Northeast San Antonio Metrocom | September 2025

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Northeast San Antonio Metrocom Edition VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 SEPT. 13OCT. 14, 2025

2025 Education Edition

Funding on the ballot

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

In the Nov. 4 election, voters will be deciding the future of Northeast San Antonio’s school districts, as residents in both Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City and Judson ISDs will see voter-approval tax rate elections, or VATREs, on the ballot. According to the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a VATRE allows school districts to generate supplemental revenue by levying property taxes beyond a maximum compressed tax rate calculated by the Texas Education Agency. Through the VATRE, SCUCISD and JISD will look to raise their property tax rates by $0.12 and $0.045 per $100 valuation, respectively. This would raise $17.15 million for SCUCISD and approximately $21 million for JISD, according to the districts’ nancial sta. SCUCISD aims to fund projects in departments such as band and ne arts, while JISD seeks to reduce budget shortfalls.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

• Impacts, Page 4 • Transportation, Page 9 • Events, Page 24 Find out more inside

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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched Community Impact in 2005, and the company is still locally owned today with editions across Texas. Our mission is to provide trusted news and local information that everyone gets. Our vision is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a passionate team. Our purpose is to be a light for our readers, customers, partners and each other by living out our core values of Faith, Passion, Quality, Innovation and Integrity. About Community Impact

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Reporters Andrew Creelman Parks Kugle Thomas Leer Jarrett Whitener Graphic Designers Nic Delgadillo Alissa Foss Laura Patino Chelsea Peters Managing Editor Sierra Martin Senior Product Manager Breanna Flores

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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION

Impacts

5 Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Insti- tute The clinic offers up to date treatment options on wound healing and amputation prevention. • Opened Aug. 1 • 12413 Judson Road, Ste. 210, Live Oak • www.sahealth.com/locations/methodist-hospital- northeast 6 K-Cafe The cafe—owned by Myong Bellitt—serves a wide selection of milk teas, coffee and food. • Opened Aug. 12 • 8320 Pat Booker Road, Live Oak • 210-257-0238 7 Triple Shot Coffee The coffee shop—owned by Debbie De La Cruz—sells signature iced and hot coffees, matcha and more. • Opened June 13

Garden Ridge

482

3009

2252

Selma

1103

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BRITE RD.

PAWLIN DR.

Cibolo

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SHIN OAK DR.

8 Texas Pickle Hall The pickleball venue will offer indoor, climate- controlled courts, which will be open year-round. Texas Pickle Hall will also have a bar and a pro shop for equipment. • Opening Sept. 29 9 Jimmy John’s This sandwich shop chain serves signature sandwiches like the Turkey Tom, the Vito and the Totally Tuna. • Opening TBD • 2640 FM 1103 Ste. 1, Cibolo • www.jimmyjohns.com • 201 Shin Oak Drive, Live Oak • www.texaspicklehall.com 10 Gillman Acura of San Antonio The Houston-based car dealership is in the early stages of building a new location. The dealer will have new and

Live Oak

MAP NOT TO SCALE

• www.thaispicesa.com

Now open

Schertz

1976

3 Hollywood & Vine Dance Studio The studio—owned by Chrissy Linnea—specializes in tap, jazz and ballet classes for all ages. • Opened July 16 10 1518

1 Big League Car Wash #4 The locally-owned car wash business offers touchless car washes, vacuums and car wash memberships. • Opened June 17 • 17969 I-35 N., Schertz • www.bigleaguecarwash.com 1604

• 117 E. Wright Blvd., Universal City • www.hollywoodvinestudios.com

4 La Finca Tex-Mex Restaurant The restaurant serves taco and enchilada plates. • Opened July 23 • 1421 Pat Booker Road, Universal City • www.lafincatexmexrestauranttx.com

2 Thai Spice Sushi & Hibachi Grill The restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine. • Opened June 26 • 8327 Agora Parkway, Ste. 135, Selma

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13 Sip Social Wine & Cocktail Bar The wine bar, previously known as the Sip Wine Garden, changed its name in July. Sip Social Wine & Cocktail Bar serves wine, draft beers and customizable charcuterie boards. • 232 Brite Road, Ste. 125, Cibolo • www.sipsocialbar.com

used cars, primarily Acura. • Opening TBD • 14350 Lookout Road, Live Oak • www.gillmanauto.com

Now open

11 Big League Car Wash #5 The locally owned car wash chain is in the early stages of planning another location in the Northeast San Antonio area. Big League Car Wash offers touchless car washes, vacuums and car wash memberships. • Opening TBD • 990 FM 1103, Cibolo • www.bigleaguecarwash.com

