District to keep homestead exemptions
Cy-Fair trustees to continue giving homeowners a break on property taxes
The Cy-Fair ISD school board agreed this month to continue state-mandated and optional homestead exemptions in 2015 that lower taxes for district homeowners.
The action was part of a busy May 11 agenda that also offered a glimpse of pay increases proposed in next year’s budget and discussion of legislation pending in Austin.
Like last year, Cy-Fair ISD’s 2015 homestead exemption schedule will give district homeowners younger than age 65 exemptions of $15,000 plus 20 percent of their property’s appraised value. Property owners who are 65 or older or disabled will receive exemptions of $40,000 plus 20 percent of the appraised value.
State lawmakers are considering additional cuts to school property taxes for homeowners, as well as tax cuts for businesses, but their passage remains uncertain, Cy-Fair administrators said.
“Since the April board meeting, not much has changed that would clarify our view on legislation impacting school finance and the effect on Cy-Fair ISD,” Associate Superintendent Stuart Snow told trustees in a budget update on May 7.
Administrators intend to keep teacher salaries competitive next school year, the early budget figures show.
Compared to other Houston-area districts, Cy-Fair pays the most for new teachers and those with up to 20 years of experience, Snow said. The 2015-16 budget proposal would raise the annual starting salary to $51,050 and add $1,600 per step increase on the district’s wage scale, providing an average 2.6 percent raise for teachers.
In addition, the proposal would bring pay for professional support staff, including some administrators, in line with Texas Association of School Board recommendations, increase the district’s pension contributions for retirees and adhere to the state’s 22:1 student-teacher ratio in grades kindergarten-fourth grade.
Snow estimates the total cost for the salary and pension adjustments at more than $37 million, including $3 million to accommodate ongoing growth in student enrollment. An additional $2.8 million will be needed to open the new Woodard Elementary School in the fall, he said.
Cy-Fair ISD appears likely to receive more in state funding next year based on budget proposals and other bills under review by the 84th Texas Legislature. But none of the plans would repair an existing gap in per-student funding for high growth districts like Cy-Fair under current formulas.
One bill, HB 1759, essentially rewrites the school finance law, said Snow, who estimates it would provide an additional $15 million to the district.
Cy-Fair’s current general fund budget, excluding food and debt service, totals about $833 million, with 51 percent funded by the state.
Snow expects to have a more detailed budget recommendation ready for board action by the end of this fiscal year on June 30.
In other action, the school board voted to waive a portion of its graduation policy subject to passage of Senate Bill 149, which would allow students who did not pass up to two state-mandated tests to graduate with approval by a local committee.
The board also approved a resolution supporting changes to the state’s assessment and accountability system for public schools. The resolution is similar to one passed by Katy ISD’s board.
“We’re not trying to skirt accountability. We’re just trying to find something that does measure what the school districts are actually doing,” said Mark Henry, CFISD superintendent.
“What we’re asking is for the state to come into alignment with the federal government. We want to make sure we don’t overtest our students, and we want to make writing a locally controlled assessment,” he added.