in the news 07.03 · 2019. 4. 8. · henderson, soph., leander; emily kahler.jr., lake travis;...
TRANSCRIPT
In the News_07.03.2017DISTRICT25-6APREVIEW RECEIVERS
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By Thomas Jone$ [email protected].;.com
As the 2017 football sea.son approaches, the community news papers take a look at what 10 expect from District 25-6A, posi tion by position. The series con· tlnues by examining the teams' wide recelvers. The community sports writer.; rank tJ1em from the strongest (No. I) to the weak· est (No. 7), at least based on how the unit looks in the preseason. Visit westlakepicayune.com for the entire series.
t. Vlsta Rldge Returning quarterback Jacob
Taute will have some familiar targets to throw to, including first-team, all-district Jami) Pitt· man~ a versatile playmaker who will get touches In a varle1y of
ways. The 6-foo1, 185-pound Pitt• man had 602 yards receiving, 414 yards rushing and nine touch· downs last season and gives the Rangers a big-play 1hreat. Pitt• man is hardly the Jone Ranger in the passing game; Devin Walker also garnered varsity experience during Vista Ridge's 3-8 season in 2016, and Coach Rodney Vin· cent touted the development of receiver, sud! as Dylan Le-.ch and Nick Podolak during the spring.
2. Lake Tra,is Out with the old stars, and in
with the newest receiving sen· sadon for the defending Class 6A Division I state champions. Four receivers from the 2016 team will soon be sutdng up for their respective college 1eams. but junior Garrett Wilson looks primed to carry a heavy load. 111e6-t, 175-pom1dju11ior had SO receptions for 699 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago. and the
Football continued on A7
ABOUT THIS SERIES As footbilU season neJJ~ thecomnuut:Ynewspapers ex.amine Dlstr let l 3-6A and rank each tum, poslUon bY position. Wat!Klnassllln points for the top.ranked team•t .. ch position, gMngseven points for the l)O!ltlon l@a<lal aM ont point forseve<ith place. We,1 upc:t.a.ta the tot,;.I with each Instalment or the se,ies, gMngantoeaofwtilctiteams wQI coot.end fo,tho district uue .and the folK s:>lclYoff spots. Part one: Offensive 1'1e Part two: RocaNan current point total 1. La ko Tr.111ls, 11 1. Vim Rids•. 11 3.Hays,10 '-Westt.,ke, 8 4.Vandasrlfl.'8 6.Letlman,s 7. Leanc:IQr, 3
;_..;;----· Lake Ttavlswld• recerver Garrett wuson lnwannup pass receMng <1r1Usdur1na Lake nav1scava.11eu football spr1ngpract1ceat Lake Travl.$ High School on May 11. JOHNGUTIUIR[li:ooAME~ICAN $1:0.11:SMAN
Football continued from A6
bevy or coU,:ge offers testi fies to his talents. The ca,,. Jack proven depth beyond Wilson, however; stellar ath• lete Alec Fumtes has played multiple positions during his career but now looks like a starter, and Kyle Wakefield moves from defense to an H-back role formerly occu• pied by curr,ent Longhorn Gade Brewer. Look furderen stve back Nathan Parodi to also get snaps at receiver.
, 3. Vandegrift • Justin Florence and Peyton
Ausley, IJ>e top lWO recei ... rs from last sea:son's 6-6 cam· palgn, both re rum this sea• son. Thal e"-perience will help the Vipers break in a new quarterback. Florence hauled in a team·high 46 catches for 667 yards and seven touch downs a year ago, and the 6-3 Ausley had 32 catches ror 400 yards. Neither player possesses the speed to blow past saretles, bul both boast good hands and run reliable root es. Run· nlng back Mack Parker also Splits out wjcle , and tjght end Jackson Oliver is a threat in the passing game.
4.Lehman His ability to develop a
potent passlngg:une helped new coach Josh Kirkland land the Lehman job, and It could make the Lobos a darldiorse playoff contender. Chastain Evans, a 6-foot, 165- pound senior, emerged as a downfield l11reat last sea son with 280 yards receiv• lnganda nioaf touchdowns. Classrnare Braden Sulilns , a second-team. aH-distric:t pD)'eTa)""""ll"•shouldalso excel In Klrldand's version of the spread; the mulil•spor1 standout - Sullins earned fust -team, all-district hon ors as a shortstop o n the ooseball team - already has an impressive highlight reel of his ca.tches and ha~ par• ticipated in USA football 's developmental camps.
S. Hays Plenty of pTO\,,en receivers
are among a veteran offense shat fearures elght returning >t.uter.;. Nalhar1 Tote,a 6-~. 185-pow,djw,ior, impressed wish 16 catches and 251 yards asa sophomoH! and appeMS poised for abreal<ootseason. Senior Patrldc Guerrero Is just 5°8 and 160 pounds, but he makes big plays out or U,e slot;he had21 catches for344 yards la<lseason.}unlordght endJamison F.ddlen>an, who
played on varsity last season, adds to the wea!U1 of re,;eiv• ing riches for a team poised to rebound from last year's 3-7 campaign.
6. Westlake Graduation took a lieavy
toll on the Chaps' receiv• Ing corps, but coach Todd Dodge always manufacrures a productive set of wideouls in his spread offense. Look for6·foot•3, 190-poundJake Ramos to have a breakoul
season afte.r hauling In 29 catches for 4 97 yards and fh'e touchdowns a year ago. The senior boasts tremen• dous size and athleticism; be excels in the hurdlesdur· ing track se.ason. However, Ramos Is the only receiver wilh any meaningful expe rience, and Dodge will have to fill the ranks for a team that went 10-4 last season with20J6subllarsityplayers.
7. Leander 'Jbird.)"<lf ooodi TunSmith
prefers to lea:n on a rugged gro«od j/;iffie to conlrol lhe clock and move lhe chains, but his offense also boasts one of tile top weapons in tile district with three-year start· ing receiver Dalton Flowers. The6-3, 185-poundsenlor has the speed Lo get down field and can manhandle smaller defensive baclcs. A year 3//P, Flowers had 52 catches for 880yordsona2-8squadthat came within one win of the playoffs. Jake Egelsee, a 6·1, 185-pow,dseruoraro retums.
contact ThO!nds Jones at 512-445-3527.
