium. The film, “How Will Your Child Spend Their 2 Million Minutes?” will examine the manner in which teenagers from China, India, and the United States invest their time. Admission is free for members of the Lovejoy Gifted Association and $5 for everyone else
• Early voting for the Tax Ratification Election (TRE) began today; early voting polls are located in the LISD Administration Building
• Leopard Friday is this week, September 18. Community pep rally at 4:30, BBQ dinner at 5:00 catered by Eddie Deen, and football game at 7:30 pm. The Lovejoy Leopards (3-0) host the Pottsboro Cardinals.

As you know, I sent some information on the TRE in Friday’s Express. Please allow me to provide a couple of answers related to questions that I received:

1. The Tax Ratification Election (TRE) will allow the voters of LISD to ratify the M&O tax rate of $1.06 (increase of 2 cents) approved by the Board of Trustees in August. This rate is required to fund the budget that was approved.
2. A homeowner whose home is valued at $150,000 will play slightly less than $30 additional per year and a home valued at $250,000 will pay slightly less than $50 per year
3. If the TRE is not ratified, the district will cut expenditures totaling $420,000 from this year’s budget. The items cut will include two new school buses and classroom technology for each campus.
4. The 2 cent increase will yield a total of $420,000 of which $280,000 will come from local taxes and then the state will enrich that levy by sending an additional $140,000 of state dollars
5. The 2 new school buses will replace two current route buses—one is a 1996 model and the other 1997 model. These two older buses will still be used when additional buses are required
6. The Lovejoy ISD no longer pays recapture (Robin Hood) back to the State of Texas. However, this does not mean additional dollars for Lovejoy. While we no longer make a Robin Hood payment, our revenue from Austin is reduced by this same amount, therefore, a net zero effect
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the TRE are available at: Details available at Voter Information - TRE

You have two more days to purchase Leopard Friday BBQ tickets. Tickets are on sale at LHS in the commons area from 8:30-4:00 on both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Every year someone calls me on Thursday or Friday very anxious to find some BBQ tickets. The deadline is Wednesday afternoon so I encourage you to purchase them by the deadline if you wish to attend. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids (4 yrs through 5^th grade). Children under 3 are free. Questions, please email Becky Campbell, President of the Lovejoy Council of PTAs for more info: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I understand we are forecast for a couple more days of rain and then the sunshine will return. Leopard Friday is such a fun community event that I hope the weather turns out to be as nice as predicted.

Respectfully,

Ted Moore

Superintendent

Lovejoy ISD