Conroe ISD GENERAL FUND REVENUE CISD revenue consists of local, state and federal funds. The share paid through local taxes has increased since 2014. However, the district will receive an additional $22.9 million fromHB 3 for foundational school program funding in 2019-20.
across the state in and . in . “Our tax rate on our maintenance and operation side is currently . . … It’s going to compress down to .,” Rice said. Toth said the cost of the property tax reduction aspect of HB is around . billion, and it is the larg- est amount the state has ever provided. In addition to HB , the Legislature also approved Senate Bill , which is dedicated to the state’s prop- erty tax system. Creighton said the bill has a provi- sion requiring cities and counties to hold an election if they want to raise property tax revenue generated more than .% than the previous year. The limit for schools is .%, which Rice said raises concerns with maintaining the teacher raises. “If our revenue is capped to .% ... will we ever be able to give teachers a raise again?” Rice said. “Ninety percent of our budget is salaries. We’re a people-intensive organization. … Will we be able to provide a cost-of-living increase to our teachers?” Rice said CISD still has questions moving past the next two years, but he is con dent in the district’s ability to adapt due to previous boards being conser- vative with CISD’s budget. Creighton said he believes the rest of the country will be keeping an eye on what Texas has done with school nancing. “I think overall it’s a win for public schools,” he said. “I think it will be a national model for reforms and initiatives. Our parents, our families and our community will really appreciate it as we take our Texas public schools to the next level.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ANDY LI
TOTAL FUNDING
LOCAL STATE FEDERAL
$284.9M(64.2%)
$443.6M $474.6M $482.4M $500.5M $502.2M
2014-15
$154.8M (34.9%)
$3.9M (0.9%)
$313.6M(66.1%)
2015-16
$156.9M (33.1%)
$4.1M (0.8%)
$343.5M (71.2%)
2016-17
$133.9M (27.8%)
$5M (1%)
$357.9M(71.5%)
2017-18
$136.1M (27.2%)
$6.5M (1.3%)
2018-19 BUDGETED
$370.7M(73.8%)
$131.5M (26.2%)
N/A*
*NOTAVAILABLEATPRESSTIME
SOURCE:CONROE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
have to schedule a time to have their students picked up or dropped o at the school. Toth, who voted in favor of HB , said while he sees the bene t the full-day programs will bring to fami- lies, he was personally against this part of the bill. “I strongly believe the government coming in and taking over pre-K is not an ideal situation,” Toth said. Creighton said mandating full-day pre-K programs is a controversial topic among stakeholders in the education world due to data indicating mixed results. “I think what we will see in the pre-K provision is that we want to understand the data,” Creighton said. “We want the school districts to measure it in a way that is very easy to discern. … In future sessions, we can re-evaluate it and continue it if it’s working.” COMPRESSING THE TAX RATE School ocials, teachers and sta are not the only ones aected by HB . Additionally, property taxes will drop for local taxpayers. Creighton said school district property tax rates will decrease the next two years with an average drop of . per valuation
have been ocially announced, he said having the academy in the Conroe area would be more likely, as The Woodlands and Oak Ridge North feeder zones are more spread out. Before moving forward to build a new school though, CISD is required to ask if there are other providers, such as day care facilities com- missioned by the state, that can provide the space. The rough estimate of the cost of building a new elementary school is around million, Rice said. Schools have access to two vouchers, each for three years, from TEA to delay facility construction. CISD has already indicated it plans to use at least one of those vouchers. Rice said the district is developing a pilot program for full-day pre-K around the district to build a cur- riculum for the students and determine how it will aect transportation. CISD Director of Communica- tions Sarah Blakelock con rmed the pilot program will be at two campuses this fall, but as of press time was unable to con rm where. Rice said the full-day programs are anticipated to be easier for families to manage, as parents will not
For more information visit communityimpact.com .
We figure that once we offer full-day pre-K, more peoplewill be joining the program that are eligible. It’s going to be a large impact on us. —DARREN RICE, CONROE ISD CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
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The Woodlands edition • July 2019
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