Closings

14 Elite CrossFit + Personal Training The gym—which offered one-hour group CrossFit classes—merged its Selma location with its North San

Antonio location. • Closed June 14 • 16719 Pawlin Drive, Selma

Relocations

16 KPOT The Korean restaurant chain lets patrons build and heat their dishes in a make-it-yourself fashion, crafting traditional Korean barbecue and Hot Pot meals using various meats, vegetables and sides. • Opened Aug. 28 • 7741 N. Loop 1604 E., Live Oak • www.kpot.com

12 House of Insanity The haunted attraction relocated from Victoria’s Black Swan Inn at 1006 Holbrook Road, Ste. A. The Retama Park location will be a more permanent spot for the haunted house, Chief Operating Officer Andy Flores said. • Relocating Oct. 9 • Retama Park, 1 Retama Parkway, Selma • Facebook: House of Insanity

15 No Mames Tacos The restaurant—known for its street tacos and birria dishes—closed its brick-and-mortar location. Owner Eduardo Ramirez said he will continue to operate a food truck of the same name. • Closed Aug. 3

• 820 Main Street, Schertz • Facebook: No Mames Tacos

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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION

Government

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

The city of Schertz has passed its scal year 2025-26 budget and property tax rate, opting for a rate increase of just over $0.02 per $100 valuation. Schertz City Council voted 5-2 on Aug. 19 to pass a $139.3 million total budget with a property tax rate of $0.5118 per $100 valuation, up from the previous rate of $0.49 per $100 valuation. The property tax rate increase was adopted on Sept. 2, due to issues with improperly posting the ordinance online. Council members Mark Davis and Paul Macaluso were the two dissenting votes on the budget. With the $0.5118 rate, the city will add a recurring Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, an annual raise of $317,000. The city will also add one-time costs of $315,000 to street projects and a one-time cost of $100,000 to sidewalk projects, according to previous agenda documents. Five council members supported the selected tax rate as well as the COLA, street and sidewalk expenditures. Davis supported the same $0.5118 rate, but with the removal of the COLA in favor of adding recurring annual costs of $315,000 to streets and $100,000 to sidewalks. Macaulso supported the no-new-revenue rate of $0.5064 while adding in the one- time street and sidewalk costs. A fourth option, a tax rate of $0.5190 with recurring COLA and recurring street and sidewalk expenditures, received no council support. Schertz passes $139.3M budget

What else?

What the council is saying

The city’s rate increase is also brought on by an 8.6% increase in disabled veteran homestead exemptions, or DVHS exemptions, in 2025. According to the Bexar County Tax Asses- sor-Collector’s oce, various exemptions exist for disabled veterans, including House Bill 3613 of the 81st Texas Legislature, which authorized a 100% exemption for a residence homestead to a qualifying disabled veteran. Finance Director James Walters said that 23% of Schertz homesteads have such exemptions, and said the city’s FY 2024-25 tax rate without the exemptions would be $0.4091.

The $0.5118 rate was selected as the consensus rate after prior council discussions saw some support for the no-new-revenue rate and a rate of $0.5190. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Brown said the city needed to stick to a COLA to keep up with employee pay scales. “To me, it’s a no-brainer. When you look at the surrounding cities, they’re averaging a 3, 4, 5% COLA—1% is almost a slap in the face, but at least it’s something,” Brown said. Macaluso agreed with Gutierrez, wanting the no-new-revenue rate and said that a COLA is “almost unheard of” in private business. “In a time where some residents’ home values are going down, but they’re not going to be able to actually see that benet of a lower tax rate, I just think going back to them and asking them for more is just not what I support,” Macaluso said. Council member Allison Heyward pushed back on the merit system, saying not everyone is eligible for merit and that a 1% COLA could be used towards items like income taxes and health care costs.

