CISD adopts tax hike, triggers election

Clarendon ISD Trustees unanimously adopted a tax increase last Tuesday, April 30, and automatically triggered a June 1 election for voters to approve or deny the increase.

The new ad valorem rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation represents a 13-cent increase over the current rate of $1.04, which is the highest the state allows school districts to set without voter approval.

CISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger opened a public hearing prior to the trustees’ vote with an in-depth presentation explaining the school’s projected $434,960 budget deficit for the 2013-2014 school year, which he attributed to cuts in state funding and declining enrollment numbers. The school district has an ad on page eight of this week’s Enterprise explaining the need for the tax increase.

If approved by voters, the $1.17 rate is expected to generate $165,570 in local revenues, triggering an additional $145,228 in state funds, and ultimately bringing in a total of $310,798 in new money.

Fifteen citizens attended the public hearing, and several individuals questioned board members and school administrators on a wide range of issues that focused on both financial concerns and a perceived lack of communication between the school and parents.

Alice Cobb asked about tax rate comparisons between CISD and nearby school districts, called attention to communication issues, and said many people perceive that the school hasn’t made cuts or hasn’t suffered financially.

School board candidate Linda Rowland asked how the district would deal with the deficit if the election fails, and Trustee Jim Shelton replied that the board had not looked at specific areas to cut in that case. Board president Wayne Hardin said the worst case scenario would be cuts to popular programs.

Roger Estlack suggested that the school be very specific about what the cuts would have to be, and parents also discussed the costs of the C-SCOPE curriculum, the Accelerated Reader program, and the number of athletic programs offered by the school.

Tex Buckhaults said he thought passing the tax increase was necessary, and high school teacher Diane Skelton pointed to the number of successful graduates that have come out of CHS as reasons to favor passage of the tax rate to maintain the school’s level of success.

All present said they wanted what was best for the school’s kids even if that means raising taxes, but several said they wanted to be sure the school was doing everything possible to be financially responsible.