Arstteam PITCHER Grant MIiter, uni or, Ro-und Rock A McLennan Community Cdlege slgneewhoalso pl~d nrst t>a.se, MJIJerwas 10--2 W1t1l twono--httters and ttt .3 72 with 1 7 RBIs Jr, tho relll!lar season. Colltn Wyman. s&nlor, Hendrlc-kson Tho District 13-6A MVP led tho Hawks toa 6A reglonalflnalWltlla 10-2,ecord, 1.74ERAand76 strll<e<>utswhlle also hitting .360wltll 21 RBIs. Mason Mont&ome.ry,Junlor. Leander A dOmlnant teft--Nnderwh o gave up four earned runs all season, Montgome,y had 80 strlkewtslnJust44¼ lnni11S5,str1kkl&out an average of 12 battllrs a same, CATCHER COdY Vannoy, Junior, RouH Tne District 19-SA MVP,VannoY helped tne Ral(lers reacn tne tntrd roundofttie Class SA playoffs, hitting .379 with 20 RBIs. He also threw out 1 3 n.nners. l'IRSTBASE JordQn Week5,Junlor, Wimberley Ana11 .. state oonoreeWtlowa.svotE!dMVP In Dlstrtct 27-4A, Weeks hit three honners and drove In 36 runs tot the Ta>cans, Class 4A regIona1 CJJ,arterflnallsts. SECONDBASE Grant Prussel, senior, Vandea_rlft A power-hitting lnflelderwhohasslgnedwlth Houston Baptist, Prusse.l led me areawtth SIX h0merswn11e hitting .403.Ho S<:oro<l 30 runsan<I <lrovoln 23.
SHORTSTOP Alex.Deleon., untor, L.t..ao Vl1ta The All...centex newcorneroftheyearln 2015, DeLeon helped the Vikings advance to Class 3A 111glona1 finals In eachof tne past two seasons. THIRDBASE Shelby Becker, Junior, Clddlnis Honored as tne otstrlct 25-4A MVP, eectcer batted .4 1 Sand complied an Impressive .920 neldlng percentage this spring. oumELDER James Baran. 1en1or.An<11r1on AmultJsPortstarwhoalso1PklYeci football, Baran was named the 14· 6AMVPaftertltttlng .40Sanasconng 26 runs for thedlstrictchilfl1P. Parker Tadlock, senior, Geore,etown AnaU-stateselectloo of the TttSBCA who will p!.,y at A.ngelOState next sea.son, UdlOCkbatted .36 7 With 17 RBIs.stole 21 bases and scored 3 2 runs. Devin T\Jcke-r, senior, Rouse Tuckernotonl)lhlt.321 with 22 RBIs and 25 runs,but he was 7-2 onthemoundWlth8 I strikeouts.earning Distnct 19-SA pltcherof ygar accolades. UTILITY Brett Baty, 1ophomore, L~k• Travl1 TMOISlllct 2S-6A MVP,Bal)lnlt.4 1 swtth 26 RBIs andflwhoma runs.and Uleflrst basem;maJsowas 4-0on f"nOund to, the district champ.
Secondteam PITCHER Maxine V,1.Jd.x.1ophomore, Hays TheDlstrict2$-6AMVPwon 17gamesaodposteda 1.79 ERA.She batted .380 to help tne Rebels reach the playoffs. Emlb' Jo Gr~, senior, ~lore nee AnaJ~state Pick who was the District 25-3A MVP.Gray flnlShed 10-4wlth 162 strll<eO<Jtsandbatted .465. Gracy crafts. sophOmor•. era.in VotedtheMVPofDlstrlct 19-SA,Craftshad 15wlnsand 129 StrlkeOUtS.SheatsobatteCl .384 wlttl 27 RBIs. CATCHER Ashley ~r•z. senior, Ptluaervme Perez hit .418 with 13 doublosand 29 RBIs. Bohlnd the ol.>to, she U\r'ew out seven wouJd .. De oa.sestealers. FIRSTBASE Shelby Dl>con. sen lot, La Gra.nie Dixon was named Ols.trict 20-4A offensive MVP aftor b.lWng .490wlth sewnnomeruns and 3B RBIs. SECOND BASE cam me Corona.. sophomore, Drip pin,: Sprints A UT plGdge, Corona-theAD-Cffltex newcomorof theye-rln 2016- batt(!(j .445 and stole a seh00I¥recora 59 bases.
SHORTSTOP Aspen Howle, senior, Lake Travis Aft.er signing with Houston.Howle, whO's iJlsoa basketball standout,batted.484,hlt 1 Ofl<lmersand dro.,efn 31 rt.llS.
THIRD BASE KIIHYLOWkl, Hnlor,Hyd1 P.ark A NlchollS State slgnee, Lowke batted better than .600 and scored moretnan so l\llS ths past season. OUTFIELDER Brianna Clmpos1 sen1or1 eartl•tt A first-team al-district honoroe,Camposbatted .548 for tho L.ass~s. Who averaged 17 runsdl.l1ng the plaiY<>fl'. Shelby Schwartz. senior. Laao Vl5ta Across.oountry rtn'WH'Wno also plays b.1Sketbal, scnwartz battod .526, had 44 runs and 23 stoals. Miranda Swanbere, senior, Cedar Rlde,e Tho RoldOfs center flotderhlt.407 with 41 runs and 28 RBIs this past se.1son. sne aisooommltted JUstone error. i'hl!l,it I Jullana Brown, senior, We,stJake Acatcherwho'salsocomfortabl8asanlnft81d8r,Brownbatted .455,h.ad 26 RB1sa.ncsst.o1e 19baSesin 2oanempts.
District 25-6A MVP: Maxine Valdez, Hays. Offensive MVP: Juliana Bro.vn, Westlake. Defenstve MVP: Kristian Chapa, Vista Ridge. Pitcher MVP: Jessica Day, Lake Travis. Newcomer of the year: Chloe Smith, Vista Ridge. Coach of the year: Lisa Cone.Hays. Flrstteam: LuLuArrQto, sr., Hays; MarlaArrQto, sr., Hays; Eltzabeth Banle, sr., Lake TravJs; Abbie Blackwell.Jr., Hays; Brycen Bllnco, sr., Lake Travis; Shorty CastJllo, sr., Leander; lllyana Cisneros.Jr., Hays; Maddey Collins, sr., Vista Ridge; Dominique Faz,Jr., Westlake; Daryn Haslam,Jr., Vista Ridge; Aspen Ho.vie, sr., Lake Travls; Alyssa MartJnez, sr., Lehman; Nicole Nlckdow, sr., Vista Ridge; Brianna Rodriguez, soph., Hays; Shelby Thornton.Jr., Westlake. Second team: SerynaAvalos, soph., Lehman; Brooke Baumgartner, Jr.,Leander; Maya Benologa,Jr., Vista Ridge; Brooke Cimino, fr., Westlake; Allie Dall le, sr., Lake Travis; Kaylln Davis, soph., Hays; Haley Henderson, soph., Leander; Emily Kahler.Jr., Lake Travis; Melayna Lopez, soph., Vista Ridge; Courtney Plckus, fr., Vandegrift; LIiiy Rodgers, sr., Westlake; Sarah Salinas, sr., Westlake; Kaylee Wlpff,Jr., Lehman; Sydney Wunsch, soph., Vandegrift.
