BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES EFFICIENCY AUDIT TO PROCEED WITH TALKS ON TAX RATE ELECTION

  

Spirited discussion about staff pay raises and Brenham ISD’s strategic planning efforts preceded a vote by the school board today (Tuesday) to hire a firm to conduct an efficiency audit as the district looks at the possibility of calling a tax rate election this fall.

The board selected Patillo, Brown and Hill LLP to perform the $15,000 audit, which trustees learned last week is a necessary step to continue with talks about a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) for the purpose of improving teacher and staff salaries.

While the vote was 6-0 in favor, Trustee Archer Archer said he struggled greatly with the decision and that it did not come without reservations.  He criticized what he believes was “completely rushed” decision-making that led to this point, saying both he and Trustee Kyle Hafner, who was not present, feel the district has not discussed the VATRE thoroughly enough to make such an important call on it.

Archer argued that while the VATRE may not technically be permanent, since the board could choose to lower the rate, in practice, districts would never opt to decrease their revenue.  He said he would feel much more comfortable with this decision if discussion started several months ago, and he stressed that while he has been “very frustrated” by this process, his vote of approval now is because the district staff deserves more pay, and because the community deserves to have a voice in this matter.

Trustee Shawn Koonce said Brenham ISD did not know what the state legislature would choose to do with school funding, and the hope was that the state would do enough to where the district would not need to make this decision.  Archer said he understands the district is beholden to the state, but said “hope is not a strategy” and “proactive planning always wins.”

Board Secretary Kelvin Raven, replying to Archer, said it is “unacceptable” that Brenham ISD employees have gone nearly three years without a raise and that he is “100 percent” behind giving them extra support. 

Trustee Justin Colley said based off of the strategic planning committee’s comments, the focus needs to be on getting teachers to want to come to Brenham ISD.  He admitted that spending the $15,000 right now is “painful”, but said it is “an investment for the future of Brenham ISD.

Board Vice President Bonnie Brinkmeyer said it is very important for the district to communicate with the community and let people know that the goal is to “get everything that we need for our kids and our teachers.”  Board President Jared Krenek said “this is a difficult decision for all of us”, but that he feels many more school districts will start looking into this avenue because there are not many options available to them right now for increased funding. 

Superintendent Clay Gillentine said the district has made cuts to every budget that it could within reason, and that this path allows the district to continue exploring ways that the public can get involved with helping to boost the district’s revenue. 

Gillentine said depending upon the recommendation from the strategic planning committee, the board could decide whether to call a VATRE at its August meeting. 

Click here to listen to the livestream from Tuesday's meeting.

Click here for more details about Brenham ISD's strategic planning committee.