News
BY MICHAEL CROUCHLEY & CONNOR PITTMAN
City funds $495K traffic study
Plano ISD updates projected budget for 2024-25 school year
District approves teacher, staff raises Plano ISD teachers and staff will see raises heading into next school year following approval of the district’s compensation plan. What happened The PISD board of trustees approved during its April 2 meeting a 3% raise for current teachers and staff as well as a salary increase for new teachers for the 2024-25 school year. The starting salary of $61,000 for first- year teachers is an increase from $60,002 in 2023. The 3% raises for current staff and teachers is on par with the raises the district approved before this school year. Raises for hourly employees in hard-to-fill positions, including bus drivers, will also be increased, PISD Chief of Employee Services Duana Kindle said.
Commission OKs request for apartments The Plano Planning and Zoning Commission rec- ommended approval of amendments to planned development stipulations for Legends at Chase Oaks during its April 15 meeting. For a third time since 2020, an update to the planned development will head to Plano City Council. The context According to city documents, planned develop- ment stipulations were put in place to maintain a park-like setting and a similar density to that of a townhome neighborhood for the property that is now home to the Legends at Chase Oaks apartment complex. The proposed density can be as high as 12 units per acre, which is below other neighboring apartment complexes, Michael Farahnik, executive vice president of leasing and risk management at StarPoint Properties, said.
Plano ISD projected revenue sources, 2024-25
Property taxes: 91.4% Federal funding: 1.3%
State funding: 7.2% Other sources: 0.2%
L E G A C Y
CHASE OAKS BLVD.
Plano ISD projected budget expenditures, 2024-25
Plano City Council authorized funding for a citywide traffic study during its March 25 meeting. City-hired consultants are expected to conduct a citywide traffic study in Plano that will analyze traffic counts and turning counts at various sites throughout the city. Plano City Council approved nearly $495,000 with Lee Engineering—a traffic engineering firm—to pay for the study during its March 25 meeting. The gist According to city documents, the study will collect data over seven-day and 24-hour intervals along 357 roadway segments within Plano. Morning, midday and evening turning counts will be analyzed from 293 intersections in the city.
Instruction: 64.4% Nonstudent support: 12.1% Administration: 2.3%
Student support: 12.2%
N
School leadership: 6.8% Other: 2.2%
Plano ISD staff provided an update on its pro- jected budget for next school year as the process nears approval. The overview The district is currently projecting a $37 million budget shortfall for the 2024-25 school year, according to a presentation during the April 2 PISD board of trustees meeting. Deputy Superintendent Johnny Hill said that PISD has projected a budget shortfall for each of the last seven school years, and the district has always ended the year with a deficit. “We amend the budget throughout the year, and we’re always looking for ways to improve that bottom line,” he said.
In 2020, StarPoint Properties, a California-based real estate firm, requested to add 124 additional multifamily units, add more amenities and renovate existing apartments, which was rejected by council. A similar request with slight changes to building setbacks and the amenities was rejected by council again in 2022, per city documents. Farahnik said the development of the property has focused on primarily adding two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, which are more geared toward families. That type of housing inventory is missing in the area, he added. The company also plans to add two dog parks, expand the current clubhouse and renovate exist- ing units as part of its $25 million to $30 million redevelopment effort.
SOURCE: PLANO ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Zooming in The majority of PISD’s $549.99 million of expenses are projected to go toward instruction. Across all functions, 83.1% of the projected expen- ditures will be spent on payroll. A 3% raise for all staff was also approved during its April 2 meeting. Around 91.4% of PISD’s revenues are projected to come from property taxes, but 23.4% of that will go toward the district’s recapture payment, which redistributes property tax dollars to districts the state deems property poor.
PLANO 5930 West Park Blvd (972) 250-0500
ALLEN 1839 N Central Expressway (972) 908-3488
EAST PLANO 3404 N Central Expressway (972) 423-6688
COIT ROAD 1453 Coit Rd (972) 867-2821
PLANO NORTH 5420 State Hwy 121 (469) 687-2581
Powered by FlippingBook