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION
Lake Travis grad l(aitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation She wins award in girls golf after helping Cavs to 3rd consecutive title.
IIYThom.llJOnH t~es@a-pe,s.com
Kaftlynn Papp, a recent grad• uate of Lake Travis High School, was named as ooeof the"JJ)senior athletes of the year in boys and girls sports by the National High School Com:hesAsoooalion. P-•PI> won the award in girls golf after winning individual honors while
helping the Cavs lo a third COIi· secutive Class 6A state champi· onshlp.
Papp, who wlll attend Texas in the fall, is a four-time Rolexjunior All-Amerlcan, earning first team honors in 2015 and 2016.
Papp was named to USA Today's Second-Team All-Amer ican Cirls' Coif team in 2016. She was selected to represent the USA a year ago and aided Team USA to winning theJunlor RyderCUp. She also represented the USA"' the ToyotaJunior Golf World cup In Toyota,shl, Japan.
Papp is the second Texas stu• dent-athlete to win the NHSCA Girls' Coif athlete of the year aw-• rd. Maddie Sze ryk or Allen High School won the award in 2014.
It's the 18th s.traight year the NHSCA has honored achievers In the high school athletic com• munity nationwide. Th.is year's recipients, selected in a total of 20 boys and girts sports, are from 17 dUferent states. California. Mas, sachusetts and New Jersey top
Papp oontlnued on A7
the 11st wlrh rwo athletes e.ach being honored Arizroa, Colorado, F1orida, Indiana, Kentucky. Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio. Tennessee, 1'exas, Utah. Virginia and Washington each had one athlete honored.
"'11le 20 young men and women we are honoring today represent the thou. sands of success stories pn:>, duced in high school ath· Jerks, .. NHSCA executive director Eric Hess said in a press release ... They have worked extremely hard to develop and hone In on their skills and have become not just great student-athletes, but outst.andlng role mod .. els on and olf the field, and we are delighted to be hon oring them."
Each oneofthe honorees will rec.eive a trophy, plus each will be honored In the National High School Sports Hall of Fame Museum, "'ruch the NHSCA will be building In the near future.
Cont.act TtiomasJonesat 512-4',S-3527.
LONESTARCUP
No Cup winners from area Liberty Hill places highest of Central Texas schools: 3rd.
Amedc~Statesmanstaff
The Lone StarCUpawards
points to schools based on their overall team achieve• ment In academic, ath)e:cic and music competitions. It began during Jbe 1997·98 school }'ear.
Westlake, the 2015-16 will• ner of the Class 6A cup, 6n• !shed rourth this year will, 88 poinlS while Loke Travis, which won state champion ships in rOOlball and girls golf, came In ninth w1th 63 polnis. Hendrickson, which won the girls soccer state Utle, was 10th with 60 points.
The Woodlands won lis sixth cup, tied for third-most of all time. The Highland ers won state titles in boys cros.~ country, girls 6Wlm• ming and diving, and boys track and field . The Wood lands last won the Lone Star Cup in 20ll.
Dripping Spring;,, which reached rhe Class SA stare softball tournament, tied for sixth In the Class SA Lone Siar CUp with Amarillo. Both schools had 67 points. Hig11- land Park won its 10th Lone
Star cup tldewlth 106 polnrs. Highland Park's last Cup win came In 2008.
Liberty Hill, a state quali· fier In softball and girls bas ketball, had the highest fin. lsh or any area school: third in Class 4A with 78 points. Argyle won the classifica tion with 128 polnlS.
Wimberley finished 10th in Class 4A with SI points.
Austin High was 14th In Class SA with 57 points and Bowie 6nished l2U1 In Class 6A with 58 points.
SCHOOL DISTRICT
ByThomuJone,o t)oollS@aC111.,,.s;pal)Cfs.com
Lake Travis I llgh School assls· tm~ IM'lndp<ol Michael Drlnkwa1cr
has been named the Lake Travis ochool dlslrlcl'I ru<sl>1ant director or athledcs dfoc• ctveJuly3, dlstrtct ,,mc1:1is r<.ictndy onnouaood.
Mlch111 Orlnkwater Drinkwater rcplnces Br:mdy
Bolk, who last month accepted
n poslllon with the Unlvc.rslly IJ1terocholasdc Le.!!luu.
In his new po<5IU00, Drlnkwa- 1er will work wllh athleclc dlrec- 1or and take Travis High School l""'d loolball oouch Hank Carter.
"Michael's experience ns n clas.. .. room teacher and cm1ch
~ wJll~tdkeJbe..r.iithLb:tlnnctt.antL
set the appropriate tone for the continued growth of our ath• letic programs,,. Carter said in a press release. •Brandy will be a hard act to follow, but I tn1ly believe Michael is the best fit for this important role.•
A native ofcallfomla, Drinkwa ter earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. He holds a teaching certificate In secondary llngl:lsh from Adams State and a prtncipal's certifi· care from Lamar University In Beaumonl.
Drinkwater joined Lake Tra· vis High In 2012, serving as an English teocher. freshmen foot ball head coach, and softball and varsity football .assistant coach.
COnt.act Thomas.Jonesat512- 445-3527.
LAKE TRAVIS SCHOOLS
District puts $253M bond issue to build schools on Nov. 7 ballot In addition to new middle and elementary schools, tech and sports get boost
IIY RllChtl RICe [email protected]
Voters in the Lake Travis school dis· n1ct will decide Nov. 7 lfthey will sup• port a $2S3 million bond proposal, which lndudes funding for a seventh elementary school and a third middle school. School district officials say the bond will not increase property tax rates, a consequence of the dtsrrlcr paying down its debt.
Middle school No. 3 near Vall DMde is projected to oost roughly $77.6 mil· lion and elementary No. 7 Is antici pated to cost approximately $31.S mil•
lion, aooordlng to the district's projec tions. Other major items rolled into the bond Include facll lty Improvements estimatedat$96 million, new technol• ogy a1 the campuses at a coot of about $39,S million and athletic facilities at $23 million.
Most of the items were adopted from the bond advisory committee, whose members made a presentadon ro the school board last month. Disn1ct senior administrator Johnmy HIii added, how• ever, that the di.strict tacked o.n $1.3 million for new sear belts on all its school buses.
"'In addition, we now have Senate Bill 693, which is a seat belt Jaw,• Hill said. " If you're financially able todoso, you're acnially required to put three· point seat belt<on your buses for new ones purchased after Sept. I, 2017. We
went through U1e worksheet to fi'-'llre out bow much it would be to not only add 11 for rite new buses ... bu1 also 10 go back and retrofit the buses we have ,vlth seat belts, and we came up r.o right at $1.3 million,·
Dlslrlcl staff a lso made a presenta tion on a possible rax ratification elec• tion, which would be in November lf the school board approves the elec• tion during its August meeting, The tax ratification elccdon would ask voters whether the district should be able to move 2 cents from its interest and sink• ing tax rate, used lo pay off debts, over to its maintenance and operations rax rate. District administrators empha· sized rhar taxpayers would nor see a change in their overa11 tax rate.
