001Good afternoon everyone. I now call this um public hearing to order on action item B. Well, it's not going to be an action item. It's just a public hearing on discussion and possible action to adopt tax year 2025 maintenance and operations depth service tax rate. Good evening. >> Good evening. >> Um, this evening we will be discussing the 2526 tax rate. Tonight we will be proposing a tax rate for maintenance and operations of 7807 interest in sinking 5347 for a total proposed tax rate per $100 valuation of a dollar with 3154. The highest rate that the school district can adopt before requiring a voter approval at an election is $1.2279. And tonight we are proposing $13154. On August the 12th, the RGCGISD called an election for a tax rate in excess in excess of the
002border approval rate. This slide shows the components of the M tax rate for which we are seeking or for for which we called an election. And our proposed M tax rate once again is 7807 cents. And the M tax rate is composed of TR1 and TR2. the tier one tax rate or the maximum compressed rate that is the most basic one and that one is set by TA each year and to this year's MCR is 6982 TR2 that is the enrichment rate and basically that gives us more funding allowable by the state or legislation and currently the school district has eight pennies which is which are under the golden pennies and that's the maximum that we can have under that part of tier 2. The second part of tier 2 is the copper pennies and
003under that section we are allowed up to nine point up to nine pennies and currently we have a quarter of a penny. So basically we are asking uh board of approval for the additional $8.75 in order to maximize all the revenues locally through local tax collections and state funding allowed by the state. So how are property taxes calculated? We take the taxable value after all exemptions and we divide that by 100 and we multiply it by the tax rate. Again, our proposed tax rate is $13154. And this year, the average appraised value of homes within the school district is $119,32. Homestead exemption of $140,000. Remember that currently we it's set at $100,000. However, legislation approved and increased up to 140,000. However, this is subject to border approval in November. However, we do believe that it
004will be a successful uh outcome. So, basically, a taxable value of most homes within the school district will be at zero. So the average household will be paying zero dollars even with our proposed uh tax rate of $13154. The estimated increase in local and state in state revenues with this election if it is approved we are estimating it to be 5 million 97,039 and this is based on an ADA of 8,300. It is composed of $1.4 million in local funds or tax collections and $3.6 6 million in state funds. This concludes my presentation. Uh Dr. Selenas [Music] Good evening, madam board president, members of the board. Miss Gara, superintendent of schools. It's to piggyback off Miss Robles's presentation. She did present the recommended tax rate. Uh my job tonight is to have what the tax
005revenue what it's for and how we would use it. So the objective for tonight, we have two objectives for tonight. The first one is we're looking at what are the revenues of the voter approved tax ratification. back. >> I apologize. [Music] Christmas. My apologies madam president members of the board. So as I mentioned earlier the recom the objectives for tonight go and take the next slide please next slide. Okay, the objectives for tonight, we have what's the recommended use of the Vader the voter approved tax ratification election funds and we have a spending plan for the amounts and you'll me in one of the slides I'm going to mention what's the amounts for the employee raises as we have 100% commitment to employee raises there's an excess to the Vader income and we have two
006initiatives that we'd like to introduce to you tonight on how we'd like to cut that. So that's the objective for tonight. Um, I do want to make it clear that even though the tax rate is up for adoption tonight, this compensation plan, we'd have to amend the compensation plan for the 2526 school year in the September board meeting. So, you would see this coming back to the board. So, we have the voter approved tax ratification election like Miss Bolas mentioned at 8.75 cents. that would yield an approximate $5.1 million. For tonight's discussion, I want to focus on 4.5 million. The reason we're going to focus on 4.5 million because I'm going to recommend an amount for employees. And the 4.5 is is reflective of all pro uh payroll taxes that go into account when a
007raise is given or a salary. Uh the recommended compensation increase that I will present later on in this presentation would set us back $700,000. That means you have the voter approved tax ratification election at $4.5 million. We're my recommendation or the administrator's recommendation tonight, you're looking at excess of $700,000. And there's two initiatives we'd like to discuss on how we'd like to cut that $700,000 for the fiscal year. The two initiatives we're going to talk about tonight is the redesign of traditional student tutorials framework. And the second one is a continue the optional flexible school day program, otherwise known as flex attendance. Now, I'd like before I continue with the initiatives, I'd like to make it clear, the superintendent made it clear there's some non-negotiables. All these initiatives must not interfere with student uh learning,
