Sue Blackburn

I haven't looked up the file you just uploaded and will later, I MEANT to say, CFISD HQ.

While I admit, I'm not familiar with how CFISD runs their meetings, I'm going to check a couple of my own sources for at least a comparison. It could be you're just making a mountain out of a molehill if other ISD's are doing the same thing.

If other ISD's are doing the same thing then they are way wrong too! Just because they all misspend doesn't make it right.

I am done with this board. Hope we get a bunch of people who give a hoot at the meeting. Thank you all for your comments.

Your document has nothing to state what the expenses were for. In what context was the spending?

Were they purchased for the people at HISD HQ? Were they for meetings? What kind of meetings?

Under what conditions would these expenditures were "allowable" by you?

Here is what was copied from the check register on the category of catering. It's pretty much self explanatory. I have other documents from the check register that show other weird spending. I will be able to view the check register for this past year as soon as school let's out and it is posted.

If these expenditures were for meetings, they had a lot of them and ate pretty well. Pack a sack lunch and spend this "catering" money on a healthy lunch for our children. They are now served pretty much all fat and sugar or foods that turn to sugar.

Spending over $18,000 at McDonalds, over $55,000 at Carl's Bar B Que, and over $42,000 at Chick-Fil-A only to name a few, will NEVER be "allowable" by me nor it should be for them. This is not food that our children ate. If they were not purchased for the people who work at Cy Fair ISD then who did they spend it on. You tell me?

Catering cfisd.doc

@Marksmu

Both of my parents are teachers near retirement... so I know first hand what teachers go through. Despite what you think, here are some points you are forgetting...

- Teachers spend a ton of their own $$ on their students (because state funding sucks). They get to write off a couple hundred bucks a year... but everything beyond that comes out of their salary

- Teachers work far longer hours than you mention. I remember my parents constantly working on lesson plans at home, grading papers into the night, my dad would even do science experiments trying to determine the best methods for teaching his kids. Teachers also have meetings after school on their unpaid time... either with un-thankful parents (who's kid could never do anything wrong)... or power hungry principals.

- Teachers deal with liability, legal, and security issues you'd never imagine (or encounter in an office job). I could tell you stories of gang members my dad had to tackle in order to protect other teachers getting attacked. I can tell you stories of threats against my life from gang members because my dad was a teacher that punished kids w/ brothers in a gang.

I could elaborate more about the "sweet" life of teachers... but I feel it would be wasted on you. The real problem with our system is the politicians, district board members (that vote for the things you complain about), and other political idiots involved in education. Voters vote for those people... but fail to see how their votes bring about the problems they see... so they blame teachers instead.

My parents are some of the hardest working people I've known. They've been attacked, threatened (by students and parents), worked tons of extra hours, and put up with more crap than you'll probably experience in your life... all because they care about kids and making society more intelligent. Trust me, they didn't do it for the retirement plan.

I absolutely believe that your parents are wonderful. This is not supposed to be an argument about teachers. This is about the politicians that were elected mismanaging funds and then trying to raise our taxes to get more money to mismanage. If anything one of my points is for the funds to be managed properly so that they will stop firing good teachers. I have found millions in expenditures that were not necessary and could better go to taking care of our children's education and keeping educator's jobs.

On June 13, 2011 the board of trustees and outgoing superintendent of Cy Fair ISD will be voting and most certainly pass the deletion of your optional Homestead Exemption and will be asking to raise your tax rate to the cap.

I am trying to get as many people as possible to this meeting so that we can stop this vote. They do not have to inform homeowners that they are going to do this. You will just find out about it after it is too late to do anything about it.

Don't let the argument that we don't have enough money trick you into thinking they are doing this to help our children. There is plenty of money but they are not spending it wisely. You can look at the check register. I will give you just one small example to peak your interest. Do you know that they spent almost $23,000 on donuts last year? Their are other shocking examples as to where the money is going.

Please help me get as many people as possible to this meeting. On June 10th they must post on the door to the meeting room the agenda for the meeting. I will repost and confirm their agenda on that date. Thank Sue Blackburn

Here is where some of your money is going. I stopped counting at $555,000. These are free lunches for the powers that be, not food for our children. Really, Carl's Bar B Que, Carrauba, Chickfila, MacDonalds, Don Pueblo?

Catering cfisd.doc

This is the problem with Cy-Fair taxpayers. Did the poster bring up the $80 million football and basketball facility? Nope. She instead complained about $23,000 in donut expenses.

Let them eat cake...or donuts. I don't care. You brought this upon yourselves. While I am severely unimpressed with the funding cuts that the legislature is attempting to foist upon us (led by your elected legislators, I might add), I refuse to feel sorry for taxpayers who spent like drunken sailors for football stadiums.

I am not "complaining" about the donuts. It was the smallest example I had about poor spending. Could one person keep their job if they cut out the donuts, well maybe, maybe not. I hate football, I didn't buy the stadium and I didn't vote for the people who did. Seems I have very little choice in where my taxes go except to vote. How did I as a taxpayer bring this upon myself? I know about the stadium and other large expenditures. The board has been approached with ways to pay for these that will not come out of our pockets. They refuse to even listen to the proposal that would surely work. Really, what got you so fired up about Cy-Fair taxpayers? Are you afraid you won't get your donuts if I actually get someone with some sense to listen. I really kicking myself right now because obviously the only thing I can get you guys to notice is the stupid donut comment.

On June 13, 2011 the board of trustees and outgoing superintendent of Cy Fair ISD will be voting and most certainly pass the deletion of your optional Homestead Exemption and will be asking to raise your tax rate to the cap.

I am trying to get as many people as possible to this meeting so that we can stop this vote. They do not have to inform homeowners that they are going to do this. You will just find out about it after it is too late to do anything about it.

Don't let the argument that we don't have enough money trick you into thinking they are doing this to help our children. There is plenty of money but they are not spending it wisely. You can look at the check register. I will give you just one small example to peak your interest. Do you know that they spent almost $23,000 on donuts last year? Their are other shocking examples as to where the money is going.

Please help me get as many people as possible to this meeting. On June 10th they must post on the door to the meeting room the agenda for the meeting. I will repost and confirm their agenda on that date. Thank Sue Blackburn