Cont>ct Rachel Rice at 512-1,1,5-3809.
LEGISLATURE IN-DEPTH SCHOOL FUNDING
The U k• Tr.1vl1, L•ao Vista., J.lrrell •nd Blant-o school dlstrlch are amona about 200 Te.x.i1.s Khool dlstrtcts t hat wn1 101@ a eomblned s200 m1111on In sta't:e tundln& from the Addlt lonal state Aid for ntx Reduction proar.im. a pot of money th.it wlll ao .i!W~ In September. RALPMBMIRCRAJ m stfCAH.-SlAffiMAN
End of state progra1n hits school budgets Some Central Texas districts scramble to cover shortfalls
ey Julie Chana JchanS~ta.tesmancom
About 200 Texas school dis· tricts - including Lake Travis, Lago Vista, Jarrell and Blanco - will enter the 2017•18 school year without a combined S200 million In state money that they had been receiving during the past decade.
A pot of money called Addi tio11al StneAld forT-dJC Reduction will go away in September, cutting up to 10 percent of some Central Texas school district budgets.
The LegJslature established the money in 2005 to maintain school district revenue after law makerslo<\<eredpropenytax rates
- the main source of funding for Texas school districts - by one third. In 2011, rhe Legislature reduced the amount of state aid to school districts and set a 2017 expiration date.
In recent years, rising property values have allowed fewer school dlstrlct.s to qualify for the money. But in many of the remaining20 percent of school districts, offi cials are cutting teachers and extr3curricular .act.MUes, free-u Ing salaries, delaying repairs and dipping into savings to prepare for the loss of funding.
"The reality Is that ASATR existed because of a promise made to taxpayers that compressed tax rates would not hurt school
districts. That promise has been broken," said Suzy Lofton-Bullis, deputy superintendent of the Lago Vista school district. which Is expecting to lose $1.2 million, about IO percent of the 1,450-stu· dent district's budget.
Should funding expire? Lawmakers, warning that the
1oos In the state aid program cook! close schools, filed a half-dozen bills 10 extend the program in the session that ended in May.
The moot proruisingw-dSHouse Bill 21, a $1.6 billion school finance package that would have created hardship grants for affected dis-
SChOOlsoont1nued onA8
Schools contlr1<JOO ~om Al
tricts. Disagreement over a separate provision that would have allowed .state money to help students pay for private school ruillon uld mately killed the legjslation.
ln an opinion pie<.-e about educ.ation spending]XJblished this month, U. Gov. Dan Pat rick suggested that districts should have been planning for the Joss of fundlng.
·school districts have known for sh years thar ASATR would expire in20l7," Patrick wrote.
Chandra Villanueva, pol Icy analyst with rhe Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Austin think tank, said the funding pro gram should expire because it's based on decade-<>ld rev enue data, maJ<inglt an inef ficient system within the larger, already b£oken state finance system.
"Basically, ,discrlcls wllh higher tax rates were subsi· diting the ASATR for Olher districts,,. Villanueva said. "What our Legisla1ure1ieeds to focus on is all 5.3 million kids and not just a handful of districts that were In a privileged position a decade ago, and rha~,s why they're onASA.TR.n
Planning for the cliff Officials 1'1th the Lake Tra·
vis, Lago Vista, Jarrell and Blanco districts said they have exhausted ways to plan forthe loss In stale aid, add-
Ing that cuts to the overall education system continue to be too burdensome.
The Lago V-osta and Lake Travis school districts face a double whammy because they must also return mil· lions of dollars to the state in recapture payments that help property-poor school dislticts. Laj,'O Vista officials expect the district ro send off as much as $5 million next school year, while Lake Tra· vis will return to the state about $43 ml1llon and Jose an additional half-million dollars when the state aid expires in September.
Lake 'Travis, which has a $113 million budget, is going Into a deficit of$2I million next school year_, forcing it ro dip lnro savings.
-.;we;~-~t ~~'k'on some or our a-anspoo-taUOn. We've also outsourced our custo dial staff. We .. ve not filled staff positions. What has hurt us is Lhe other cuts that the state has put on us, and unfunded mandates,· said Johnny Hill, Lake Tra· vis school dlstrlcrs chief financial officer.
The Jarrell school dis trict \\10 lose· about 7 per• cent of its $14 million bud ge, when the additional state aid expires, also creating a budget deficit. Official< said they've cut staff and can't afford to Increase salaries - a top priority for districts at risk ofloslng teachers to neighboring districts or to other careers_
The Blanco school district w111 also lose up to 7 percent
or Its budget when the aid program exp'ires.
Blanco district ofTlcials have tried to lessen the blow by asking voters ear lier this moo th to approve a "tax. swap" that will gener· ate more money for the dis O-lcl's operating budget but keep the taxpayers' overall tax bill the same. Themaueu ver will allow the district to use tax money reserved for repaying debt to instead pay teacher s-aJaries, utility bills and other day-to-day expenses.
The Lake Travis and Lago Vista school districts have also done a tax swap.
--we have oot been plan· nlng with the e.xpectation that theLegjslaturewasi,>iq( to help us,· said Matthew Strager, the Blanco school dlslrtcl's business man~.
For the 3CHl.ay special leg islative session that begins July 18, Gov. Greg Abbott has called on the Legislature to create a commission to make reoomn,endationsabout the state'sschoolfinancesysrem. Local school officialsaren'1 banking on any meaningful changes to come from tire special session.
