Local schools could lose $500k from state

By Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon and Hedley school districts stand to lose almost half a million dollars in state funding if appeals to the state Comptroller’s office are not successful.

Each year the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts conducts a study to estimate the total taxable value of all property within each school district to determine how several billion dollars in school aid is to be distributed.

This year, the state’s property valuation and the Donley County Appraisal District’s valuation differ by over $2,781,000 in the Hedley district and almost $10,600,000 in the Clarendon district.

“When the Comptroller determines from its study that Clarendon CISD’s taxable value is higher than the local values, it causes the district to receive less funding from the Texas Education Agency,” Clarendon’s Superintendent Monty Hysinger said.

The difference would mean the loss of approximately $400,000 in Clarendon and $100,000 in Hedley not only for the 2002-03 school year, but also for 2003-04.

 “According to the state, property values are much higher because of the utilities,” Hedley Superintendent Bryan Hill said. “They think we should be getting more money from those companies, so the state doesn’t have to give it to us.”

Both districts have filed an appeal with the Comptroller’s Office to try to prove that the state’s estimate is in error and the districts should be assigned its local estimate.

“This problem is not unique to us,” Hill said. “We are being represented by a man who works specifically with this kind of issue. He says it’s been happening all over the state for years.”

 Paula Lowrie of the Donley County Appraisal District said that if the appeals are unsuccessful, both schools are within their rights to file suit against the state.

“We believe our values are correct,” Lowrie said. “Both schools have successfully appealed in the past, and the state adjusted to our estimate.  We feel that means our values are right.”