HomeMy WebLinkAboutDavid Rollins letter My name is David Rollins. I live in Stagecoach Hills. I have two children at
Westlake Academy. My wife Rebecca and I value the education our children
receive at Westlake Academy. I also value the sincere efforts of the Board to
make the school everything it can be. Lastly, I currently serve the Town as
President of the Westlake Public Art Society—a group that actively seeks to
support the school and build links to the regional arts community.
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I have a problem with the current s° ' n. But before I tell you my problem, let
me briefly explain what I believe to be true about the current situation.
My fundamental belief is that, no matter how we slice and dice it, were it not for
our obligations to the school, we would probably not be dealing with this
question of a tax at this point. Town officials have admitted as much in recent
newspaper articles [Mayor Wheat, July 6, Time-Register article stating "If we
weren't sending the million and a half dollars to support Westlake Academy,
would we be talking about a property tax right now? Probably not."] and I believe
it.
The people of the Town of Westlake are already supporting the school to the tune
of between $1.5mm and $2mm per year, counting debt service, maintenance of
WA's physical plant and a bucket of other direct and indirect costs. This is in the
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neighborhood of$2,000 for every man, woman and child in the Town whether
they have children at the Academy or not. From another perspective, that
represents $1.5 — 2 mm of services we are not receiving, monies that could
otherwise be spent on road projects, beautification projects, drainage, trails, etc.
Obviously, these school expenditures are not discretionary. The situation is what
it is, and we are where we are and we must deal with it. There's little we can
forego in this scenario. I understand that, and I believe that.
But here's my problem.
I fear we've created an inequitable situation that is unsustainable and will lead to
further disharmony and disunity in our community, especially with the imposition
of an ad valorum tax to cover the shortfall.
Let me briefly explain. If we look at it through a pain /gain lens—that is, who has
the pain and who gets the gain, I'd have to say that at the top of the heap the
pure gain in this arrangement belongs to the 70% of the Westlake Academy
student body and their families who live in Keller ISD, or Carroll IS D or Northwest
ISD. A mixture of pain and gain belongs to the 30% of the student body whose
families actually live in the Town receive the direct benefit of the monies spent to
support the school. The Pain belongs to Westlake residents with no direct
connections to the school. This last group represents the majority of households
in Westlake. This is an inequity that cannot stand and must be dealt with, not by
institutionalizing it with a property tax, but by addressing the issue honestly,
acknowledging all the sacred cows and blinders we've developed over time.
Everything and every option must be on the table for this discussion.
It is ironic that the school was originally envisioned as a force to draw the
community together, but nts a divisive force, overshadowing our
affairs. Instituting a tax to solve the problem robs us of an opportunity to face
and deal with the inequity now, rather leaving it to fester and poison.
Everyone wants the best education for their children — Rebecca and I certainly do.
But not at the cost of losing our community.