Posted 11:26 pm Friday, August 27, 2010
3 School Districts To Hold Public Hearings Before Adopting Budgets
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
Three East Texas school districts will offer public hearings Monday before they adopt tax rates and budgets.
Staff Writer
Three East Texas school districts will offer public hearings Monday before they adopt tax rates and budgets.
Jacksonville ISD board members are scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 1547 Pine St.
The district is proposing a total tax rate of $1.13 per $100 valuation, with 9 cents for debt service, or interest and sinking, and $1.04 for maintenance and operations. That's unchanged from its current total tax rate.
JISD's effective rate -- the rate that would levy the previous year's revenue -- is $1.0857 per $100 valuation. Its rollback rate is $1.1318 per $100 valuation.
Overall, the district is projecting about a 5 percent increase in tax revenue next fiscal year, said Lindy Finley, assistant superintendent of finance and operations.
She said the district had a $45 million increase in taxable values, which does increase property tax collection but causes a decrease in state aid. Therefore, the district is essentially operating with the same amount of state money as last year.
Ms. Finley said that's mirrored in the proposed budget, which is $33,474,939. The current budget it $34,786,449.
The proposed budget features step raises for teachers and a 2.5 percent pay increase for all other employees, she said.
However, it does not include any capital outlay.
BULLARD ISD
Bullard ISD board members are scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. in the administration building, 1426-B S. Houston St.
The district adopted a 2010-11 total tax rate of $1.47 per $100 valuation -- the same rate as the previous year.
The effective rate is $1.498 per $100 valuation, and the rollback rate is $1.34 per $100 valuation.
Although the total tax rate has been adopted, the M&O and I&S distribution is contingent on a tax ratification election, which is slated for Sept. 18.
BISD wants to move 13 cents from I&S to M&O to maximize funding from the state.
The district's 2009-10 tax rate featured $1.04 for M&O and 43 cents for I&S. If rates are redistributed, M&O and I&S would be at $1.17 and 30 cents respectively.
The additional state funding would pay for laptop computers for students and small capital improvement projects.
Overall, the district's estimated 2010-11 tax revenue is $8,405,500 compared to $7,188,718 for 2009-10.
While BISD's tax rate stayed the same, its proposed budget, which is $15,592,987, is about $1 million higher than the current budget.
The district's business manager, Gloria West, said the proposed budget includes step raises for teachers, 3 percent raises for administrators and 2 percent raises for non-teaching staff, such as maintenance workers.
WHITEHOUSE ISD
Whitehouse ISD board members will meet at 6 p.m. in the Wildcat Annex, 109 Wildcat Drive.
The district is proposing a total tax rate of $1.193 per $100 valuation, with $1.04 for M&O and 15.3 cents for I&S. That's the same as its current tax rate.
The effective rate is $1.219 per $100 valuation, and the rollback rate is $1.193.
Overall, the district is projecting a $73,165 increase in tax revenue for 2010-11, said Sherrie Lloyd, executive director of financial services.
As for the budget, the district is proposing a budget of $30,813,338 -- a slight increase from its current budget of $30,628,472.
Ms. Lloyd said the budget includes 2.5 to 3 percent salary increases for district employees as well as career and technology teaching positions and a director of instructional programs, among other things.
All of the districts' budgets are expected to be adopted Monday, along with the tax rates for Jacksonville and Whitehouse ISDs.
