Hedley ISD officials explain need for tax election

A tax election question and answer meeting with Hedley school officials turned into an exclusive presentation to The Clarendon Enterprise when no members of the public showed up Monday evening.

Adminstrators and school board members said they hope the lack of interest in the informational meeting means the taxpayers are supportive of the school and simply aren’t concerned enough to ask questions.

Hedley ISD is asking voters to approve a higher than normally allowed tax rate to help the school compete on faculty and staff salaries and keep up with maintenance and safety issues. The Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) will be held Tuesday, November 5, and early voting is underway now at the Donley County Courthouse Anenx.

Voters are being asked to approve a 12-cent increase in the school district’s ad valorem rate, which would bring it to $0.7892 per $100 valuation, and would bring in $257,394 more to the district.

Superintendent Tracey Bell says the added tax revenue will also help the school replenish its fund balance after it just paid about $400,000 out of pocket for a new roof. And she says that raising salaries and stipends is very important.

“We have a lot of young teachers right now, and we would like to retain them for years to come,” Bell said.
Bell said homesteads valued at $100,000 or less are exempt from school property taxes. A 12-cent increase would raise the Hedley school taxes on a $200,000 homestead by $120 per year.

HISD trustees said they have not had much feedback at all from the public about the proposed rate increase. Trustee Tangela Copelin said she has only had one person ask her what the money would be used for and the answer of paying teachers more and improving school safety seemed to satisfy the individual.

Trustee Shauna Herbert said for her the tax is a way to make sure the community can keep its school.

“We’ve got to give some raises, and we’ve got to spend some money on our physical plant,” Herbert said. “If we loose our little school, we’ll never get it back. Never.”

Hedley currently has 97 students enrolled in school.

“You just think of all the kids we’ve helped over the years,” Trustee Troy Monroe said. “These are kids that would have gotten lost. They can do everything here… play ball and do all the activities.”

Herbert also talked about the dedication of the Hedley staff.

“Our teachers are here because they want to be not because they have to be,” she said.

The fiscal year 2025 budget was approved by the board based on last year’s tax rate of $0.6692. If the tax election passes and the new rate of $0.7892 tax effect, trustees would approve a budget amendment after the first of the year to reflect the new revenue.

Bell says due to state compression of the school tax rate, the new rate would actually still be lower than six of the past seven years.

Bell said more information is available on the school’s website, https://www.hedleyisd.net/page/voter-approval-tax-ratification-election-vatre. A calculator on the site can help taxpayers figure what their added tax burden would be.