Published: August 19, 2009 10:32 am      

Alvarado ISD board of trustees adopt same tax rate

With school scheduled to begin next week, Alvarado ISD’s board of trustees had a handful of chores to complete at Monday’s meeting.

The board approved everything from a student code of conduct and substitute teacher pay scale to a reading program and water heater in the junior high field house.

One of the most difficult items to approve may have been one that should have been rubber stamped without any fuss.

The district’s budget is based on the proposed tax rate of $1.28 per $100 property valuation — $1.04 for maintenance and operation, and 24 cents for debt service — the rate it was a year ago.

State law required the district’s motion to approve the tax rate read: “I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of $1.28, which is effectively a 7.66 percent increase in the tax rate.”

Althogh the rate is the same, property values in Alvarado increased over the past year.

Residents who have seen an increase in their property value will pay more taxes even though the rate remains unchanged.

“This required language is misleading and does not clearly reflect the actions of the school board,” said Alvarado ISD Superintendent Chester Juroska said. “The tax rate actually stayed the same. The new laws convey little about the district’s tax rate. The proposed tax rates will not change for 2009-2010.”

The district set 7 p.m. Aug. 31 for the public hearing on the proposed tax rate.

In other business, the board approved:

zx The proposed tax rate for Hill College

zx Purchasing guidelines prepared by the AISD Finance Department

zx The secondary student code of conduct

zx My Reading Coach program for Lillian, Elementary North, Elementary South and Alvarado Junior High

zx Contracted services and a speech pathologist for special education

zx The 2009-2010 substitute pay schedule