Hawkins ISD Board of Trustees
Budget, tax rate approved; Tax down 23.68 cents/hundred
By JOHN SPARKS

At a special meeting of the Hawkins Independent School Board, on Tuesday, August 27, trustees approved a tax rate of $1.1485 for the school year beginning September 1, 2007. The proposed rate means a reduction of 23.68 cents per hundred dollars of property value for taxpayers within the district served by the school (see related story re: August 7 meeting elsewhere in this issue).

The meeting satisfied the requirement for the district to hold a “public hearing” regarding the budget and tax rate before it is enacted. However, no citizens attended the public hearing.
 

The rate approved supports a total ’07-’08 budget of $10,029,676, an increase of 11 percent over the $9,011,164 in the last fiscal year. The new budget includes $5,402,921 in estimated payroll outlays and an estimated $1,455,480 in Chapter 41 funds (Robin Hood) which is the amount HISD must send to the state to help support property tax poor districts.
 

Trustees were advised by Superintendent Dan Rose the district has received a waiver on the 180-day instructional requirement as a result of the delayed start to the ’07-’08 school year. As a result there will be no changes in the school calendar approved earlier and graduation will be held Friday, June 13, 2008.
 

In other action trustees approved a complicated policy regarding student expression of religious viewpoints which qualifies those students and requires such students to register at for such expressions at the beginning of each semester. The adoption of the controversial policy was made necessary by a law passed in the past session of the Texas legislature.
 

Trustees also upgraded a newly-created groundskeeper position to groundskeeper/maintenance. The change permits the district to employ a person who would be qualified and skilled in light maintenance. The groundskeeper/maintenance position is a pay grade 2 ($8.60-$12.13/hour).
 

Trustees are next scheduled to meet in regular session on Monday, September 10 16 at 7 p.m. A special meeting of the board can be called with 72-hours notice.