WDL-07-2019

News from Conroe and Tomball ISDs and Lone Star College System EDUCATION BRIEFS Tomball ISD officials propose 2019-20 budget totaling 141.8 million with pay raises, tax rate drop

COMPILED BY ANDREWCHRISTMAN, ANDY LI AND ANNA LOTZ

A SLOWING TAX BASE Since Hurricane Harvey hit in August 2017, Tomball ISD has seen the growth of its tax base slow.

However, this grant money will be phased out annually by % over ve years, he said. “It’s not going to be very long that we have the extra money coming in from this funding,” Ross said. HB also requires districts’ mainte- nance and operations rates to decrease from . per valuation to . per valuation, Ross said. However, TISD’s interest and sinking rate—which funds the district’s debt payments—was . short per valuation in the adopted FY - budget, leaving a million shortfall in the debt service budget due to slower growth than expected in the property tax base, he said. To make up the funds, Ross said he anticipates the I&S rate increasing slightly. Ross said he foresees about a . net decrease per valuation in the property tax rate, saving the average taxpayer about in FY -. A tax rate will be adopted later in the year, he said in mid-June. CONROE ISD While Conroe ISD continues to grapple with the repercussions of its unsuccessful million May bond referendum, CISD Chief Financial Ocer Darren Rice said budget discussions for the district’s - academic year will begin in earnest in July. Rice said at the June board meeting he will present the budget to the District-Level Planning and Decision-Making Committee on July . The committee will make a recommendation which he will bring before the board July . Rice said the board will hold a public hearing Aug. and will nalize and approve the budget Aug. . CISD Superintendent Curtis Null recommended the board organize a July workshop to go over the details of the changes. The board also looked at potential rezoning of school districts in if it holds another bond election in November and that measure fails. This would include expansion of the College Park High School and Oak Ridge High School feeder zones as well as the shrinking of The

TOMBALL ISD Tomball ISD could see a million surplus in scal year - from House Bill ’s change in the school nance formula, Chief Financial Ocer Jim Ross said during a June board of trustees meeting. HB , signed into law June , allots . billion to reform the state’s school nance system. The TISD board of trustees unanimously approved the district’s FY - budget June —a budget created prior to Gov. Greg Abbott’s signing of HB earlier that day. In addition to the budget, the board approved a general pay increase of %. Ross said he projects TISD will receive about . million more than the previous year in funding for FY -, which begins July . An addi- tional . million is anticipated to come from the state through a formula transition grant. This grant contributes funds so each school district in the state sees funding increase at least % from the previous year, Ross said. College system adopts academic calendar LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM The Lone Star College System board of trustees on June approved the - academic calendar, with no notable changes to the school year, LSCS Manager of Media Relations Bill Van Rysdam said. Faculty will return Aug. for the - school year, and classes begin Aug. . The winter semester ends Dec. , and the spring semester is held Jan. -May aer the winter holiday. The 2020-21 academic calendar was approved by trustees June 6. ACADEMIC CALENDAR Classes begin Aug. 24 Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 25-29 Final exams Dec. 7-13 Winter holidays Dec. 21-Jan. 1

Years before Hurricane Harvey

Years including Hurricane Harvey and later

+16.4%

20%

+15.3%

16%

+10.6%

+9.5%

+9.4%

12%

+5.5% +6.9%

+4.4%

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

Fiscal year

House Bill 3 was signed into law on June 11, costing the state $11.6 billion from 2020-21 for school finance and property tax reform. LEGISLATIVE CHANGES

GENERAL FUND TOTALS

2019-20*

$141.8MILLION

2018-19 +

$130MILLION

HB 3 increases the statewide per- student funding allotment from $5,140 to $6,160 .

2017-18

$123.8MILLION

*Proposed budget does not account for legislative changes.

+ Fiscal year 2018-19 was shortened to 10 months.

SOURCE:LEGISLATIVEBUDGETBOARD,TOMBALL ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER

Conroe ISD to consider budget for 2019-20 academic year at July meeting

Woodlands High School and Conroe High School feeder zones. “This is not a plan we want to do,” Null said. “If we do not have a successful bond in November of , moving forward we’re not going to do additions to The Woodlands High School and College Park High School.” He said the district does not want to put this map in play because it would aect a lot of families and their high school feeder zones. If the board holds a successful bond referendum in November, Null said the district could rezone elementary schools to address capacity and keep high school feeder patterns the same. Other repercussions of the May bond failure include Conroe High School’s Phase expansion, which would have been funded by the bond. Without that money, the board is deciding whether to push the original plan or reduce the scope of the renovations. The original Phase plan cost more than million. Null said the board could still pursue this plan to improve the building.

SUMMER SCHEDULE Conroe ISD plans to prepare its budget during the summer months in preparation for the 2019-20 academic year.

AUG. 6 Board holds public hearing on 2019-20 budget AUG. 20 Board finalizes and approves budget

JULY 10 District- Level Planning and Decision-Making Committee meets, prepares recommendations JULY 16 Budget presented to CISD board of trustees

SOURCE:CONROE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER

MEETINGS

The Conroe ISD board of trustees meets at 6 p.m. July 16 at 3205 W. Davis St., Conroe. www.conroeisd.net The Magnolia ISD board of trustees meets at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at 31141 Nichols Sawmill Road, Magnolia. www.magnoliaisd.net The Tomball ISD board of trustees meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at 310 S. Cherry St., Tomball. No meeting is scheduled for July. www.tomballisd.net

Offices open Jan. 4 Classes begin Jan. 19

Spring break March 15-21 Spring holiday April 2-4 Final exams May 10-16

SOURCE:LONESTARCOLLEGESYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER

The Woodlands edition • July 2019