By N. BRADFORD
Reporter News Staff
Like many Texas school districts, Alvin ISD administrators and trustees faced frustration as they tried to balance inflationary costs of operating schools with limited revenue.
“Through the budgeting process, we were in the middle of the legislative session –and we were hopeful the legislature would use the $33 billion surplus to support public education, as many times as they stated they were going to,” Alvin ISD chief financial officer Daniel Combs said during the district’s June budget discussion. “That has not come to fruition just yet.”
A special session in Austin ended June 27 with no new laws, and Gov. Gregg Abbott immediately called another special session focused on property taxes.
With a new fiscal year beginning this month, Alvin ISD Trustees on June 13 approved a budget with anticipated revenues roughly $20 million above last year. That budget included cost-of-living raises for staff.
Meanwhile, property values within the Alvin ISD have jumped by nearly a third, “but that does not generate extra revenue for our school district,” Combs said.
“When local values go up and more dollars and collected here, the state revenue is offset,” he said.
The AISD total tax rate, which will be calculated by the state, is expected to drop from $1.37 per $100 of valuation to $1.29.
“A sizeable reduction is anticipated and hoped for in Alvin ISD,” Combs said.
After values are available from the local appraisal district July 25, the board will certify a new tax rate Sept. 12.