FY 2024-25 rates are used as examples for cities that have not approved their budget. Disabled Veteran Homestead Exemption entities FY 2024-25 tax rates

Fair Oaks Ranch $0.2853 Schertz

$0.4900

Universal City

“It’s not that I’m saying we don’t value our sta, but we have to nd a perfect balance as to what we’re going to pay our sta and how much of a

$0.5144

Copperas Cove

$0.6081

Temple

burden we’re going to put on our taxpayers." RALPH GUTIERREZ MAYOR

$0.6265

Killeen

$0.6573

El Paso

$0.7614

SOURCE: CITY OF SCHERTZCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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Government

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

Universal City OKs design contract for Olympia Hills Universal City has taken the next step to poten- tially begin improvements to the Olympia Hills Golf & Event Center. In a 4-2 vote on Aug. 5, council approved a contract not to exceed $105,000 with golf architect Nathan Crace for the design and bid process work for council to discuss. Council members Phil Vaughan and Bernard Rubal were the dissenting votes. What you need to know Crace presented a master plan assessment proposing the scope of course improvements from a range of estimates provided by Richard Singer, senior director of consulting services with the National Golf Foundation. The three priority items for the course are bunkers, irrigation and tees, which Crace esti- mates would cost between $1.36 million and $1.89

Selma boosts funding towards Schertz EMS The city of Selma will be giving more than $100,000 of extra funding toward local emergency services over the next three

“We want more professional golfers, so I’m sorry, shiny and new is enticing. That’s what’s [going to] bring them in.” LORI PUTT, UNIVERSAL CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

scal years. In a nutshell

million . Improving course bunkers and sand traps is a priority because of their large size, making reg- ular renovations dicult, Crace said. Renovations that minimize the total square footage of bunkers would help the long-term success of the course, according to agenda documents. Vaughan questioned if the proposed improve- ments were a need or a desire. “If we’re already hitting a really high level of rounds, this sounds like it might be more of a desire,” he said. The design and bidding process will take between three and four months, or by November or December, Crace said.

Selma City Council approved an additional 35% in contributions to Schertz EMS for the 2025-26 scal year on Aug. 14. Both FY 2026- 27 and FY 2027-28 will have 5% funding increases. The city contributed $213,096 to Schertz EMS during FY 2024-25. The option chosen by council will see funding rise $104,071 by the end of the current EMS contract in FY 2027-28. EMS Director Jason Mabbitt said ination- ary costs and bad debt have put the organi- zation at a cash shortfall.

Schertz allocates $405k to emergency services Schertz City Council approved an amendment to its contract with Schertz EMS on Aug. 19. The city will be giving an extra $405,132 through scal year 2027-28. At a glance

Approved Schertz EMS funding

$1.17M

$200K 0 $400K $600K $800K $1M $1.2M

$1.06M $1.12M

for the organization is $300,879. The city contrib- uted $791,273 in FY 2024-25, agenda documents state. Like Selma, Schertz chose an option to increase funding by 35% for FY 2025-26, followed by 5% increases in FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Schertz EMS provides on-call medical services and transports for Northeast San Antonio cities, Guadalupe County, Comal County ESD 6 and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

Additional sta compensation, new personnel and legislative changes have impacted the Schertz EMS budget. The estimated FY 2024-25 shortfall

2025-26

Fiscal Year 2026-27 2027-28

SOURCE: CITY OF SCHERTZCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION

Government

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

Universal City adopts property tax rate increase Universal City Council voted 4-2 on Sept. 2 to establish the city budget for fiscal year 2025-26, including a property tax increase for the year. The council adopted an increase of $0.0156 from the current tax rate, going up to $0.53 per $100 Property tax rate history City council approved a $0.0156 increase in the rate from FY 2024-25. Property tax rate (per $100 valuation)

Live Oak increases funding to local EMS Live Oak City Council voted to change its interlocal agreement with Schertz EMS on Aug. 12. The city’s contribution to Schertz EMS in the current fiscal year is $290,411.52. Schertz EMS provides emergency care to the Northeast San Antonio area. Live Oak’s contributions will increase by 20% in fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27, then by another 5% in FY 2027-28. Reasons for the needed funding included rising equipment and staff- ing costs, said EMS Director Jason Mabbitt. What else? Interim Fire Chief Keith Drewry said the city will pay Schertz EMS in four quarterly installments, and approval of the agreement “will maintain stable and reliable EMS coverage for the city of Live Oak.”

FY 2019-20

valuation for FY 2025-26. What you need to know

$0.60

FY 2020-21

$0.59

The proposed rate would bring in approximately $312,000 in extra revenue for the city. Finance Director Christine Green said the higher rate could take care of items like increased demand for staffing and the sunsetting of American Rescue Plan funds for police and fire departments. The proposed rate increase comes after several years of Universal City dropping the rate by $0.087 between FY 2019-20 and FY 2024-25, according to previous reporting. The change results in an increase of $0.83 per month on a homeowner’s bill per $100,000 in taxable value, Green said.

