August 12, 2024
Dear CISD Community,
As we prepare for the 2024-2025 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 14, I wanted to share a summary of tonight’s (Aug. 12) Budget Board Workshop and inform you of the next steps in the budget planning process.
Proposed Tax Rates and Voter Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE)
Trustees reviewed the proposed tax rates for 2024-2025, including options for the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate with a VATRE and one without. The M&O tax rate will be lower in 2024-2025 even if Trustees call for a VATRE at the Aug. 19 Board Meeting. The proposed Debt Service (I&S) tax rate, which funds the interest on CISD bonds, is also lower than last year.
Proposed 2024-2025 Tax Rates (with VATRE) per $100 in assessed property value:
M&O: $0.7869 and I&S: $0.2474 = Total: $1.0343, which is $.0192 lower than 2023-2024
Proposed 2024-2025 Tax Rates (without VATRE) per $100 in assessed property value:
M&O: $0.7552 and I&S: $0.2474 = Total: $1.0026, which is $.0509 lower than 2023-2024
2024-2025 Proposed Budget and Budget Challenges
The proposed 24-25 budget reflects significant cost reductions in both payroll and other expenses. Also shared at the workshop were the district’s ongoing budget challenges, including cumulative inflation, stagnant state funding, declining enrollment and lower attendance rates. To address these issues, CISD is continuing its attendance campaign, marketing to attract new students and examining facility efficiencies. Additionally, the City of Coppell is fully funding School Resource Officers at our campuses in Coppell. CISD also continues to communicate with state representatives about school funding.
Looking ahead, the district continues to discuss and explore long-term solutions including school consolidation to ensure our financial stability while remaining committed to providing an excellent education for all of our students.
Upcoming Dates and Next Steps
August 19, 2024 — Budget Hearing at 5:30 p.m. and Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
Adoption of 2024-2025 Budget and Tax Rate
Possible Calling of a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election for November 5, 2024
September 9, 2024 — Board Workshop at 5:30 p.m.
Review Recommended Course of Action
Evaluation Team Recommendation — Facilities Evaluation Tool Results
September 16, 2024 — Board Workshop at 5:30 p.m.
September 18, 2024 — Town Hall at CHS9 at 6:30 p.m
September 30, 2024 — Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
Possible Board Action on Final Decision
I encourage our community to continue to stay informed and engaged throughout this process. You can review tonight’s presentation at https://5il.co/2thi8, the Board Briefs at www.coppellisd.com/boardbriefs and the video from tonight’s Workshop, which should be available in the morning, at www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/page/board-meeting-video.
Details on our budget and budget planning process are available at www.coppellisd.com/budget. We also have a Frequently Asked Questions page on the budget available at www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/page/budget-challenges-faq. As a reminder, the community can share budget questions or feedback via email at input@coppellisd.com.
Thank you for your continued support of Coppell ISD.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brad Hunt
Superintendent
Coppell ISD