Millions of dollars in additional funding is coming to Central Texas school districts this year to help pay for equipment and other resources in technology classes. Round Rock Independent School District estimates they’ll bring in an additional $7 million from the state for tech app courses after the legislature changed the way it funds the career-based classrooms. The money will help support students like Kritika Dhakal, a senior at McNeil High School who wants to be a computer scientist. view article

Gary ISD trustees adopted a $4,971,069 balanced budget, a jump of about $800,000 from last year’s $4.1 million budget that will allow more money to be put into instruction and maintenance. Trustees also adopted an effective tax rate of $1.43 per $100 valuation, down 7 cents from last year. The tax rate includes a maintenance and operations rate of 97 cents and a debt service rate of 46 cents. The decrease in tax rate comes from the M&O side, with the I&S side remaining the same as last year. view article

Residents of the Chico school district will see a tax rate decrease for the 2019/20 fiscal year. At Monday’s meeting, the school board adopted a total tax rate of $1.17804 per $100 of taxable value. That represents a nearly 10.5-cent reduction from last year’s rate of $1.283. On the maintenance and operations portion of the tax rate – used to fund the part of the budget that pays for expenditures such as teacher salaries – the tax rate was reduced from $1.04 to $0.97. Like all public school districts in the state, Chico was required to compress the tax rate due to school funding changes outlined in House Bill 3 passed this year by state legislators. view article

Adding 17 jobs and salary increases for current employees, Decatur ISD expects its budget to grow by $2.9 million for 2019/20. The district’s trustees approved the $33.9 million spending plan for the 2019/20 fiscal year Thursday morning. Along with the budget, the board approved a tax rate of $1.21 per $100 of taxable value, which is a 7-cent cut from last year. view article

Athletic spending, teacher pay and a future tax ratification election were discussed Wednesday evening at a budget workshop hosted by Beckville ISD  The 2019-20 proposed budget is $683,000, which is $3,000 less than last year’s budget. This year’s tax rate, which Superintendent Devin Tate said was set by the state, will be 97 cents per $100 valuation — all of which is entirely on the maintenance and operations side of the budget because the district has no debt. view article

The Nederland Independent School District approved its 2019-20 budget and tax rate this week at a special Board of Trustees meeting. The board adopted a tax rate of $1.33 and an overall budget of $48.7 million. “The 2019-2020 budget that was adopted is driven by the district’s goals and strategic plan,” Superintendent Robin Perez said in an issued statement. view article

Poolville ISD board of trustees adopted the tax rate and budget for the 2019-20 year during a special meeting on Thursday evening in the District PD Lab in the elementary building.  view article

The San Angelo Independent School District Board of Trustees adopted a balanced budget and lowered the tax rate for the 2019-2020 school year. The board unanimously approved the General, Child Nutrition, and Debt Service Fund budgets for the school district, according to a press release dated August, 28, 2019. view article

A week shy of the new Sept. 1 fiscal year, Jacksonville ISD trustees adopted a $55,364,488 budget and the $1.395 tax rate that will generate revenue for it. The newly adopted budget is higher than the previous year due in part to House Bill 3 – legislative action focusing on salaries – as well as higher property values in Cherokee County. The proposed tax rate has decreased in direct response to HB3, with a proposed M&O rate of 97 cents (the portion of the tax rate that decreased by seven cents due to legislative action), while an I&S rate of 42.5 cents remains unchanged. view article

The Aledo ISD board of trustees unanimously approved the 2019-20 budget as well as a 10 cent reduction in the tax rate of $1.4933 per $100 valuation. The past four years, the AISD tax rate has been $1.5950 per $100 valuation, but the implementation of House Bill 3 allowed for tax rate compression for school districts across the state and more funding from the state. view article

Navarro ISD is welcoming the new school year with a hefty budget and lower tax rate. The Navarro School Board of Trustees unanimously approved and adopted the 2019-2020 general fund, food service and debt service budgets — totaling a little more than $22 million — and a tax rate 8 cents lower than last year on Tuesday during a regular meeting following a public hearing. view article

The Bryan school board unanimously approved a deficit budget of $1.7 million and a tax rate of $1.27 per $100 valuation Tuesday. The approved tax rate is 7 cents lower than the current rate because of a state-mandated compressed maintenance and operations tax. The $1.27 tax rate, which will support the approved deficit budget of $1,709,265, is made up of a 99-cent maintenance and operations tax rate and a 28 cent interest and sinking — or debt service — tax rate. view article

Klein ISD has approved their budget for the 2019-2020 school year, which includes a projected increase of $21 million in funding from the state, a decreased tax rate and an expected increase in general fund revenues for the school district. During a meeting Aug. 26, the board of trustees reviewed and approved the budget and tax rate for 2019-2020. view article

Teresa Flores knows the costs of a census undercount as well as anyone. As the executive director of the Hidalgo County Head Start Program, one of the area's most underfunded services, she watched low funding after a 2010 undercount cap the program's maximum enrollment around 3,600 students. More than 14,000 other children could qualify for the program, Flores estimates, but she barely has enough money to maintain the current level of enrollment — even with additional state grants. view article

More than 100 people packed into the Era High School gym Monday, Aug. 19, in hopes of convincing members of the Era Independent School District Board of Trustees to vote their way on a Chapter 313 application request for Wildcat Creek Wind Farm LLC.  Board members were to consider seeking a 313 agreement with Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s Office for the proposed wind farm. However, after taking a break to discuss the matter in closed session, board members unanimously rejected applying for the agreement via a 6-0 vote. Board member Todd Reiter abstained. view article

School districts across the Rio Grande Valley either saw significant progress, regression or simply maintained their financial rating in the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, a state program that holds school districts accountable for their money management practices. view article