FY 2021-22

$0.59

FY 2022-23

$0.54

FY 2023-24

$0.52

FY 2024-25

$0.51

FY 2025-26

$0.53

$0 $0.1 $0.2 $0.3 $0.4 $0.5 $0.6 $0.7

SOURCE: CITY OF UNIVERSAL CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

2 Universal City areas now tax-abatement-eligible Universal City has committed to its Aviation District and Reunion District by designating the zones as tax-abatement eligible. according to the Texas Comptroller. Some details

Aviation District Reinvestment Zone

UNIVERSAL CITY BLVD.

218

Reunion District Reinvestment Zone

City staff and council will hear abatements on a case-by-case basis, City Manager Kim Turner said. Abatement eligibility kicks in when a property creates at least one new full-time employee and has up to $500,000 in added value as assessed by an appraisal district, according to agenda documents.

City Council passed ordinances approving Avia- tion District Reinvestment Zone No. 1 and Reunion District Reinvestment Zone No. 1 on Aug. 19. An abatement is an agreement between a local taxing unit and a taxpayer that exempts at least part of the increase in the value of the property from taxation,

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Transportation

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

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Construction work on FM 1518 is underway and includes the widening of Woman Hollering Creek Bridge, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

COURTESY TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

1/1

$72.78M TxDOT project sees progress in Schertz area

On Aug. 8, the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation, or TxDOT, provided a news release for updates on the FM 1518 Expan- sion project. The $72.78 million project is a complete reconstruc- tion of FM 1518 between I-10 and FM 78—mainly concentrated in the city of Schertz. Construction on the project began in April 2024. Once com- plete, FM 1518 will be two lanes in each direction with a raised median. The road will also have a 10-foot-wide shared-use path on the east side and a 6-foot- wide sidewalk on the west side, according to the news release. Latest update Northbound lanes are partially complete between Trainer Hale Road and I-10, and construction eorts are now concentrated on southbound lanes in the area. New northbound lanes are also in progress between Woman Hollering Creek and Trainer Hale, according to the release. Work is also ongoing to widen Woman Hollering Creek Bridge,

LOWER SEGUIN RD.

TRAINER HALE RD.

1604

1518

with the rst slab of the expanded bridge poured in late July. Next steps The roadway between Lower Seguin Road and I-10 is antici- pated to be complete in summer 2026. Other future work includes building a roadway between Lower Seguin Road and Lisa Meadows, as well as trac signal upgrades and bridge widening on FM 78 over Cibolo Creek. The project is expected to be fully completed by spring 2028, according to the release.

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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION

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Education

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

Education Edition

2025

Readers, welcome to your annual education edition! Like many of you, my family and I are settling into the new school year—we’re adjusting to new policies and looking forward to new experiences. We all care about the quality of education our children receive, and that makes staying informed about local schools more important than ever, so here’s the scoop! Both Judson ISD and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD have called for voter-approval tax rate elections, where you will get the opportunity to vote on your respective district’s tax rate ahead of the 2025-26 Fiscal Year. The districts have also updated their cell phone policies in response to new state requirements, taking slightly dierent approaches but sharing the same goal of reducing distractions in the classroom. JISD also celebrated the opening of two new schools. The district also approved $8.24M in teacher raises and extended a 1.5% midpoint raise to non-instructional sta, marking a substantial state- driven shift in this school year’s compensation structure. Lastly, the Texas Education Agency released its 2024-2025 accountability ratings for both districts, oering another perspective on how our local schools are performing.

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Northeast Lakeview College now oering nursing program

Northeast Lakeview College is now oering an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program to the number of courses it oers. The overview The nursing program, which was added in August, will have 30 students admitted. In January 2024, Executive Director of Nursing Crystal Sauls- berry wrote the proposal, and in November of that same year, she presented it to the Texas Board of Nursing. The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program is a 2-year, 4-semester, 60-credit-hour program. The program consists of clinical and face-to-face lectures, Saulsberry said. “It also involves simulation, which is really great for students because it has that real-world aspect,” Saulsberry said. Saulsberry said students were very excited about the program. “I’m really excited to present this to the

community,” she said. The need

One of the biggest issues along the Northeast corridor is the lack of healthcare, and the health- care that is available is in the private sector, which can be more expensive for students, Northeast Lakeview College President Veronica Garcia said. “We knew that there was a high demand need for nurses ... but we also needed an option where they could get high-quality education at an aord- able price,” Garcia said. Quote of note Saulsberry said University Health Retama Hos- pital is going to open at the same time as the com- munity college’s rst cohort will be graduating. “It’ll be great to have our students who live in the community work in the community,” Sauls- berry said.

