AISD trustees pass deficit budget

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany ISD trustees passed a budget that is $137,065 short during a special early morning session on Monday, Aug. 31, meeting the required state deadline.

Total expenditures are projected at $6,057,943, while revenues are listed at $5,920,878.

However, AISD superintendent Jonathan Scott said that even though the board approved a deficit budget, school officials hope to break even at the end of the year, with some “worst case scenarios built in” to the expense side and very conservative revenue projections.

The amount that is deficit-budgeted is considerably less than the previous two years, when it has been as much as $755,000 more than budgeted revenues.

This is the fifth straight year of deficit budgeting for Albany ISD.

The motion to approve the budget was made by Ginny Ivy, seconded by Joe Tidwell, with all seven trustees in agreement.

The board also made a couple decisions regarding the tax rate, including approval of an additional “fifth golden penny” on a motion by Kelly Head, seconded by Tidwell.

Scott explained that Texas schools are in the second year of the legislative property tax compression.

“In 2018-2019, the district tax rate was $1.04,” said Scott. “After the property tax compression last year, Albany ISD’s compressed tax rate for 2019-2020 was $0.97. This included a compressed rate of 0.93, plus the four pennies allowed to be added by local boards as before the compression.”

Now in the second year under the legislation, school tax rates were compressed to 0.9164.

“We are allowed to utilize the four pennies as we did last year, and with unanimous board approval, we can add a fifth golden penny,” said Scott.

A separate motion by Kim Neece, also seconded by Tidwell, set the tax rate for 2020-2021 at 96.64 cents.

Voter approval is not required if the board votes unanimously to add the fifth “golden penny” to the four pennies accessed last year.