SISD trustees set stage to adopt budget, tax rate

Special meeting called for Monday to approve both, call tax ratification election

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Stephenville ISD approved more than $800,000 Tuesday evening for the purchase of 290 iMac computers and 1,250 iPad devices for students and faculty at Stephenville High School. || TheFlashToday.com file photo

By BRAD KEITH

TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL

STEPHENVILLE (August 17, 2015) — Stephenville ISD trustees heard a detailed breakdown of the proposed 2015-16 budget they adopted in July when they held their regular August meeting Monday at Bond Auditorium.

SISD executive director for finance and operations Debbie Hummell made the presentation to board members (see more in a special budget report Tuesday on The Flash). She would have gladly made it to the public, too, but no interested persons attended the meeting and no one spoke during the required public hearing concerning the budget or tax rate.

After a series of workshops and two monthly meeting agendas highlighted by budget and tax rate discussions, trustees will finally have the opportunity to officially adopt the proposed budget and tax rate during a special called meeting at noon next Monday in the district administration building.


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They are expected to adopt a rate that will reflect a $0.13 increase in maintenance and operations taxes, but will then call a tax ratification election authorizing them to pull that money from debt funding rather than tax property owners in the district. If approved during the November election, the result will be no additional taxes and $360,000 in additional state money because the state will match more funding for maintenance and operations than for debt.

The board also approved the sale of property held in trust and both its 2015-16 employee handbook and student code of conduct, which had only minor changes from 2014-15 editions. The changes were presented by executive director of human resources and student services Kathy Haynes, and both were unanimously approved.

Haynes shared with trustees the list of the district’s certified teacher appraisers and the 2015-16 appraisal schedule, and they were also unanimously approved.

During his superintendent’s report, Matt Underwood informed trustees that Stephenville High School earned a five-star distinction from Texas Education Agency 2015 accountability system. It’s just the latest honor for SHS, which earlier this month was listed as one of the top eight percent of high schools nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.

Underwood further announced to trustees and those in attendance that the annual new educator’s breakfast has been pushed back to Thursday, October 7.

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