The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program consists of clinical and face-to-face lectures.

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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION

Education

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

SCUCISD receives B rating from TEA for 2024-25 school year

previously reported by Community Impact . Superintendent Paige Meloni said the district has stayed focused on what matters most—growing students academically. “These gains reflect the intentional, day-in and day-out work happening in classrooms across our district,” Meloni said in a news release.

by Community Impact . SCUCISD was one of 491 Texas districts to receive a B rating, according to the 2024-25 TEA accountability report. Texas schools are rated on an A-F scale based on the criteria of student achievement, student progress and closing opportunity gaps, as

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD received a B rating for the 2024-25 school year with 81 out of 100 possible points in the Texas Education Agency’s 2024-25 accountability ratings for Texas school districts. The ratings for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years were released on Aug. 15 after a nearly two- year legal fight, according to previous reporting

Neighboring districts

Two-year score breakdown

Comal ISD: B New Braunfels ISD: B

San Antonio ISD: C

Judson ISD: D Northeast ISD: C

District score SCUCISD went up to a B rating in 2024-25, with its score increasing from 79 to 81 out of 100 year over year.

2023-24

2024-25

SCUCISD: B

281

81/100

79/100

COMAL ISD

BOERNE ISD

NEW BRAUNFELS ISD

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

Campus

Rating

Campus

Rating

Cibolo Valley Elementary Green Valley Elementary

Barbara Jordan Intermediate Dobie Junior High Elaine S. Schlather Intermediate Laura Ingalls Wilder Intermediate

NORTHSIDE ISD

B John A. Sippel Elementary B Norma J. Paschal Elementary B Rose Garden Elementary D Schertz Elementary D Watts Elementary C Wiederstein Elementary C

NORTHEAST ISD

SCUCISD

ALAMO HEIGHTS ISD

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JUDSON ISD

B Ray D. Corbett Junior High B Allison L. Steele ELC B Byron P. Steele II High B Samuel Clemens High C

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Education

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

Judson ISD received a D rating for the 2024- 25 school year with 69 out of 100 possible points in the Texas Education Agency’s 2024-25 accountability ratings for Texas school districts. Texas schools are rated on an A-F scale based on the criteria of student achievement, student progress and closing opportunity gaps, according resources and support from the state. Any campus that received a D or an F in both 2024 and 2025 must develop a turnaround plan and submit it to the TEA by Nov. 14, according to a letter sent to school leaders Aug. 14. Judson ISD receives D rating from TEA for 2024-25 school year to Community Impact reporting. JISD was one of 139 Texas districts evaluated by the TEA to receive a D rating, accounting for 11.6% of Texas districts. According to the TEA website, districts that scored a D or F in 2024 or 2025 may receive extra

Two-year score breakdown

Judson ISD Campus

Rating

Campus

Rating

District score JISD received a D rating in 2024-25, which is below the rating the district received in 2023-24.

2023-24

2024-25

Candlewood Elementary Candlewood STEM Academy Converse Elementary Copperfield Elementary

Rolling Meadows Elementary

Spring Meadows College Preparatory D Spring Meadows Elementary D William Paschall Elementary D Woodlake Elementary C Wortham Oaks Elementary B Henry Metzger Middle F Judson Middle C Kirby Middle F Kirby STEM Academy F Kitty Hawk Middle C Woodlake Hills College Preparatory D Woodlake Hills Middle C Judson Early College Academy A Judson High D Judson Learning Academy B Karen Wagner High C Veterans Memorial High C

D C

69/100

70/100

Coronado Village Elementary

Crestview Elementary Elolf STEAM Academy Escondido Elementary Fine Arts Academy of Olympia Franz Leadership Academy Hopkins Elementary James L. Masters Elementary Mary Lou Hartman Elementary Miller's Point Elementary

A C F

Statewide campus performance

2023-24

2024-25

A: 18%

A: 23%

B: 31%

B: 33%

C: 25%

C: 24% D: 10% F: 4% Not rated: 6%

Park Village Blended Learning Academy

NOTE: PERCENTAGES MAY NOT ADD UP TO 100% DUE TO ROUNDING. SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

D: 14% F: 8% Not rated: 6%

Ricardo Salinas Elementary

NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION

Education

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD and Judson ISD are keeping in line with a new state mandate by prohibiting student use of communication devices throughout the school day. Both districts amended student code of conduct policies on personal communication devices and electronic devices to fall in line with House Bill 1481, which requires all Texas school districts to prohibit device use by students. Current situation According to updated policies, students must have the devices secured in backpacks and out of sight during school hours. This includes passing Local school districts update cell phone policies

Violations

State communication device policy overview House Bill 1481 requires students to store away cell phones and other devices during the school day.

