The Tomball ISD school board will vote on a number of issues during their Sept. 13 meeting. The Tomball ISD school board will vote on a number of issues during their Sept. 13 meeting.[/caption] During their Sept. 12 workshop meeting, the Tomball ISD school board discussed a number of items up for vote during the regular board meeting tonight. Here are some takeaways community members should know: 1. The board is expected to approve a $1.34 property tax rate. The property tax rate for homes in Tomball ISD includes $1.04 for maintenance and operations and an interest and sinking tax rate of 30 cents. The tax rate has not risen in several years, thanks in part to the number of new homes and rising property values.  2. The district needs more bus drivers. For the 2016-17 school year, TISD operates 96 bus routes throughout the district. To cover all of the routes, some TISD bus drivers have two routes, TISD Chief Financial Officer Jim Ross said. To handle all routes, the district needs an additional 15 drivers. However, recruits have been hard to come by, he said. The district is already working to train new hires to earn commercial driver's licenses. 3. Student enrollment is up again. According to a presentation from Chief Administrative Officer Chris Trotter, student enrollment is up 4.83 percent over last year, which amounts to 677 more students. The enrollment numbers are taken from a snapshot on the sixth day of school and are expected to change throughout the year, Trotter said. The district has experienced an average growth rate of 6 percent over the past three years. 4. District of Innovation is a go. Board members are expected to approve a resolution to initiate the process to have TISD designated as a District of Innovation, a state program which will allow the district to have more flexibility in areas such as class size and teacher certification. Other items up for vote during the Sept. 13 meeting include:
  • Approval of a $9,000 donation from Houston Poly Bags to Tomball Memorial High School student scholarships
  • Approval of an interlocal agreement between TISD and Klein ISD for the transportation of students to the Harris County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs
  • Approval of contract to construct new weight rooms at Willow Wood Junior High and Tomball Junior High