Superintendent states headline provided misleading information

Dear Editor,

As Superintendent of Linden-Kildare Consolidated Independent School District, I was surprised as I read the Sept. 3, 2014 headline, written by Editor Angela Guillory that provided misleading information that Linden-Kildare CISD had a $7.7 million deficit. This misleading headline is far from the truth. The possible deficit budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year for L-KCISD is only $408,203. This amount was accurately reported in the article, if you read past the headline. L-KCISD is not the only district in the area that has been reported to have a deficit budget; others include Texarkana ISD and Pleasant Grove ISD, just to name a few.

The Board of Trustees for L-KCISD have worked diligently to provide a great education for its students, and to provide this education as fiscally conservatively as possible. In anticipation of the revenue shortfall, mainly caused by a drop of 100 enrolled students over the past two years, additions to the fund balance, i.e. savings account, have occurred over the past two years. This year the amount of cash on hand has significantly increased. On Aug. 31, 2013 the amount of cash on hand in all District accounts totaled $1,106,624. Ending Aug. 31, 2014 the amount of cash on hand in all District accounts totaled $2,129,914.89. This is an increase of $1,113,290.89. Even with the anticipated shortfall of revenue for 2014-2015, cash flow for L-KCISD for the 2014-2015 year will not be an issue due to the fund balance available.

The financial statements for L-KCISD are available on the district web site. As you view these statements you will notice that L-KCISD has received a Platinum Level Status from the Texas Comptroller’s Office. This is the highest level awarded for financial transparency. L-KCISD also received from the Texas Education Agency its highest rating of Superior Achievement on the most recent report of the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). This report indicates a district’s financial management performance.

Respectfully,

James B. Cowley, Ed.D

Superintendent