"We b!ep doing studies ... but nothing ever gers done with school fumding because It's going to require some~ thing very big,• said JarreU Superintendent BUI Chap man. "There~s no getting around It."
coniactJuneO'lang at512-912-2565. Twltter:@Jullect,ang1
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 1
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 2
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 3
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 4
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 5
All-Central Texas Team
2017 All-Central Texas Second Team
Area All-District Honorees
Area All-District Honorees
Area All-District Honorees 2
Area All-District Honorees 3
Lake Travis grad Kaitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation
Lake Travis grad Kaitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation 1
Lake Travis grad Kaitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation 2
No Cup winners from area
Assistant athletic director is named
Assistant athletic director is named 1
Assistant athletic director is named 2
District puts $253M bond issue to build schools on Nov 7 ballot
End of state program hits school budgets
End of state program hits school budgets 1
End of state program hits school budgets 2
End of state program hits school budgets 3
End of state program hits school budgets 4
End of state program hits school budgets 5
End of state program hits school budgets 6
End of state program hits school budgets 7
End of state program hits school budgets 8
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By Thomas Jone$ [email protected].;.com
As the 2017 football sea.son approaches, the community news papers take a look at what 10 expect from District 25-6A, posi tion by position. The series con· tlnues by examining the teams' wide recelvers. The community sports writer.; rank tJ1em from the strongest (No. I) to the weak· est (No. 7), at least based on how the unit looks in the preseason. Visit westlakepicayune.com for the entire series.
t. Vlsta Rldge Returning quarterback Jacob
Taute will have some familiar targets to throw to, including first-team, all-district Jami) Pitt· man~ a versatile playmaker who will get touches In a varle1y of
ways. The 6-foo1, 185-pound Pitt• man had 602 yards receiving, 414 yards rushing and nine touch· downs last season and gives the Rangers a big-play 1hreat. Pitt• man is hardly the Jone Ranger in the passing game; Devin Walker also garnered varsity experience during Vista Ridge's 3-8 season in 2016, and Coach Rodney Vin· cent touted the development of receiver, sud! as Dylan Le-.ch and Nick Podolak during the spring.
2. Lake Tra,is Out with the old stars, and in
with the newest receiving sen· sadon for the defending Class 6A Division I state champions. Four receivers from the 2016 team will soon be sutdng up for their respective college 1eams. but junior Garrett Wilson looks primed to carry a heavy load. 111e6-t, 175-pom1dju11ior had SO receptions for 699 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago. and the
Football continued on A7
ABOUT THIS SERIES As footbilU season neJJ~ thecomnuut:Ynewspapers ex.amine Dlstr let l 3-6A and rank each tum, poslUon bY position. Wat!Klnassllln points for the top.ranked team•t .. ch position, gMngseven points for the l)O!ltlon l@a<lal aM ont point forseve<ith place. We,1 upc:t.a.ta the tot,;.I with each Instalment or the se,ies, gMngantoeaofwtilctiteams wQI coot.end fo,tho district uue .and the folK s:>lclYoff spots. Part one: Offensive 1'1e Part two: RocaNan current point total 1. La ko Tr.111ls, 11 1. Vim Rids•. 11 3.Hays,10 '-Westt.,ke, 8 4.Vandasrlfl.'8 6.Letlman,s 7. Leanc:IQr, 3
;_..;;----· Lake Ttavlswld• recerver Garrett wuson lnwannup pass receMng <1r1Usdur1na Lake nav1scava.11eu football spr1ngpract1ceat Lake Travl.$ High School on May 11. JOHNGUTIUIR[li:ooAME~ICAN $1:0.11:SMAN
Football continued from A6
bevy or coU,:ge offers testi fies to his talents. The ca,,. Jack proven depth beyond Wilson, however; stellar ath• lete Alec Fumtes has played multiple positions during his career but now looks like a starter, and Kyle Wakefield moves from defense to an H-back role formerly occu• pied by curr,ent Longhorn Gade Brewer. Look furderen stve back Nathan Parodi to also get snaps at receiver.
, 3. Vandegrift • Justin Florence and Peyton
Ausley, IJ>e top lWO recei ... rs from last sea:son's 6-6 cam· palgn, both re rum this sea• son. Thal e"-perience will help the Vipers break in a new quarterback. Florence hauled in a team·high 46 catches for 667 yards and seven touch downs a year ago, and the 6-3 Ausley had 32 catches ror 400 yards. Neither player possesses the speed to blow past saretles, bul both boast good hands and run reliable root es. Run· nlng back Mack Parker also Splits out wjcle , and tjght end Jackson Oliver is a threat in the passing game.
4.Lehman His ability to develop a
potent passlngg:une helped new coach Josh Kirkland land the Lehman job, and It could make the Lobos a darldiorse playoff contender. Chastain Evans, a 6-foot, 165- pound senior, emerged as a downfield l11reat last sea son with 280 yards receiv• lnganda nioaf touchdowns. Classrnare Braden Sulilns , a second-team. aH-distric:t pD)'eTa)""""ll"•shouldalso excel In Klrldand's version of the spread; the mulil•spor1 standout - Sullins earned fust -team, all-district hon ors as a shortstop o n the ooseball team - already has an impressive highlight reel of his ca.tches and ha~ par• ticipated in USA football 's developmental camps.
S. Hays Plenty of pTO\,,en receivers
are among a veteran offense shat fearures elght returning >t.uter.;. Nalhar1 Tote,a 6-~. 185-pow,djw,ior, impressed wish 16 catches and 251 yards asa sophomoH! and appeMS poised for abreal<ootseason. Senior Patrldc Guerrero Is just 5°8 and 160 pounds, but he makes big plays out or U,e slot;he had21 catches for344 yards la<lseason.}unlordght endJamison F.ddlen>an, who
played on varsity last season, adds to the wea!U1 of re,;eiv• ing riches for a team poised to rebound from last year's 3-7 campaign.
6. Westlake Graduation took a lieavy
toll on the Chaps' receiv• Ing corps, but coach Todd Dodge always manufacrures a productive set of wideouls in his spread offense. Look for6·foot•3, 190-poundJake Ramos to have a breakoul
season afte.r hauling In 29 catches for 4 97 yards and fh'e touchdowns a year ago. The senior boasts tremen• dous size and athleticism; be excels in the hurdlesdur· ing track se.ason. However, Ramos Is the only receiver wilh any meaningful expe rience, and Dodge will have to fill the ranks for a team that went 10-4 last season with20J6subllarsityplayers.
7. Leander 'Jbird.)"<lf ooodi TunSmith
prefers to lea:n on a rugged gro«od j/;iffie to conlrol lhe clock and move lhe chains, but his offense also boasts one of tile top weapons in tile district with three-year start· ing receiver Dalton Flowers. The6-3, 185-poundsenlor has the speed Lo get down field and can manhandle smaller defensive baclcs. A year 3//P, Flowers had 52 catches for 880yordsona2-8squadthat came within one win of the playoffs. Jake Egelsee, a 6·1, 185-pow,dseruoraro retums.
contact ThO!nds Jones at 512-445-3527.
