Tyler

By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

Tyler ISD trustees are expected to call a Nov. 4 bond election during a special meeting today for about $124.9 million to replace six campuses.

The meeting will take place at 10 a.m. in the Dr. Jack L. Davidson Conference Center at the Jim Plyler Instructional Complex, 807 W. Glenwood.

Last week Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid presented information to the board of trustees about what projects are recommended for the bond proposal. No action was taken.

Those projects include replacing Clarkston, Griffin, Jones, Orr and Woods elementary schools as well as the St. Louis School for students with special needs.

If a bond issue were to pass, Reid said they want to see as many of the schools open in the fall of 2010 as possible, but the acquisition of land and design challenges may require an extra year for some projects.

Officials are looking to possibly acquire land to build new Griffin and Jones elementary schools, as well as possibly a new St. Louis School. Acquiring land is needed in most cases because of space constraints on the current sites, Reid has said. The district is currently investigating its options for doing that.

According to Reid's presentation, the maximum Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rate would peak in 2010 at 34.977 cents per $100 valuation -- an increase of about 16.447 cents to the I&S tax rate. In 2011, if the district did not incur additional debt, the rate would drop back to 28.269 cents because of previous debt retiring. The district's current total tax rate is $1.215 per $100 valuation.

"We felt like we've taken a lot of effort to make sure that we're addressing the greatest need that we have first�," Reid said last week. "We are just going to try to better the educational opportunities for all the elementary kids for this next program. We think this is a good step in that direction and we're getting close to being able to close the elementary chapter and move on to the secondary level."

TISD is considering a November bond election to address the second phase of a four-phase master facilities improvement plan.

Phase 1, a $95.9 million bond program voters approved in 2004, included construction of six replacement schools -- Bell, Ramey, Douglas, Austin, Bonner and Peete elementary schools -- and one new campus, Jack Elementary. Peete, the last to be completed, opened in January.

Phase 2, according to the original plan, would address needs at the remaining elementary schools. The third phase called for addressing mainly middle schools; and the fourth, high schools.

In May, Reid presented information about the elementary schools left to address either through replacing or remodeling. The total cost for all the remaining elementary work, along with the St. Louis School, was about $189 million. But officials said they would not try to present a bond election for that much to voters at once.

TISD Board President Ron Vickery has said the elementary schools not included on the list for Phase 2 will be reevaluated and addressed when the district comes back to consider its next bond program.

Trustees will also vote on a board meeting date for the purpose of adopting the budget and proposed tax rate.

The school board has not yet settled on a proposed tax rate.

At their meeting last week, trustees discussed options for the school district's maintenance and operations tax rate, including keeping it at its current rate or lowering it.

Tosha Bjork, director of financial services for TISD, said the district will receive an increase in its targeted revenue per student, keeping the district from having to raise its tax rate by a penny as it had previously believed it would need to do.

That extra revenue also allows the district to handle other proposed increases in the budget.

The proposed 2008-09 budget is about $130.4 million, $5 million more than the 2007-08 budget of $125.3 million.

TISD is proposing to give teachers a $1,200 pay increase, raise starting teacher pay from $38,000 to $39,500 and give 3 percent of the midpoint pay increase to other employees.

The current total TISD tax rate is $1.215 per $100 valuation. That includes a maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate of $1.0297 (about $1.03) and a debt service (I&S) tax rate of .1853 per $100 valuation.

Also Tuesday the board is slated to meet in closed session in regard to litigation.