Clear Creek ISD’s board of trustees approved the district’s fiscal year 2021-22 general, debt service and child nutrition budgets Aug. 23, with an $0.08 tax rate reduction to be presented for approval in September.
Updated Aug. 23, the budget is built on a proposed tax rate of $1.1797, a reduction of $0.0862 compared to the previous fiscal year’s rate of $1.2659. In documents presented during an Aug. 9 budget workshop, the proposed maintenance and operations tax rate was $0.0462 lower, and the debt service tax rate was $0.03 lower, combining for a total proposed rate of $1.1897.
Documents presented Aug. 23 showed a debt service rate reduction of $0.04 versus the $0.03 shown earlier in the month. The tax rate will be voted on by the board in September, district leaders said Aug. 23.
Local revenue increases from fiscal year 2020-21 to FY 2021-22 total nearly $11 million, primarily due to an estimated increase in tax collections based on property value growth, per board documents. State revenue will decrease by nearly $3 million, but federal program revenue will increase by nearly $2.8 million. The recommended budget is balanced with no projected transfer from the capital and contingency fund.
“Looking at a multiyear plan in terms of expenditure reductions will be an important part of our work this year,” Superintendent Eric Williams said Aug. 23 during budget discussion.
Two-thirds of the general fund will be spent on direct classroom instruction and resources, with another 11% being spent on student support services like counseling, health services and transportation. Nearly 90% of the general fund would be used for employee staffing and benefits under the recommended plan. Click here for more budget details as discussed during the Aug. 9 workshop.
The approved child nutrition budget has a $1.8 million surplus, per board documents. This school year, healthy meals will be offered every school day to students in pre-K through eighth grade at no cost thanks to guidance issued by the United States Department of Agriculture, per a July 29 district media release.
Typically, a student’s household must meet income requirements to qualify for free or reduced-price meals, but USDA guidance allows schools to participate in a federal meal program at no cost for the 2021-22 school year, per the release. The program applies to elementary and intermediate schools, so free and reduced-price meals will be given to those who qualify at the high school level, Williams said Aug. 23.
