By Graydon Hicks III
The PVS for Fort Davis ISD has risen from $189,444,414 in 2016 to $284,392,706 for 2022 (50% rise). It is time for someone to take responsibility for this completely fraudulent process of determining property values, which directly affects the assigned fiscal allotment (and actual state distribution) for our district. There is no way, no way, that property values have increased $100M in just 6 years out here. Someone needs to show me, as the superintendent of our district, what improvements have been made to property out here that will account for this totally unrealistic rise in values.
The distribution we received (after all the convoluted calculations and adjustments) has dropped from $728,393 in 2016 to $292,831 in 2022, and it is expected to drop further in 2023, to $153,995…and that does not even account for the recapture funds FDISD has to send back to the state!
This 2023 amount will certainly be adjusted even lower with the unreasonable rise (over 26% in one year alone) in the property values assigned by the Comptroller’s office. It is clear that this deliberate inflation of property values is tied to deliberate efforts to reduce state funding to LEA’s.
When will this madness stop? Who has the professional courtesy to even come out here to see what we have to deal with? Who will be responsible for educating my kids when the district is bankrupt of funds to operate?
I have done my best to point out this violation of our state Constitution to provide Equitable, Efficient, and Adequate funding for public education for years…..the only direct response from anyone in Austin was to be gavelled out during my attempted testimony before the school finance committee. I, my kids, and my fellow county residents deserve to be offered a face-to-face, coherent, and plausible explanation for this fiduciary malpractice by the state.
You should all be ashamed of this outrageous behavior and your attempt to misdirect the residents of Texas by flashy talking points about “reducing taxes” for our property owners.
Sincerely Infuriated,
Graydon Hicks III
Superintendent
Fort Davis ISD