Prohibited devices The following devices are among those banned on campus.

Judson ISD

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

Policy requires schools to prohibit students from bringing devices to campus, designate a secure storage method during the school day Devices include cell phones, tablets, smartwatches and “other devices capable of telecommunication or digital communication”

Policy must include disciplinary measures for violations

Device held in the front office, parent/guardian notified, only parent/guardian may pick up the device, behavior logged into student’s record

Verbal warning, parent/guardian contacted by teacher

1st

Cell phones

Tablets

Smart watches

Policy must make exceptions for student use of devices for, Section 504 plans, medical needs or district/ campus safety requirements

Confiscation for the day by administrator, parent/guardian contacted by administrator, device picked up by student

First offense penalties plus 1 day of In-School Suspension, or ISS

2nd

Paging devices

Radio devices

Personal laptops

SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: JISD, SCUCISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Second offense penalties plus device must be picked up by parent

3rd

First offense penalties plus 2 days of ISS

periods, lunches and in classes. Students violating the policy shall be subject to disciplinary action. Employees in both districts have the right to confiscate a student’s device if it is in violation of the policy. Exceptions to the pol- icies are made for students with an individualized education program, or IEP, or a Section 504 plan, for devices necessary for documented medical needs, or to comply with district and school safety

protocols. Offering input SCUCISD Superintendent Paige Meloni told Community Impact that, as a parent, she under- stands why other parents still want their children to have phones around. “I don’t think that we can say that the kids don’t need the phone on their person or in their

backpack, because parents want that comfort of knowing that they could get a hold of their child in an emergency situation,” Meloni said. JISD Superintendent Milton “Rob” Fields III said the district must be “consistent” with the mandate. “This is the law now, this is what we’ve been told ... when we spoke to the principals, we said that it cannot be seen nor heard,” Fields said.

Third offense penalties plus minimum 1 day of ISS (Grades 5-12)/1 day of detention (Grades PK- 4), behavior contract may be implemented

4th

First offense penalties plus 3 days of ISS

First offense penalties plus out of school suspension, behavior contract will be developed with the student

5th

Same as fourth offense

SOURCES: JISD, SCUCISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Funding on the ballot From the cover

The specifics

SCUCISD

Meloni said extra revenue would also go toward fighting “inflationary costs” in areas like fuel, utilities, health insurance and property insurance. Teacher and staff salaries are also a factor for SCUCISD, as a VATRE would increase the likeli- hood of raises for the 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years. In June, the district approved its 2025-26 compensation plan, which provides raises for teachers as mandated by House Bill 2, as well as additional raises for teacher-scale employees not

covered by HB 2, at a total cost of $430,000 to the district. “We have a very solid plan of where [extra reve- nue] dollars are going to go for the next four years, the majority of it across four years is going to be in compensation and taking care of our [staff] in sal- aries, health care increases, those types of things,” said Deanna Jackson, SCUCISD’s executive director of communications and community engagement.

SCUCISD’s desire for a VATRE comes from what district officials call “overdue deferred projects” as well as the battle against rising costs in other areas. Of the $5.94 million of deferred projects to be tackled if voters approve the VATRE, the largest department expense is in fine arts. The item with the highest fine arts cost is $3.1 million worth of band instrument replacements. Superintendent Paige Meloni said that approximately 75% of students participate in some type of fine arts as early as fourth grade. She said the majority of those students will continue on fine arts tracks, but the district cannot afford the staff or space to accommodate new programs. Another $5.58 million chunk of VATRE- contingent projects is capital expenditures for safety. This includes band towers for Byron P. Steele II High School and Samuel Clemens High School, as well as playground replacements at several campuses.

Measuring the impact

“We have historically just done really well, with very little, for a very long time. It is really embed- ded in the culture of this district … [but] this is where we are at now,” she said.

SCUCISD’s proposed tax rate of $1.1969 per $100 valuation would cost the average homeowner $2,219 annually. This would still result in a savings of $453 for the average homeowner due to new homestead exemptions, Chief Financial Officer Brian Moy said. A statewide savings that impacts all school districts, including SCUCISD, is Senate Bill 4. The bill increases the school property tax exemption on homesteads from $100,000 to $140,000. Another bill, Senate Bill 23, increases exemptions for elderly or disabled homeowners. Moy said if the district did not raise its tax rate, the average homeowner would see a reduction of about $566. He said with the VATRE vote, the district is asking taxpayers to reinvest the difference in savings back into the district. Jackson said this is the time for SCUCISD to be “proactive” and avoid future actions like cuts in programs.

