Facing a budget shortfall in the upcoming school year, the Midlothian ISD board of trustees moved closer Monday night to calling a voter-approved tax rate election in the fall.

The district set June 17, the next MISD board regular meeting date, as the date for the tax rate and budget adoption public hearing for 2024-2025 during its May monthly meeting. Newly-appointed board president Gary Vineyard said the voter-approved tax rate election, or VATRE, is necessary to maintain the school budget.

Vineyard said the 3-cent increase in maintenance and operations on the ballot will be offset with a 3-cent decrease in interest and sinking, meaning that property tax rates overall will not change.

District chief financial officer Sandy Bundrick said that with the VATRE, the proposed tax rate would be 69.69 cents per $100 valuation for the M&O fund, and 41 cents for the I&S fund for a total of $1.1069.

Bundrick went over some of the highlights of the proposed budget. The new budget will provide for raises for staff that were recently approved by the board, but supplements are not budgeted this year, she said.

A school resource officer will be provided at every MISD campus in the new school year with a roving sergeant who will provide additional coverage, Bundrick added.

Taxable values in the district grew by 13.71 percent overall year-to-year, and new construction values in the district is up 5.68 percent, Bundrick said. Superintendent Dr. David Belding added that he expects the new value to grow in the coming years.

The district’s M&O tax rate has decreased over the last five years, Bundrick said, from $1.04 per $100 taxable valuation to 66.69 cents today. The I&S tax rate is used to retire debt, and Bundrick said as much as available of the district’s debt service fund is being used to pay off bonds early to decrease future interest payments.

Belding noted that school budgets are never static, with numbers that are constantly changing.

“Things are going to continue to shift until we get into September and we see what the enrollment is and the years of experience of the people we hire,” he said. “It’s a challenge.”

Other items

• Newly-elected trustee Ryan Timm took the oath of office for Place 3 on the board, and incumbents Vineyard and Richard Peña were also sworn in to new three-year terms. Following the oaths, the board reorganized, with Vineyard being chosen as president, former president Tami Tobey as vice president, and Jessica Ward as secretary.
• Outgoing Place 3 trustee Eduardo Gonzalez, who served as board secretary, was warmly recognized for his three years of service on the board.
• A large number of recognitions were handed out, including the MISD high school valedictorians and salutatorians; state track meet qualifiers; the national champion Heritage High School drill team; HHS Winterguard state qualifiers; MHS academic all-state basketball; FFA Ellis County show winners; MHS Graphics student first-day T-shirt design; Girl Scout Gold Award; and Capturing Kids’ hearts national showcase awards.
• The approved consent agenda included previous meeting minutes, a bid approval for food service for the 2024-2025 school year, budget amendments, gifts and/or donations, the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program memorandum of understanding for 2024-2025, an agreement with Mentors Care for 2024-2025, and the designation of an independent auditor for an efficiency audit relating to a VATRE.
• Following a closed session, trustees voted to approve Gaya Jefferson, formerly of Richardson ISD, as the district’s new executive director of human resources.
• Teacher contracts were renewed for the new school year.