Arstteam PITCHER Grant MIiter, uni or, Ro-und Rock A McLennan Community Cdlege slgneewhoalso pl~d nrst t>a.se, MJIJerwas 10--2 W1t1l twono--httters and ttt .3 72 with 1 7 RBIs Jr, tho relll!lar season. Colltn Wyman. s&nlor, Hendrlc-kson Tho District 13-6A MVP led tho Hawks toa 6A reglonalflnalWltlla 10-2,ecord, 1.74ERAand76 strll<e<>utswhlle also hitting .360wltll 21 RBIs. Mason Mont&ome.ry,Junlor. Leander A dOmlnant teft--Nnderwh o gave up four earned runs all season, Montgome,y had 80 strlkewtslnJust44¼ lnni11S5,str1kkl&out an average of 12 battllrs a same, CATCHER COdY Vannoy, Junior, RouH Tne District 19-SA MVP,VannoY helped tne Ral(lers reacn tne tntrd roundofttie Class SA playoffs, hitting .379 with 20 RBIs. He also threw out 1 3 n.nners. l'IRSTBASE JordQn Week5,Junlor, Wimberley Ana11 .. state oonoreeWtlowa.svotE!dMVP In Dlstrtct 27-4A, Weeks hit three honners and drove In 36 runs tot the Ta>cans, Class 4A regIona1 CJJ,arterflnallsts. SECONDBASE Grant Prussel, senior, Vandea_rlft A power-hitting lnflelderwhohasslgnedwlth Houston Baptist, Prusse.l led me areawtth SIX h0merswn11e hitting .403.Ho S<:oro<l 30 runsan<I <lrovoln 23.
SHORTSTOP Alex.Deleon., untor, L.t..ao Vl1ta The All...centex newcorneroftheyearln 2015, DeLeon helped the Vikings advance to Class 3A 111glona1 finals In eachof tne past two seasons. THIRDBASE Shelby Becker, Junior, Clddlnis Honored as tne otstrlct 25-4A MVP, eectcer batted .4 1 Sand complied an Impressive .920 neldlng percentage this spring. oumELDER James Baran. 1en1or.An<11r1on AmultJsPortstarwhoalso1PklYeci football, Baran was named the 14· 6AMVPaftertltttlng .40Sanasconng 26 runs for thedlstrictchilfl1P. Parker Tadlock, senior, Geore,etown AnaU-stateselectloo of the TttSBCA who will p!.,y at A.ngelOState next sea.son, UdlOCkbatted .36 7 With 17 RBIs.stole 21 bases and scored 3 2 runs. Devin T\Jcke-r, senior, Rouse Tuckernotonl)lhlt.321 with 22 RBIs and 25 runs,but he was 7-2 onthemoundWlth8 I strikeouts.earning Distnct 19-SA pltcherof ygar accolades. UTILITY Brett Baty, 1ophomore, L~k• Travl1 TMOISlllct 2S-6A MVP,Bal)lnlt.4 1 swtth 26 RBIs andflwhoma runs.and Uleflrst basem;maJsowas 4-0on f"nOund to, the district champ.
Secondteam PITCHER Maxine V,1.Jd.x.1ophomore, Hays TheDlstrict2$-6AMVPwon 17gamesaodposteda 1.79 ERA.She batted .380 to help tne Rebels reach the playoffs. Emlb' Jo Gr~, senior, ~lore nee AnaJ~state Pick who was the District 25-3A MVP.Gray flnlShed 10-4wlth 162 strll<eO<Jtsandbatted .465. Gracy crafts. sophOmor•. era.in VotedtheMVPofDlstrlct 19-SA,Craftshad 15wlnsand 129 StrlkeOUtS.SheatsobatteCl .384 wlttl 27 RBIs. CATCHER Ashley ~r•z. senior, Ptluaervme Perez hit .418 with 13 doublosand 29 RBIs. Bohlnd the ol.>to, she U\r'ew out seven wouJd .. De oa.sestealers. FIRSTBASE Shelby Dl>con. sen lot, La Gra.nie Dixon was named Ols.trict 20-4A offensive MVP aftor b.lWng .490wlth sewnnomeruns and 3B RBIs. SECOND BASE cam me Corona.. sophomore, Drip pin,: Sprints A UT plGdge, Corona-theAD-Cffltex newcomorof theye-rln 2016- batt(!(j .445 and stole a seh00I¥recora 59 bases.
SHORTSTOP Aspen Howle, senior, Lake Travis Aft.er signing with Houston.Howle, whO's iJlsoa basketball standout,batted.484,hlt 1 Ofl<lmersand dro.,efn 31 rt.llS.
THIRD BASE KIIHYLOWkl, Hnlor,Hyd1 P.ark A NlchollS State slgnee, Lowke batted better than .600 and scored moretnan so l\llS ths past season. OUTFIELDER Brianna Clmpos1 sen1or1 eartl•tt A first-team al-district honoroe,Camposbatted .548 for tho L.ass~s. Who averaged 17 runsdl.l1ng the plaiY<>fl'. Shelby Schwartz. senior. Laao Vl5ta Across.oountry rtn'WH'Wno also plays b.1Sketbal, scnwartz battod .526, had 44 runs and 23 stoals. Miranda Swanbere, senior, Cedar Rlde,e Tho RoldOfs center flotderhlt.407 with 41 runs and 28 RBIs this past se.1son. sne aisooommltted JUstone error. i'hl!l,it I Jullana Brown, senior, We,stJake Acatcherwho'salsocomfortabl8asanlnft81d8r,Brownbatted .455,h.ad 26 RB1sa.ncsst.o1e 19baSesin 2oanempts.
District 25-6A MVP: Maxine Valdez, Hays. Offensive MVP: Juliana Bro.vn, Westlake. Defenstve MVP: Kristian Chapa, Vista Ridge. Pitcher MVP: Jessica Day, Lake Travis. Newcomer of the year: Chloe Smith, Vista Ridge. Coach of the year: Lisa Cone.Hays. Flrstteam: LuLuArrQto, sr., Hays; MarlaArrQto, sr., Hays; Eltzabeth Banle, sr., Lake TravJs; Abbie Blackwell.Jr., Hays; Brycen Bllnco, sr., Lake Travis; Shorty CastJllo, sr., Leander; lllyana Cisneros.Jr., Hays; Maddey Collins, sr., Vista Ridge; Dominique Faz,Jr., Westlake; Daryn Haslam,Jr., Vista Ridge; Aspen Ho.vie, sr., Lake Travls; Alyssa MartJnez, sr., Lehman; Nicole Nlckdow, sr., Vista Ridge; Brianna Rodriguez, soph., Hays; Shelby Thornton.Jr., Westlake. Second team: SerynaAvalos, soph., Lehman; Brooke Baumgartner, Jr.,Leander; Maya Benologa,Jr., Vista Ridge; Brooke Cimino, fr., Westlake; Allie Dall le, sr., Lake Travis; Kaylln Davis, soph., Hays; Haley Henderson, soph., Leander; Emily Kahler.Jr., Lake Travis; Melayna Lopez, soph., Vista Ridge; Courtney Plckus, fr., Vandegrift; LIiiy Rodgers, sr., Westlake; Sarah Salinas, sr., Westlake; Kaylee Wlpff,Jr., Lehman; Sydney Wunsch, soph., Vandegrift.
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION
Lake Travis grad l(aitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation She wins award in girls golf after helping Cavs to 3rd consecutive title.