Potential tax impact District homeowners will still see savings on a tax bill with a VATRE due to the impact of homestead exemptions.

Proposed projects District projects involve four major departments and one-time safety upgrades.

Safety, security projects: $5.59M Fine Arts: $3.57M Technology: $897K

Current

$2,672

2024-25

Without VATRE

Total $11.53M

CTE: $882K

$2,106

2025-26

Athletics: $599K

With VATRE

$2,219

2025-26

SOURCE: SCHERTZ-CIBOLO-UNIVERSAL CITY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Tax bill

SOURCE: SCHERTZ-CIBOLO-UNIVERSAL CITY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

One more thing

Voters in the SCUCISD boundary will have their say on the VATRE item, which, if approved, would provide funding for department projects and long-term employee salary raises. If approved, the district tax rate will be $1.1969 per $100 valuation in fiscal year 2025-26. The average homeowner will still see savings on an average tax bill due to new legislation on homestead exemptions, district staff said.

SCUCISD

VATRE approved

VATRE denied

• Proposed tax rate: $1.1969 (per $100 valuation) • Decrease in monthly average tax bill compared to prior year: $37.75 • Revenue raised by the district: $17.16 million

• District tax rate: $1.1369 (per $100 valuation) • Decrease in monthly average tax bill compared to prior year: $47.16 • Budget shortfall for 2025-26: $6.13 million

SOURCE:SCUCISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

By the numbers

JISD

The board pivoted from its initial consensus of a maximum $1.1196 per $100 valuation voter-ap- proved tax rate, deciding on a proposed rate of $1.0796 per $100 valuation Aug. 18. “We must assure our community that we will be responsible stewards of the funding they are entrusting to us. This is a big ask, and we must rec- ognize the financial responsibility we are placing on our community members,” Poteet said.

JISD potential VATRE impact

JISD’s impetus for calling a VATRE lies in its current FY 2025-26 general fund budget shortfall of $37.95 million , the result after trustees trimmed the number over the summer. Cost-saving items making the biggest impact were increasing teacher-to-student ratios by two students district-wide, a savings of $2.65 million , and closing 25 non-teaching position vacancies to save $1.02 million . On May 21, the board voted to keep Judson Middle School, Candlewood Elementary School and Franz Leadership Academy open after closing the three campuses was suggested as a cost reduction item. The board also rejected proposals to close Judson Early College Academy and pause stipends. The district’s FY 2025-26 budget was approved June 26. Trustee José Macias Jr. said his objective has been to minimize major cuts until the VATRE passes or fails, since that will tell the district how much more action it will need to take. “We have saved some money, but I was extremely conservative about the cuts because we’re a school district. Anything and everything that we do in a school district touches a student either directly or indirectly,” Macias said. Amanda Poteet, board vice president, said the full impact of the cuts is still under review since several items, such as the elimination of the district’s powerlifting program, were later brought back, as previously reported by Community Impact .

FY 2025-26

Revenue increase

Projected budget shortfall without VATRE $21M Projected budget shortfall with VATRE $16.9M

$37.9M

SOURCE: JUDSON ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Zooming out

Surrounding district tax rates SCUCISD and JISD are two of three surrounding districts calling a VATRE.

281

COMAL ISD

VATRE in Nov. 2025 No VATRE in Nov. 2025

BOERNE ISD

NEW BRAUNFELS ISD

Boerne ISD • 2025-26 tax rate: $1.0109* • 2025-26 tax rate without VATRE: $0.9909 SCUCISD • 2025-26 tax rate: $1.1969* • 2025-26 tax rate without VATRE: $1.1369 JISD • 2025-26 tax rate: $1.0796* • 2025-26 tax rate without VATRE: $0.9996

NORTHSIDE ISD

NORTHEAST ISD

SCUCISD

ALAMO HEIGHTS ISD

1604

SAN ANTONIO ISD

JUDSON ISD

410

*NOTE: PROPOSED TAX RATES.

