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Carroll ISD Board discusses preliminary 2012-13 budget, bond projects
By Lena Price
The Carroll ISD Board of Trustees may consider a possible two-cent property tax increase during its July 16 meeting.
The board set the tentative date at Monday's meeting during a preliminary discussion about the 2012-13 budget. The public would be invited to give their input at the July meeting.
"On July 16, the board would have the option to adopt the new tax rate," said Robb Welch, assistant superintendent for financial services. "That would be necessary if the board decides to move beyond the current $1.04 maintenance and operation tax rate."
In addition to the budget discussion, the board approved a proposal to apply to the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium. The state legislature created the consortium last session to collect input from school districts about the future of digital learning and how to asses student progress. The Commissioner of Education will select 20 districts of varying sizes to serve in the consortium.
JJ Villarreal, assistant superintendent for student services, said Carroll ISD is already working to include more 21st century teaching methods in the classroom.
"We're trying to provide a consistent and standard use of technology for digital learning, which includes the use of interactive white boards and tablets to get immediate feedback from students," Villarreal said.
Several board members expressed reservations about the monetary and time commitment being a member of the consortium might demand.
"I still think that we would want to be a part of this, but I hate some of the unknowns," said Sue Armstrong, board vice president. "I'm concerned this would place an undo burden on some of our administrators, because we're already spread a little thin at the central office."
The board passed the motion 6-0, deciding the possibility to influence the next generation of accountability standards outweighed any potential negatives.
Derek Citty, assistant superintendent for administrative services, also updated the board on the status of the 2009 bond funds.
The board approved a contractor to complete renovations and additions to the new administration center located in the former Carroll Middle School campus on East Dove Road. The center, which will cost a total of about $5.1 million, is one of the last major projects financed by bond election.
"We're starting to near the finish line on the bond program," Citty said. "What remains are several smaller things we committed to the community during the bond proposition. For example, we committed to redoing the security interface at Carroll Senior High School."
Citty said the board may consider renovating some of the science labs at the school while the security updates are under way.
"Some of those science labs are a little dated and worn down," Citty said. "We've identified some of the things we can do better. As a former science teacher myself, I'm excited about some of the innovative ideas about how to set up a laboratory."
The board will not decide whether to proceed with the lab renovations until all of the contracts from the bond are in place, most likely by Aug. 1.
"At that point we'll have a better idea of where we are on the bond project and what we can actually accomplish," Citty said. "Once we fulfill that commitment, then we can start looking at what we want to accomplish after that."
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