August 19, 2024
Dear CISD Community,
It’s been an amazing start to the school year, and I hope everyone’s semester is going well. As we continue to be transparent with our community throughout our budget planning process, I am sharing this update from tonight’s Board Meeting. As a reminder, the Board Briefs summary and presentations for each meeting are available at www.coppellisd.com/boardbriefs.
Key Highlights from the Meeting:
2024-2025 Budget and Tax Rate Approval
After a Public Hearing on the 2024-2025 Budget and Tax Rate, Trustees approved:
The 2024-2025 General Expenditure Budget of $174,660,810 with a deficit of $7.5 Million to come from the district’s Fund Balance. Trustees also approved the Food Service Budget of $6,044,502 and the Debt Service Budget of $48,401,839.
The 2024-2025 Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate if the Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) passes on Nov. 5 and one if it does not. The M&O tax rate will be lower in 2024-2025 even if the VATRE passes on Nov. 5. The Debt Service (I&S) tax rate, which funds the principal and interest on CISD bonds, is also lower than last year.
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
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
Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) Called for November 5, 2024
The Board called for a Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. For more information, visit go.coppellisd.com/VATRERelease or www.coppellisd.com/vatre. Questions can be directed to vatre@coppellisd.com.
Safety and Security Update
The Board heard updates on district safety and security measures, including updates on School Resource Deputies and School Resource Officers at campuses and that all CISD schools passed the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) campus door audits at 100 percent.
Bond Project Updates
The Board received an update on 2023 Bond projects, including the completed interior refreshes at Mockingbird and Wilson Elementary schools, the new playgrounds at most elementary campuses and the completion of turf and field replacement at Buddy Echols Field. Trustees also heard about the progress on the renovation underway at Valley Ranch Elementary, as well as the expansion of the Tennis Center and the new Fine Arts Rehearsal Building at Coppell High School.
Campus Improvement Plans
Trustees also approved the Campus Improvement Plans for each school across the district, which outline strategies for enhancing student achievement and campus operations. Copies of these plans can be found at www.coppellisd.com/page/district-improvement-plan-council.
I encourage our community to continue to stay informed and engaged throughout this process. You can review tonight’s presentation at https://5il.co/2u3k6, 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.
As we continue to work through our budget challenges, please note you can find details on the budget planning process at www.coppellisd.com/budget. These details include information that has been shared with the community about adjustments that have already been made to the budget. We also have a Frequently Asked Questions page on the budget available at www.coppellisd.com/o/cisd/page/budget-challenges-faq
More information, including recommendations on school closures/consolidation, will be shared in September. As a reminder, the community can ask budget questions or provide feedback via email at input@coppellisd.com. I also want to provide upcoming dates and next steps:
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
As always, I thank you for your continued support of Coppell ISD.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brad Hunt
Superintendent
Coppell ISD