SOURCE: NORTHSIDE ISD, NORTHEAST ISD, BOERNE ISD, COMAL ISD, NEW BRAUNFELS ISD, SAN ANTONIO ISD, ALAMO HEIGHTS ISD, SCUCISD, JISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Looking ahead

Voters in the JISD boundary will decide on the VATRE item, which, if approved, would trim its budget shortfall for FY 2025-26. The final day to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election is Oct. 6, and early voting runs from Oct. 20-31. JISD homeowners who want to see their estimated tax payment if the VATRE were approved can visit www.judsonisd.org/page/vatre.

Judson ISD

VATRE denied Judson ISD

VATRE approved

• Proposed tax rate: $1.0796 (per $100 valuation) • Decrease in monthly average tax bill compared to prior year: $30.36 • Revenue raised by the district: $21 million

• District tax rate: $0.9996 (per $100 valuation) • Decrease in monthly average tax bill compared to prior year: $33.32 • Budget shortfall for FY 2025-26: $37.95 million

SOURCE: JUDSON ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Education

BY THOMAS LEFFLER

Judson ISD opens 2 new campuses for 2025-26 school year

Students at Judson ISD returned to school on Aug. 13, including those attending two new district campuses. JISD has officially opened both Selma Elemen- tary School, located at 16842 Retama Parkway in Selma, and Cibolo Creek Middle School, situated at 5735 Waldon Walk in San Antonio. In a nutshell Both campuses are funded by the district’s 2022 bond and were completed over the sum- mer, according to JISD board of trustees agenda documents. Selma Elementary School costs approximately $48.38 million and houses students who relocated from the former Coronado Village Elementary School, along with students shifted in the redis- tricting process district communications staff said. As of August 11, the school’s enrollment is 507 students from grades pre-K through 5th. Cibolo Creek Middle School—which cost $80.32

million —has an enrollment of 854 students from 6th to 8th grade, communications staff told Com- munity Impact. The new middle school consists of students who were shuffled due to the redrawing of attendance boundaries and was implemented based on growth in the area. What else? At an Aug. 21 board of trustees meeting, Daniel Brooks, JISD’s assistant superintendent of opera- tions, said the final piece to be completed at Selma Elementary is the school courtyard, which will be completed in September after press time. At Cibolo Creek, sod has been laid down on playing fields, which will be completed by October, Brooks said. Superintendent Milton “Rob” Fields III said he appreciates his staff’s dedication to the projects. “We put a tighter window on these two than I’ve ever seen before ... I can’t say how much I appreciate you for what you guys did to pull that off,” Fields said.

Cibolo Creek Middle School

1604

Selma Elementary School

SOURCE: JUDSON ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Education

Judson ISD has amended its 2025-26 fiscal year employee compensation plan, providing teacher raises to align with mandates from the Texas Legislature and to take care of employees not impacted by the bill. In a 4-2 vote on July 31, the Judson ISD board of trustees approved $8.25 million in employee raises, complying with the passage of House Bill 2, along with giving all district employees—with the exceptions of administrators and District of Innovation teachers—not under HB 2 mandates a 1.5% midpoint salary raise. A midpoint raise is one to increase compensa- tion based on market value, assuring equity of Judson ISD approves $8.25M in teacher raises

with 0-2 years of experience. However, under HB 2, the state also provided the district $829,506 from a support staff retention allotment, which was designed to provide pay raises for staff who work outside of the classroom. According to a presentation by district staff, 1,370 district classroom teachers are covered under HB 2 mandates, while over 1,600 district employees fall outside the legislation. The state’s teacher retention allotment for the 1,370 teachers receiving the $2,500 or $5,000 raise amounts to $6.38 million . The action will cost a total of $1.02 million out of the district’s local fund balance, which is the difference between assets and liabilities in a district fund according to the Texas Association of School Administrators. The local fund balance costs are derived from providing additional benefits, such as retirement, rather than the salary itself. The $829,506 is from a support staff retention allotment that is for salaries only. The board chose to give employees not impacted by HB 2 a 1.5% salary raise at mid- point, a slight increase from the district staff’s

employee pay, according to the Texas Associa- tion of School Boards. Digging deeper HB 2, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 4, provides an allotment for pay raises to classroom teachers with at least three years of experience in districts with over 5,000 stu- dents, such as Judson ISD. Under the mandate, classroom teachers with three to four years of experience receive a raise of $2,500, while those with five or more years of experience receive a $5,000 raise. However, the bill uses the Texas Education Code definition of “classroom teacher” to determine which employees receive raises. The education code defines a classroom teacher as an educator who “teaches in an academic instructional setting or a career and technology instructional setting” for at least four hours a day on average. This language leaves out employees like nurses, librarians, counselors and other non-ad- ministrative staff, as well as classroom teachers

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