VISD Will Have a Balanced Budget: Board Gets a Look at Plan for the 2006-07 School Year
By Rebecca Holm, Victoria Advocate, Texas
Jun. 22–The Victoria School Board of Trustees left Thursday’s monthly meeting excited. The budget won’t be approved until August, but it is balanced. “This is the first time I remember having a budget presented to us in June that was not only balanced, but included the full amount of raises and the max tax rate,” Trustee Bernard Klimist said at the school board meeting Thursday evening.
While nothing is set in stone yet, major changes to the budget would including switching health insurance plans to save $2 million and around $1 million by not filling current vacant positions in the school system.
The budget includes salary increases to teachers as recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards. The grant for educators passed in the budget allots for a $425 increase for all employees paid as teachers, which includes teachers, librarians, speech therapists and nurses.
Salary increases at the school will also come from about $2 million in funds promised by the district to employees earlier in the year.
Specific changes to salary will be announced at next month’s meeting, said Trustee Ray Walden.
As bonus to tax payers, the school board is considering a tax rate of $1.0300, down from 1.3310.
The board will have to raise their debt service tax (from $0.0975 to $0.2069) to pay for bonds that they will be issuing. However, by combining the two rates, tax payers will be saving a little over 19 cents for every $100 of assessed property tax value, he said.
“It’s really important to show our tax payers that we’re conscious that they’re paying the taxes and we’re going to do everything we can to keep their taxes at a reasonable level,” he said.
The school board heard a request from Nancy McCord, assistant superintendent for Secondary Schools, to approve an application for High School Equivalency Program at Profit High School.
The program would help students at high risk of dropping out or who have dropped out to return to school and meet competency for graduation or in an alternative setting, as well as receiving career and technology skills and acquiring life management skills, she said.
“We’re loosing kids right and left and if we can get them back and recapture them, we might be able to encourage them to graduate,” she said, noting that it will help the community by not leaving the youth with no opportunity of advancement.
To be eligible for the program, the school must apply to the state for approval, she said.
“I think that any program that will return our kids to high school to graduate, as well as to enter the community … that’s really needed,” said Klimist. “So I would move that the board approve the application for a High School Equivalency Program at Profit Magnet High School.”
The board unanimously approved the application.
The board also approved expenditures for summer projects as part of the recent bond program. Of the $159 million in bonds for sale approved by taxpayers in May, $239,000 will be used to upgrade fire alarms, replace gas lines, repair bleachers and walkways and replace fences and AC units in schools including Memorial High School, Juan Linn Magnet School, Aloe Elementary and Howell Middle School. Rebecca Holm is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6516 or rholm@vicad.com.
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