LEDC Grant Numbers Don’t Add Up. Is Grant Program Even Legal??

As usual with the LEDC, the rules, regulations, mission statements and math never seem to add up.

Recently, Mandy Walsh told us that the LEDC would be giving out “grants” (free money) to local businesses who were closed down because of the Wuhan virus. She claims they are able to do this by “authority of the EDC under Sec. 505.103, Texas Local Government Code” [page 5].

Great. So if you go LOOK UP Section 505.103 in the Texas Local Government Code, you get this:

A Type B corporation may spend not more than 10 percent of the corporate revenues for promotional purposes.”

That is literally all it says. OK – fine.

Unfortunately, Mandy has said this program will hand out $100,000 in free money, presumably for “promotional purposes” since that is what Sec 505.103 says. The LEDC “corporate revenues” (sales taxes they skim from the citizens) are roughly $300,000 (according to their last available Form 990 Part VIII Section 12 = $309,746)

By my math, 10% of $309,746 is $30,974 NOT $100,000.

So, what say you Jo-Christy Brown?? Is this legal or what?? Sure doesn’t look like it. But I’m not a high-priced City attorney either….just a tax cow to be milked.

Let’s Talk About Public School Salaries

Since the school system is effectively shut down since mid-March and (as far as I have heard) everybody in the public school system is still getting a full paycheck, let’s take a look at some of the salaries, shall we? I’m inspired to do this because I saw one teacher’s moron of a husband belly-ache on Facebook that his “poor teacher wife only makes $4 an hour” – which is a bald-faced lie. But we’ll get to that moron in a future post.

Some fun facts: there were 548 employees in the LISD (2018 data) for roughly 3,330 students….a ratio of ONE employee for every SIX kids. Wow.

Let’s start with the Big Wigs In Charge:

Douglas Chane Rascoe sits at the top of the heap – he is the superintendent of the entire LISD. His salary is listed at $148,500 for his nine-month year but that is from the 2018 data. He is currently making $158,751.84

[ALL this data is from 2018 – which is the latest year posted. However, ALL of these are now much higher thanks to recent raises. Also, don’t forget to add AT LEAST $10,000 for medical benefits (probably more like $14,000 if the City of Lampasas is any indication)]

Shane Michael Jones is listed as “Business Manager” and he pulled down $107,790 back in 2018.

A true bureaucracy is not complete without a bunch of assistants and associates and deputies. Kevin Matthew Bott fills those shoes as “Asst/Assoc/Deputy Superintend” at $97,990

There are five principals listed:

  1. Lynn Robert White – $95,240
  2. Kevin Dana Holcomb – $88,526
  3. Jessye Renee Cummings – $79,950
  4. Lee Wesley Graham – $75,890
  5. Leslie Brook Talamantes – $74,740

There are EIGHT Assistant Principals listed:

  1. Young Duane Faude – $71,497
  2. Raymond Norris Otterson – $69,122
  3. Lindsay Rebecca Duhon – $67,300
  4. Corey Jason Harris – $65,355
  5. Gail Lori Ramsey – $63,412
  6. Michael Clinton Burns – $62,664
  7. Keele Jami Lelaine – $60,751
  8. Leon Dick Parker – $43,764

So, those top 16 employees pull down $1.272 MILLION annually right off the bat…before we count a single teacher. Of course, this salary data is old so we can tack on 5% immediately and get $1.336 million. We can add another $160,000 for medical benefits at the LEAST (I am being very conservative here) for those 16 people and get close to $1.5 million annually. I haven’t even counted all the retirement benefits yet.

Next on the list is Scott Troy Rogerslisted as Teacher and Athletic Director. For those titles he receives $90,740. More than any principal or assistant principal save for Lynn Robert White.

Then we have Wanda Marie Bunting…listed as “Business Services Professional”. No clue whatsoever what that job entails but it sure pays well: $79,040 to be exact…and summers off, don’t forget!! This woman is paid almost 13% ABOVE the average and lives in little old Lampassy – where the cost of living is quite low.

The highest-salaried person listed as TEACHER only (no other titles) was Brad Goen at a whopping $77,041. Wow. He must be an outstanding teacher! Just kidding. I don’t think that’s how it works in a government-run monopoly. He must just be an old guy who has been there forever, right?? Remember…these are 2018 numbers!

Next on the teacher salary list is Ruben Guerrero at $68,692. I tried to Google this guy and find out what he teaches. All I found was newspaper articles of him being a track coach or something. I assume he must teach SOMETHING for that kind of dough, but I’ll be damned if I know what.

Michael Richard Hooper is next on the list. A Google search tells me this guy was a BAND DIRECTOR! But it looks like he jumped ship for Port Aransas ISD last year. What an ingrate! Guy was pulling down almost $70,000 in Lampasas and he bails out.

Jim Burkes is next down the line with a $67,891 salary for his nine months of effort.

To be continued….