Alvin ISD residents will tentatively see a reduction in their tax rate for the first time in four years after the board of trustees approved the 2022-23 budget.
The Alvin ISD board of trustees held its annual budget and tax rate public hearing June 14 to approve the 2022-23 school year budget and tentative tax rate. Chief Financial Officer Daniel Combs presented a budget report to the board as the culmination of the six month-long budgeting process.
The projected Alvin ISD tax rate in 2022-23 is $1.3777 per $100 of valuation. This is a decrease of $0.02 from the previous three years’ approved tax rates at $1.3977. In 2018, the board committed to maintaining a tax rate at or below $1.45 per $100 of valuation.
Under the new tax rate, the owner of a $250,000 home would pay $3,444.25 in property taxes to Alvin ISD compared to $3,494.25 under the 2021-22 rate—a savings of $50.
While the budget and projected tax rate were unanimously approved by the board, the tax rate is not final.
“Many people don’t understand this: TEA calculates Alvin ISD’s annual tax rate, not the Alvin ISD board,” Combs said.
The rate will remain tentative until further notice from the Texas Education Agency. According to the presentation, the TEA will send a maximum compressed tax rate to the Alvin ISD board in August, and the rate is anticipated to be adopted in September.
According to Combs’s presentation, the total projected budget for the upcoming school year is $339.85 million, a 6% increase from the previous school year’s budget of $320.40 million.
The general fund expenditures budget, or how the budget is projected to be spent, shows 61.8% of the budget will be geared towards instruction. According to Combs’s presentation, this is higher than the 2020-21 statewide average of 58.9% of district budget spent on instructional services.
Compared to the 2021-22 budget, an additional approximately $3 million will be allocated towards maintenance of district property, and an additional $556,000 will be spent on police in the 2022-23 budget.
The board previously approved a 3% raise for all staff in the 2022-23 school year and a starting salary for teachers at $61,100. These items are included in the budget.
Alvin ISD receives funding based on the number of students enrolled multiplied by weighted programs, such as special education and bilingual education. The resulting number equals the district’s operational funding, which is divided into state funds and local tax dollars. Some additional funds are granted by the federal government, according to Combs’s presentation.
The projected total number of students enrolled in 2022-23 is about 29,270, an increase of 1,078 students, or 3.8%, year-over-year.
Non-budget items
The board approved the appointments of four new assistant principals and one new principal for various schools. The appointments include Jamie Baldwin as principal of Rodeo Palms Jr. High, Laura Chaffin as assistant principal of a school to be determined, Dr. Kelly Hudson as assistant principal of a school to be determined, Amanda Donnelly as assistant principal of Harby Jr. High, and Richard Wulf as assistant principal of the new Iowa Colony High School.
Additionally, the board approved the adoption of the Optional Flexible School Day Program, an alternative schedule option for eligible students with unique needs. The proposed schedule’s time frame is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, as needed.
Students that are eligible for the alternative schedule include students that are at risk of dropping out of school, attending a campus implementing an approved innovative campus plan, attending a TEA-designated high school, attending a community-based dropout recovery education program, or not meeting attendance requirements resulting in denied credit for one or more enrolled classes.
Additionally, it was announced that in the 2021-2022 school year Alvin ISD gave about $374,000 in grants and scholarships to students and teachers.
Alvin ISD meeting agendas and minutes can be viewed on the board of trustees webpage.