In a year where the State legislature invested more than $11.5 billion in public education, Alamo Heights Independent School District passed a deficit budget.  Trustees approved a $77.3 million general fund budget with a $58,000 shortfall at the district’s Thursday night board meeting. The majority of Alamo Heights’ revenue — $73.4 million — is expected to come from local property taxes. Just $3 million is projected to come from the state. view article

A newly enacted state law allowed Gilmer ISD trustees Monday to set their tax rate a dime less than initially anticipated as they approved a larger annual budget for the growing district. The $25.7 million spending plan that won unanimous approval is $4 million larger than the budget that concludes at the end of this month. view article

It is back to school time and parents are not the only ones spending money on supplies. Many teachers and other school employees spend their own money to buy things for their students, but employees in Amarillo ISD will soon be getting some help. view article

At Monday’s night’s Shallowater ISD school board meeting, board members approved raises for every employee within the district. Under HB 3, 30 percent of new monies had to be spent on raises for teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses. view article

Carthage ISD approved a $31.5 million budget and seven-cent tax rate decrease Monday, bringing the tax rate to $1.21 total — 97 cents on the maintenance and operations side of the budget and 24 cents on the interest and sinking side of the budget.  The proposed budget includes a projected $25.944 million set aside for maintenance and operations and about $5.5 million in recapture payments. It is a balanced budget. view article

The Tyler Independent School District board of trustees approved its 2019-20 budget at the first board meeting of the year Monday night, which includes significant teacher raises and a new incentive pay fund. The district also approved its new tax rate, after a change to school finance swapped 7 cents per $100 of taxable value for increased state funding. The $163 million budget gives the district a net increase of $11 million over the previous year. As a result of the state’s tax swap, the district’s Maintenance and Operation tax rate will drop from $1.04 per $100 of taxable value to 97 cents. The board approved the overall tax rate of $1.335, which includes bond debt approved by voters. That rate is a decrease from last year’s rate of $1.405. view article

At convocation Wednesday morning Temple Independent School District Superintendent Bobby Ott announced that every person the district’s payroll would be getting a pay raise. view article

Texas pre-K programs are just scraping by after losing millions of dollars last year — and without sustainable funding, they could see greater problems down the line, school officials say. During the 2017 legislative session, lawmakers decided not to fund a $118 million high-quality pre-K grant program that was created in 2015 and championed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The money had gone to 573 districts and charter schools that pledged to meet measures such as setting a lower student-teacher ratio, avoiding Common Core curricula and reporting student progress to the state. view article

Burnet school district officials were probably expecting to get more than two years from the synthetic turf installed at Bulldog Field in 2015, but that didn’t happen and it’s now set the district back $150,000. Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Keith McBurnett, however, said the district is looking to get $105,000 back from one manufacturer. Last year, officials noticed some turf fibers sticking up higher than others, so they took a closer look, McBurnett said. “To most people, it probably wasn’t noticeable,” he said. “We had all the experts look at the field, and they looked at the backside. It needed to be replaced.” view article

On Saturday, voters who live within the Houston ISD will go to the polls to determine how - or if - the district will pay the state millions in "recapture" fees. Whatever voters decide on Proposition 1, the Houston ISD will take a financial hit, officials say. Recapture, and school finance, can be difficult to grasp. To help, here are the answers to some questions about the ballot measure. view article

The Round Rock school district awarded $1.9 million in grants to 34 campuses to help foster innovation in schools through programs, models or initiatives that enrich learning. The grants range from $7,500 to $100,000 and support the district’s strategic goal of implementing, enhancing and reinforcing innovative teachings and learning models, according to a district news release. view article

Fort Bend ISD is going to begin serving up something different for some students who continually fail to pay for their lunches -- a cold cheese sandwich with a side of milk, and that's not sitting well with some parents. We're not talking about students who qualify for free school meals. But apparently, these repeat offenders have gotten so "forgetful" that it's draining the district's budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars. view article

The Garland school district’s $453.8 million budget for 2015-16 passed this week. Here are the highlights: Taxes are going up: There’s a 10-cent per $100 valuation tax increase tied to theNovember 2014 passage of a $455 million bond package. Garland ISD previously had the second-lowest tax rate among 16 districts that tax in Dallas County; the bond will bring that closer to the midpoint. view article

The Lampasas Independent School District met Monday to discuss the district’s fiscal year 2016 budget and proposed tax rates. “My idea was still to give everyone a tax break, but to make it 1 cent right now, and we could change it in a year if we need to,” board member Sam Walker said. “I think we are jumping the gun by dropping it 2 cents.” view article

Marfa ISD is taking a proactive approach toward its potential Chapter 41 status, which would classify the district as a “rich” school. Chief Financial Officer Victoria Sanchez discussed with the board of trustees at the June 15 meeting five different options they could possibly choose for the Chapter 41 status and heavily stressed that the board should consider each option carefully as three of them would have permanent repercussions. view article

The Dallas Independent School District presented a draft version of a comprehensive plan for facilities and academic improvement to the board of trustees on Thursday. The long-range plan, which calls for $1.5 billion in funding, would be directed at school choice, pre-k expansion and career readiness, according to DISD officials. view article

Duncanville ISD thought it was getting a great deal when, one year ago this month, it switched electric providers and signed on with the State Power Program through the state's General Land Office. Just like that, Duncanville ISD's price-per-kilowatt hour dropped almost 20 percent, from 7.3 cents to a maximum of 6 cents. view article

The Comal Independent School District is paying off bond debt early in an effort to save taxpayers money. The district's board of trustees voted Thursday night to pay off $6.5 million in bond debt ahead of schedule. view article