Monahans Named Chapter 41 School
    By Paula Bard, Staff Writer ~~ The Monahans News, August 2, 2005
                                    

"We will be giving away money to other school districts," Superintendent Keith Richardson said in an interview last week. 

"The Legislature is trying to equalize the amount of money spent on each student throughout the state," he said. 

Richardson would like the public to know the action is not the fault of the school board.  Other schools have been Chapter 41 schools for quite sometime. 

According to Richardson, the formula used by the Legislature determines the amount of money the district will be giving away. 

"They take the amount of appraised value  in the district and divide it by the number of students.  If the amount is more than $305,000 per student, you are a Chapter 41 School," said Richardson. 

"There are five ways we can go about giving the money away," he explained.  We can consolidate with another school, purchase daily attendance from the state or consolidate our tax with another district." 

He went on to say the choice would probably come down to purchasing daily attendance from the state or from another school. 

"The people must vote on their preference by October 15," he added. 

"Our actual facts and figures show we are not a Chapter 41 school," said Richardson, "but the Legislature's estimates show we are.  And that is the law.  Some things we have to deal with just aren't right."

 Richardson has volunteered to speak with local civic organizations to help the public better understand the situation.  

Keyed By Jennifer Ray, Senior