BISD Budget and other
financial information
2002-03 Salary
Information from the Texas Education Agency
2002-03,
2003-04 and 2004-05 Budget comparisons
The final budget for 2004-05 had not been passed at the time the
comparison was made.
2003-04 Budget information
The budget was adopted on June 17, 2003. We will be putting it online as quickly as possible along with the 2002-03 budget so comparisons can be seen. The tax rate will be set in August or September but the anticipated rate is the same as indicated at the June 3, 2003, workshop meeting.
The budget as proposed at the workshop meeting of June 3, 2003, indicated the proposed tax rate would be $1.50 for Maintenance and Operations and $.20 for Interest & Sinking Fund. The notice placed in the June 7 Bastrop Advertiser states the proposed tax rate to be $1.50 for Maintenance and Operations and $.143 (remaining at the 2002 rate) for Interest & Sinking Fund (this is to pay down the bonds). This would give a tax rate of $1.643 per $100 valuation on property.
The $1.50 tax rate for Maintenance and Operations is the cap.
The public hearing notice appearing in the newspaper also states as follows:
"Under state law, the dollar amount of school taxes imposed on the residence homestead of a person 65 years of age or older or of the surviving spouse of such a person, if the surviving spouse was 55 years of age or older when the person died, may not be increased above the amount paid in the first year after the person turned 65, regardless of changes in tax rate or property value."
This is something that BISD has stated in various ways to get people over 65 to vote for bond propositions. In past bond propaganda, it has stated that the tax rate will not be increased, unless improvements are made to the property or property values increase. It has been left unclear as to whether the tax rate actually stays frozen but the total taxes increase because of the added improvements or increase in property values...or whether because improvements are made to the property, the tax rate is no longer frozen.
Many school districts around Texas are having a budget crunch this year. Forty percent are at the $1.50 cap and another 20% are at $1.45. Some of these are in the richer districts that have to use part of their resources to pay to the poorer districts. Many across the state are cutting their budgets in different ways. Abilene is charging for extracurricular activities. The argument there was that the poorer children would not be able to participate but they said this has not happened. The booster clubs or the activity itself holds fund-raising events to raise the money. The charge is something like $45 to participate. Some are cutting extracurricular activities. Some are cutting staff. At Bastrop ISD it appeared that the staff is not being cut but some positions will not be filled if it is vacated. The teachers are being given raises. It seemed that most cuts came in travel and other types of miscellaneous expenses. It should be noted as well that the Bastrop ISD website indicates that its teachers are the highest paid teachers in the central Texas area.
When Dep. Superintendent Becky Bunte was
putting on her presentation, President of the Board Mark Rose asked how much of the budget
was spent on athletics. He said that there had been numerous complaints about that
from the public. He was told it was 2.5% and he commented that was not a large
amount. Trustee Gary Gutierrez asked if that amount included salaries and was told
it did not. The 2.5% was only for stipends, extra days, etc. for the athletic
department. The total budget as presented at the workshop was $44,025,722 - 2.5% of
that is $1,100,000.
In September, 2003, the state election passed granting all disabled persons in Texas a school property tax rate ceiling, effective as of January 1, 2003. Another option on this same ballot gave the counties (as well as the city) the option to pass a tax rate ceiling for both 65 and older as well as for the disabled. The County passed a resolution granting this to citizens of Bastrop County as of 2004.
This means that the tax rate cannot go up - but it does not mean that
you will never pay more in taxes. Your appraisal can - and probably will - go up,
resulting in higher taxes.
At the school board
meeting on June 18, 2002, the board adopted the budget for 2002-03. The board also gave the teachers a $1,200
raise.
At the school board meeting on June 17, 2003, the board adopted the budget for
2003-04. The board also gave the teachers a $1,000 raise.
The 2003-04 budget also gave the administration a 1% raise with 2% midpoint raise.
At the school board meeting on May 25, 2004, the board adopted the
budget for 2004-05. This budget gave the teachers a $1,000 raise.
The 2004-05 budget also gave the administration a 1% raise with 2% midpoint raise.
From the BISD website "News" dated August 7, 2002"
"The Bastrop Independent School District Board of Trustees met on June 18, 2002 and adopted the budget for 2002-2003. The Board unanimously approved general fund expenditures in the amount of $44,238,009 and a debt service fund of $3,991,774.
"The Board of Trustees also approved changing the District's fiscal year to July 1 - June 30. During the last legislative session, legislators gave school districts the option of making this change. Benefits to this change include the ability to have the entire academic year in the same budget year, it gives teachers the ability to purchase supplies prior to classes starting and puts us in line with Federal programs fiscal year.
"Although the District's budget has been approved with a fiscal year start of July 1, the Board of Trustees will not set the tax rate until August, after the certified tax roll is received.
"In
other Board action, Trustees approved the 2002-2003 teacher pay scale. The new pay
scale means an across the board increase for all levels of $1,200. Bastrop ISD has
been one of the top paying districts the last two years. Below is the approved
pay scale." Click here to see the teachers pay scale as
adopted.
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