BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD PROPOSES TO MAINTAIN TAX RATE

  

Brenham ISD Trustees voted to maintain its past tax rate of $1.125 per $100 at today’s (Monday) meeting.

The debt service and maintenance and operations rates remained the same as last year, at $0.085 and $1.04 per $100 valuation, respectively.  These falls in line with the tax rate of previous years, although the school will see around an extra $1.3 million in local tax revenue, due to city property values going up.  This increase in city property value also causes a reduction of around $876,000 in state student aid.

District Finance Director Kim Weatherby stated that comptroller property values going up nearly six percent were the driving force behind this loss in state aid.

According to Board Vice President Melvin Ehlert, the Texas Education Association sent letters to every school district in the state in July, advising against lowering the maintenance and operation tax rate.  If a school district lowered those rates, the TEA would reduce funding for that particular district.

The school board also approved a proposed budget for the new school year of $44,141,981.  For this budget, 66 percent—or roughly $29 million would be funded by local property taxes.  State funds make up 31 percent—around $13.6 million—of the budget.  One of the biggest increases in the budget is the 2.5 percent midpoint pay increase approved earlier this year, which would cost the district around $806,000.

The school listed a series of new expenses for this year’s budget.    These included new staff members, including an additional resource officer for $80,000, an increase of the Durham Transportation contract at around $175,000, and an increase in utility costs at roughly $75,000.  School officials said utility costs should decrease once the new lighting project at Krause Elementary School is completed.

The board will now hold a public meeting on the proposed budget and tax rate.  That meeting will be Monday, August 20th at 5:30 p.m. at Brenham High School.

In other action, Weatherby updated the board on the current status of the district, concerning its status as a Chapter 41 school district.  As the district remains in the gap area of the law, she explained that the district neither pays into the fund nor receives funding from Chapter 41.

The school board also approved bids for children’s nutrition and cleaning products, as well as band instruments, from numerous vendors.

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