008student outcome, student achievements, or employee benefits. Okay? And the savings must be reoccurring. As you know, the recommendation tonight will be a reoccurring expense. Most of it covered by the Vader. 700,000 must be covered by the district. So any expense we mentioned tonight on how to save that has to be reoccurring. It cannot be a one-time deal. Next slide, please. So on the first initiative, we talked about the redesign of traditional student tutorial framework. Currently, there's a million dollars that are being that are budgeted for for this school year for the tutorial program, the student tutorials. And in order for me to explain what the redesign is, I'd have to tell you a little bit about 14 House Bill 1416. And under 1416, we're looking at students that did not meet the approach grade level,
009approaches grade level in the STAR and EOCC exams. These students must attend tutorials. And you look at the data, the data tells you in 2425, which was last year, 1,185 students attended tutorials. None were tracked under a uh designated teacher. And it'll make sense in a minute. So the state tells you there's one way you can circumvent the tutorials. And these students must be scheduled to a designated teacher for the subsequent year in that subject. Okay. So there's one way of getting around the tutorials is a student who is in need of this high uh those intensity uh tutorials. I believe the hit these students must be in the subsequent year be scheduled with a designated teacher in that subject area. So if you look at the data for 20 2526 which is this school
010year we have after school tutorials you see us at 52% of students 52% as of today 52% of our students who require ELR tutorials are already scheduled with designated teachers 55% of math students who require these tutorials are already scheduled with designated teachers so both are already past the halfway point as of today. And I want to make it clear, it's not the academic part that's expensive with tutorials, the hiring of staff. What's expensive is is the operations part, the buses, the diesel, the travel, the wear and tear, the overtime. That's what's expensive. So, we're looking at saving with this redesign using HB 1416 through our designated teachers. And I'll tell you the the the anticipated amount. Next slide. On our second initiative, we're looking at continuing flex schedule or the OFSDP. Before I tell
011you about that, it's important to see the correlation between flex attendance and the budgeted amount for that school year, the budgeted student ADA for this school year. And as you just heard Miss Robles say, this year the district used 8,300 students. But I'd like to take you back a little bit. Look in 20 in 2324 the district used 8,700 students for our budget purposes. In 2425 we looked at 8650 8,650 students. Now this is important because we look at let's look at an example of last year. Last year we said 8,650 students are budgeted and the district saw a refined ADA to close out the year of 8,140. That's minus 510 students short of what the district budgeted for. Now rule of thumb because it depends if these children are special ed Kate there's a
012lot of factors going involved with our refined ADA. Rule of thumb every hundred is a million. Okay. So you're close to 5 million short. However, with the flex attendance initiative last year we saw an increase of 8,489 bringing a shortfall of 161 student versus the 510. That's a big difference. Okay. So, how does this make sense with this initiative? What we're looking at is we told you we budgeted for 8,300 students. Keeping the target or the or the the what our what our goal is for this year for the flex attendance is the same thing we had last year. 8,650. That puts you at a plus a significant increase in budget revenue. Next slide. So the projective being very conservative with initiative one. We talked about the redesign of traditional student tutorials frameworks. We're looking
013at 100,000. And again being conservative because we're at 50% right now of children who are scheduled with designated teachers. Initiative two. We're looking at the uh flex schedule tied in with the number the board approved for this year's fiscal budget. We're looking at 400,000. You add those two, it's 500,000. We're still $200,000 short. Being very conservative with our numbers. The district would have to bring that up for the following plan. And I want to make it clear, these numbers are additional to HB2 and additional to $1,000 raise that every employee received. That is $3,000 raise for all employees that are contracted and exempt employees. All contracted exempt employees, not broken up like HB2, teachers, counsel, all contracted exempt employees. $3,000 raise and a $2 raise for all hourly employees. Again, additional to what the board