IIYThom.llJOnH t~es@a-pe,s.com
Kaftlynn Papp, a recent grad• uate of Lake Travis High School, was named as ooeof the"JJ)senior athletes of the year in boys and girls sports by the National High School Com:hesAsoooalion. P-•PI> won the award in girls golf after winning individual honors while
helping the Cavs lo a third COIi· secutive Class 6A state champi· onshlp.
Papp, who wlll attend Texas in the fall, is a four-time Rolexjunior All-Amerlcan, earning first team honors in 2015 and 2016.
Papp was named to USA Today's Second-Team All-Amer ican Cirls' Coif team in 2016. She was selected to represent the USA a year ago and aided Team USA to winning theJunlor RyderCUp. She also represented the USA"' the ToyotaJunior Golf World cup In Toyota,shl, Japan.
Papp is the second Texas stu• dent-athlete to win the NHSCA Girls' Coif athlete of the year aw-• rd. Maddie Sze ryk or Allen High School won the award in 2014.
It's the 18th s.traight year the NHSCA has honored achievers In the high school athletic com• munity nationwide. Th.is year's recipients, selected in a total of 20 boys and girts sports, are from 17 dUferent states. California. Mas, sachusetts and New Jersey top
Papp oontlnued on A7
the 11st wlrh rwo athletes e.ach being honored Arizroa, Colorado, F1orida, Indiana, Kentucky. Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio. Tennessee, 1'exas, Utah. Virginia and Washington each had one athlete honored.
"'11le 20 young men and women we are honoring today represent the thou. sands of success stories pn:>, duced in high school ath· Jerks, .. NHSCA executive director Eric Hess said in a press release ... They have worked extremely hard to develop and hone In on their skills and have become not just great student-athletes, but outst.andlng role mod .. els on and olf the field, and we are delighted to be hon oring them."
Each oneofthe honorees will rec.eive a trophy, plus each will be honored In the National High School Sports Hall of Fame Museum, "'ruch the NHSCA will be building In the near future.
Cont.act TtiomasJonesat 512-4',S-3527.
LONESTARCUP
No Cup winners from area Liberty Hill places highest of Central Texas schools: 3rd.
Amedc~Statesmanstaff
The Lone StarCUpawards
points to schools based on their overall team achieve• ment In academic, ath)e:cic and music competitions. It began during Jbe 1997·98 school }'ear.
Westlake, the 2015-16 will• ner of the Class 6A cup, 6n• !shed rourth this year will, 88 poinlS while Loke Travis, which won state champion ships in rOOlball and girls golf, came In ninth w1th 63 polnis. Hendrickson, which won the girls soccer state Utle, was 10th with 60 points.
The Woodlands won lis sixth cup, tied for third-most of all time. The Highland ers won state titles in boys cros.~ country, girls 6Wlm• ming and diving, and boys track and field . The Wood lands last won the Lone Star Cup in 20ll.
Dripping Spring;,, which reached rhe Class SA stare softball tournament, tied for sixth In the Class SA Lone Siar CUp with Amarillo. Both schools had 67 points. Hig11- land Park won its 10th Lone
Star cup tldewlth 106 polnrs. Highland Park's last Cup win came In 2008.
Liberty Hill, a state quali· fier In softball and girls bas ketball, had the highest fin. lsh or any area school: third in Class 4A with 78 points. Argyle won the classifica tion with 128 polnlS.
Wimberley finished 10th in Class 4A with SI points.
Austin High was 14th In Class SA with 57 points and Bowie 6nished l2U1 In Class 6A with 58 points.
SCHOOL DISTRICT
ByThomuJone,o t)oollS@aC111.,,.s;pal)Cfs.com
Lake Travis I llgh School assls· tm~ IM'lndp<ol Michael Drlnkwa1cr
has been named the Lake Travis ochool dlslrlcl'I ru<sl>1ant director or athledcs dfoc• ctveJuly3, dlstrtct ,,mc1:1is r<.ictndy onnouaood.
Mlch111 Orlnkwater Drinkwater rcplnces Br:mdy
Bolk, who last month accepted
n poslllon with the Unlvc.rslly IJ1terocholasdc Le.!!luu.
In his new po<5IU00, Drlnkwa- 1er will work wllh athleclc dlrec- 1or and take Travis High School l""'d loolball oouch Hank Carter.
"Michael's experience ns n clas.. .. room teacher and cm1ch
~ wJll~tdkeJbe..r.iithLb:tlnnctt.antL
set the appropriate tone for the continued growth of our ath• letic programs,,. Carter said in a press release. •Brandy will be a hard act to follow, but I tn1ly believe Michael is the best fit for this important role.•
A native ofcallfomla, Drinkwa ter earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. He holds a teaching certificate In secondary llngl:lsh from Adams State and a prtncipal's certifi· care from Lamar University In Beaumonl.
Drinkwater joined Lake Tra· vis High In 2012, serving as an English teocher. freshmen foot ball head coach, and softball and varsity football .assistant coach.
COnt.act Thomas.Jonesat512- 445-3527.
LAKE TRAVIS SCHOOLS
District puts $253M bond issue to build schools on Nov. 7 ballot In addition to new middle and elementary schools, tech and sports get boost
IIY RllChtl RICe [email protected]
Voters in the Lake Travis school dis· n1ct will decide Nov. 7 lfthey will sup• port a $2S3 million bond proposal, which lndudes funding for a seventh elementary school and a third middle school. School district officials say the bond will not increase property tax rates, a consequence of the dtsrrlcr paying down its debt.
Middle school No. 3 near Vall DMde is projected to oost roughly $77.6 mil· lion and elementary No. 7 Is antici pated to cost approximately $31.S mil•
lion, aooordlng to the district's projec tions. Other major items rolled into the bond Include facll lty Improvements estimatedat$96 million, new technol• ogy a1 the campuses at a coot of about $39,S million and athletic facilities at $23 million.
Most of the items were adopted from the bond advisory committee, whose members made a presentadon ro the school board last month. Disn1ct senior administrator Johnmy HIii added, how• ever, that the di.strict tacked o.n $1.3 million for new sear belts on all its school buses.
"'In addition, we now have Senate Bill 693, which is a seat belt Jaw,• Hill said. " If you're financially able todoso, you're acnially required to put three· point seat belt<on your buses for new ones purchased after Sept. I, 2017. We
went through U1e worksheet to fi'-'llre out bow much it would be to not only add 11 for rite new buses ... bu1 also 10 go back and retrofit the buses we have ,vlth seat belts, and we came up r.o right at $1.3 million,·
Dlslrlcl staff a lso made a presenta tion on a possible rax ratification elec• tion, which would be in November lf the school board approves the elec• tion during its August meeting, The tax ratification elccdon would ask voters whether the district should be able to move 2 cents from its interest and sink• ing tax rate, used lo pay off debts, over to its maintenance and operations rax rate. District administrators empha· sized rhar taxpayers would nor see a change in their overa11 tax rate.
