Comal School Trustees today are expected to approve a $115.5 million budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year, a nearly 12 percent increase from the current $102 million budget.
Trustees also are scheduled today to adopt a proposed tax rate of $1.31, a $.33 decrease from the current rate.
Comal ISD budget writers allocated the bulk of the $12.3 million in new expenses to pay its nearly 1,800 employees. Overall, payroll comprises about $89 million, or 77 percent, of the proposed budget. $57 million of that is dedicated toward campus payroll.
According to the proposed budget, Comal ISD expects to spend about $9 million more than it did in the previous year to pay teachers and staff, an 18.4 percent increase from the current budget. Of that $9 million, the budget allocates approximately $4.2 million for pay raises and increased health care benefits for Comal ISD employees. The school district is set to pay $330 each month toward an employees insurance premium, up from $275 per month in 2006-07 at a cost of $1.3 million.
All support personnel are receiving a 6 percent pay increase and exempt employees — administrators and professionals — are receiving a 4 percent pay increase under the proposed budget.
Nurses, librarians, counselors and the almost 900 teachers employed by the school district are expected to receive a $2,750 raise. The school board voted in April to approve the pay raise. Combined with a $425 pay bump the legislature recently mandated, the salary for a first-year teacher in the Comal ISD is set at $40,075, which represents an increase of nearly 10 percent.
The $40,075 figure ranks below the average pay for beginning teachers in at least three neighboring school districts but also is above the average pay for a new instructor at five other area school districts. District officials said the pay raise will help retain and potentially attract new employees.
Another $4.7 million in new payroll spending is allocated toward hiring additional administrators, teachers and staff to fill spots at three school which opened its doors Monday: Canyon Lake High School and Startzville and Freiheit elementary schools.
Along with the three new facilities, Comal ISD budget writers had to factor in to the equation a projected 1,000 new students, which will bring the school district’s total enrollment to more than 15,000 students. Comal ISD has been growing by about 6 to 8 percent every year for the past few years, district officials said.
The budget also includes $4 million for capital improvement projects. Comal ISD’s general fund balance under the proposed budget is expected to reach about $40 million, district officials said.
“That shows we’re healthy financially,” said Debra Smith, CISD’s assistant superintendent for support services.
The 2007-08 budget is based on a proposed tax rate of $1.31, which represents a decrease of $.33 from the current budget. The $.33 tax decrease was mandated by the 79th legislature in 2006 as part of its public school finance reforms. The average home owner in the Comal ISD, who owns around $213,000, is expected to pay about $2000 in taxes during the 2007-08 fiscal year, a decrease of about $224. In addition to the $15,000 homestead exemption offered by the state, the Comal ISD also offers another $20,000 percent tax exemption for home owners, Smith said.
The Maintenance and Operation tax rate is set under the proposed budget at $1.04, compared with the current $1.37. The Interest and Sinking fund remained — 27 cents — the same from last year. The INS tax is collected to pay off the district’s outstanding bond debt, which is valued at around $695 million, including principle and interest. The INS tax rate has dropped by three cents since the 2005-06 fiscal year, Smith said.
On Thursday, trustees also will consider the following:
• Approving an earnest money contract to purchase land in the Bulverde area for a future elementary school. About 17 acres of land north of Borgfeld Road and the Bulverde Road intersection have been identified by trustees for acquisition. Details about how much the land would cost were made public Wednesday, but district officials said they planned to pay for the land with funds from the $189 million 2005 bond election. The district expects to build the school with money from a future bond election.
• Approving a resolution to acquire land in the Johnson Ranch Development for a future elementary school. About 16 acres of land at the intersection of Hwy 281 and Farm-to-Market 1863 is expected to be donated to the school district by developers. But Comal ISD would be responsible for about $300,000 in infrastructure costs related to drainage and utility issues. The infrastructure and construction costs of the school will be funded with 2005 bond money.