014has already approved, questions. Um, no, no questions. Just comment, you know, just to comment that, you know, with this tax ratification, uh, you have to understand that everything is going to go back to the employees and to the operation of our whatever tutorial program, whatever is left over. But one thing that we do want to cement tonight is that employees, whether they're contracted or hourly employees, they all that money goes to them. Nothing will stay for the district into the fund balance, none of that. As we receive it, it goes back to the employees, whether you're hourly or your salary. Uh so really, this is on on on y'all's hands. If you want it, it's there for the taking. We don't lose anything. If you don't want it, you leave it on the table. We
015don't keep anything either way. So, we're we're we're not we're not selling it on we want money to save for ourselves to operate. It's to compensate the hard work that teachers and all your other salary or or hourly wage people do. So, it's something that's out there. You leave it, you take it. >> It doesn't impact us in any form way any shape or form. >> And to add to what Mr. PA is saying pretty much we understand that our teachers are underpaid, our staff is underpaid, and we need to compete with our neighboring districts. We don't want to keep losing employees, all kinds of employees because we're not at a competitive uh salary. And so this would be just a tiny bit of an effort um for us to be able to keep our
016our our staff and and to slowly um give back what you all deserve. Um so like Mr. Mr. Pña saying I just want to clarify that this was offered you know uh previously by the previous board majority and it was something that right now Mr. Pña was showing me it was a stipen for Christmas of $2,000 to $2,400. It was a stipen, a one-time stipen. And we need to make sure that we understand that people are not understanding that what they offered last time was a stipen. And I, Miss Diana Roles will not let me lie. Mr. Selenas, Dr. Selenas will not let me lie. When I said it more than once, I said it three times. If this will give teachers races, if that'll be a race, I will I will run with it.
017I will support it. And the three times I was told no, it's going to be a stipen. I was not okay with it being a stipen because long term it wasn't going to help anybody you all the staff and so I think that that's a very very uh strong point that you all need to understand that this is like doc saying Mr. Pñena, this is going 100% back to y'all. This is not to make our job easier. Um, this is to give back to you all. And so, it's a win-win for me. I can say it. If it passes, um, you all get what you deserve, a little bit of it back. And if it doesn't, I save maybe $2 $300 a year, $20 a month pretty much on my taxes. Um, no one likes
018to pay more taxes. I surely don't. But if I look at this at the best interest of the district and that's what I took a note and that's what I signed up for. This is the best thing to do. Um, like I said, no one wants to pay more taxes. But I think that I would take one for the team definitely in order to give back to our to our staff and consequently to our children because we have happy staff. We have happy children and and children that are learning. So I don't know if anybody else wants anything. >> I'll just I'll just add that at the end of the day it's going to be up to the voters. you know, we're just putting it out there and I think we're going live tonight uh
019because we want everybody to hear what it's for. We get I'm sure I get tons of messages every day. I'm sure everybody here does as to what's the money going to be used for. You all just laid it out, you know, and I hope they're watching and I hope they're asking questions and I like it that in initiative and together with House Bill 1416, it's something that's not going to cost the district recurrently. And I think that's an excellent I mean way of of doing it to be honest with you. That's very creative. I like that idea because then we're not worried about having to pay 5 million every single year, you know, and and then the numbers are conservative. That's 8,300. Let's hope it's it's higher than that, the 88. Um, so it is
020it is back. It is the 5,000 that we're giving, you know, to the teachers. Everyone gets mad at us like we decided to give it to the teachers. That came from legislature. That didn't come from us. That came from Congress. So, this is our way to kind of give back to everybody uh or as many as many as we possibly can. And it's it's for you all. So, like Mr. Pñena said if it's this dec if it's voted down, you're no one's going to be insulted insulted or offended or hurt, but if it's passed, it's for you all and it's covered. And I think the the um the expense or the cost to the tax period is is minimal at best compared to other times compared to what it could have been thanks to the
021exemption to house the homestead exemption. >> Miss Garcia, you want to add anything? I >> said it very well. >> All right. >> Thank you. >> That's it. Thank you. Thank you. Doc 6:30. >> It is 6:24 and this meeting is now adjourned.