Cont>ct Rachel Rice at 512-1,1,5-3809.
LEGISLATURE IN-DEPTH SCHOOL FUNDING
The U k• Tr.1vl1, L•ao Vista., J.lrrell •nd Blant-o school dlstrlch are amona about 200 Te.x.i1.s Khool dlstrtcts t hat wn1 101@ a eomblned s200 m1111on In sta't:e tundln& from the Addlt lonal state Aid for ntx Reduction proar.im. a pot of money th.it wlll ao .i!W~ In September. RALPMBMIRCRAJ m stfCAH.-SlAffiMAN
End of state progra1n hits school budgets Some Central Texas districts scramble to cover shortfalls
ey Julie Chana JchanS~ta.tesmancom
About 200 Texas school dis· tricts - including Lake Travis, Lago Vista, Jarrell and Blanco - will enter the 2017•18 school year without a combined S200 million In state money that they had been receiving during the past decade.
A pot of money called Addi tio11al StneAld forT-dJC Reduction will go away in September, cutting up to 10 percent of some Central Texas school district budgets.
The LegJslature established the money in 2005 to maintain school district revenue after law makerslo<\<eredpropenytax rates
- the main source of funding for Texas school districts - by one third. In 2011, rhe Legislature reduced the amount of state aid to school districts and set a 2017 expiration date.
In recent years, rising property values have allowed fewer school dlstrlct.s to qualify for the money. But in many of the remaining20 percent of school districts, offi cials are cutting teachers and extr3curricular .act.MUes, free-u Ing salaries, delaying repairs and dipping into savings to prepare for the loss of funding.
"The reality Is that ASATR existed because of a promise made to taxpayers that compressed tax rates would not hurt school
districts. That promise has been broken," said Suzy Lofton-Bullis, deputy superintendent of the Lago Vista school district. which Is expecting to lose $1.2 million, about IO percent of the 1,450-stu· dent district's budget.
Should funding expire? Lawmakers, warning that the
1oos In the state aid program cook! close schools, filed a half-dozen bills 10 extend the program in the session that ended in May.
The moot proruisingw-dSHouse Bill 21, a $1.6 billion school finance package that would have created hardship grants for affected dis-
SChOOlsoont1nued onA8
Schools contlr1<JOO ~om Al
tricts. Disagreement over a separate provision that would have allowed .state money to help students pay for private school ruillon uld mately killed the legjslation.
ln an opinion pie<.-e about educ.ation spending]XJblished this month, U. Gov. Dan Pat rick suggested that districts should have been planning for the Joss of fundlng.
·school districts have known for sh years thar ASATR would expire in20l7," Patrick wrote.
Chandra Villanueva, pol Icy analyst with rhe Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Austin think tank, said the funding pro gram should expire because it's based on decade-<>ld rev enue data, maJ<inglt an inef ficient system within the larger, already b£oken state finance system.
"Basically, ,discrlcls wllh higher tax rates were subsi· diting the ASATR for Olher districts,,. Villanueva said. "What our Legisla1ure1ieeds to focus on is all 5.3 million kids and not just a handful of districts that were In a privileged position a decade ago, and rha~,s why they're onASA.TR.n
Planning for the cliff Officials 1'1th the Lake Tra·
vis, Lago Vista, Jarrell and Blanco districts said they have exhausted ways to plan forthe loss In stale aid, add-
Ing that cuts to the overall education system continue to be too burdensome.
The Lago V-osta and Lake Travis school districts face a double whammy because they must also return mil· lions of dollars to the state in recapture payments that help property-poor school dislticts. Laj,'O Vista officials expect the district ro send off as much as $5 million next school year, while Lake Tra· vis will return to the state about $43 ml1llon and Jose an additional half-million dollars when the state aid expires in September.
Lake 'Travis, which has a $113 million budget, is going Into a deficit of$2I million next school year_, forcing it ro dip lnro savings.
-.;we;~-~t ~~'k'on some or our a-anspoo-taUOn. We've also outsourced our custo dial staff. We .. ve not filled staff positions. What has hurt us is Lhe other cuts that the state has put on us, and unfunded mandates,· said Johnny Hill, Lake Tra· vis school dlstrlcrs chief financial officer.
The Jarrell school dis trict \\10 lose· about 7 per• cent of its $14 million bud ge, when the additional state aid expires, also creating a budget deficit. Official< said they've cut staff and can't afford to Increase salaries - a top priority for districts at risk ofloslng teachers to neighboring districts or to other careers_
The Blanco school district w111 also lose up to 7 percent
or Its budget when the aid program exp'ires.
Blanco district ofTlcials have tried to lessen the blow by asking voters ear lier this moo th to approve a "tax. swap" that will gener· ate more money for the dis O-lcl's operating budget but keep the taxpayers' overall tax bill the same. Themaueu ver will allow the district to use tax money reserved for repaying debt to instead pay teacher s-aJaries, utility bills and other day-to-day expenses.
The Lake Travis and Lago Vista school districts have also done a tax swap.
--we have oot been plan· nlng with the e.xpectation that theLegjslaturewasi,>iq( to help us,· said Matthew Strager, the Blanco school dlslrtcl's business man~.
For the 3CHl.ay special leg islative session that begins July 18, Gov. Greg Abbott has called on the Legislature to create a commission to make reoomn,endationsabout the state'sschoolfinancesysrem. Local school officialsaren'1 banking on any meaningful changes to come from tire special session.
"We b!ep doing studies ... but nothing ever gers done with school fumding because It's going to require some~ thing very big,• said JarreU Superintendent BUI Chap man. "There~s no getting around It."
coniactJuneO'lang at512-912-2565. Twltter:@Jullect,ang1
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 1
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 2
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 3
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 4
Cavs, Rangers top receiver units 5
All-Central Texas Team
2017 All-Central Texas Second Team
Area All-District Honorees
Area All-District Honorees
Area All-District Honorees 2
Area All-District Honorees 3
Lake Travis grad Kaitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation
Lake Travis grad Kaitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation 1
Lake Travis grad Kaitlynn Papp named one of 20 top athletes in nation 2
No Cup winners from area
Assistant athletic director is named
Assistant athletic director is named 1
Assistant athletic director is named 2
District puts $253M bond issue to build schools on Nov 7 ballot
End of state program hits school budgets
End of state program hits school budgets 1
End of state program hits school budgets 2
End of state program hits school budgets 3
End of state program hits school budgets 4
End of state program hits school budgets 5
End of state program hits school budgets 6
End of state program hits school budgets 7
End of state program hits school budgets 8