Dear Vega ISD Community:
We have been welcoming back our returning staff members this week and greeting our brand new staff members this week. It has been so much fun seeing all of our staff get started this week as everyone prepares for the start of school next Wednesday, August 14th. Our PTO treated our staff to an opening day lunch on Monday and so much appreciate their kindness to start our week of professional development and inservice.
Two-a-days have commenced for band, football, and volleyball with our students, coaches, and band director already greeting students and preparing them for their extracurricular activities. It’s been fun seeing our students starting to return from summer activities.
In the meantime we are getting ready for our Open Houses for Meet the Teacher, Title 1 Parent Meeting/GT & Dyslexia Parent Meetings along with Meet the Longhorns. Details of these events are all listed on the school calendar on the webpage.
The school supply list is available on the district webpage so you can begin your back to school shopping. To find the list, just click on the menu bar on the school webpage and you will find the “school supply lists” link where you can click and find out what you need. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call your campus office for assistance.
Our district, similar to many districts in our region and across the state, has experienced a deficit budget over the past several years. This has resulted from several factors including: lower student enrollment, the extraordinary cost of inflation for goods and services that are beyond the district’s control (i.e., electricity & insurance), and since 2019 no changes by the state legislature in the basic allotment provided by the state to support public schools. Last year Vega ISD adopted a budget with a deficit of -$786,445.
Because the state has not provided the necessary support for public schools, districts across the state have two ways to increase revenue to reduce their budget deficits while still providing exceptional learning opportunities for their students - (1) an increase in student enrollment (and average daily attendance) and (2) maximizing tax rates through enrichment pennies.
Regarding our efforts to increase student enrollment: Our district has engaged in a transfer campaign to attract new students to Vega ISD. When students return to school next week we will know what our student enrollment will be and in the process of identifying ways to increase the average daily attendance to support increased revenue. However, this will not be enough to close the budget deficit. The district has worked at identifying cost reductions to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money.
Regarding our efforts to maximize tax rates through enrichment pennies: Many school districts across the state have called for a VATRE (Voter Approved Tax Ratification Election) as a result of a lack of increased funding from the state that matches inflation and provides for increasing costs of goods and services. Many more school districts are considering calling for a VATRE for this upcoming election cycle. A VATRE allows a school district to ask voters for permission to adopt a tax rate that exceeds the district’s state-calculated maximum compressed tax rate (MCR). This additional revenue can be used to fund critical needs for the maintenance and operation of the district, including the ability to provide the enriching educational opportunities found in Vega ISD. Our goal is to reduce and ultimately eliminate the district's deficit budget while maintaining our high level of excellence for all students.
To this end, our school board has adopted a proposed tax rate of $1.3555 ($0.8555 for Maintenance & Operations & $0.50 for Interest & Sinking) to utilize enrichment pennies in our effort to continue to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our students. This is an increase of $0.1175 from 2023-2024. The reality is that Vega ISD has been providing enrichment experiences for our students without taxing the enrichment pennies allowed by the state. In order for the district to be able to continue providing this type of service, we must access these enrichment pennies. In order to do so, the district must ask voters for permission to exceed the district’s state-calculated maximum compressed tax rate (MCR) through enrichment pennies through a Voter Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) in August. To do this the School Board would adopt the tax rate at the August 19, 2024 board meeting and then at the same meeting call for a VATRE election to be held in November for the voters to decide.
The revenue generated from an approved VATRE would contribute over $500,000 to the district’s revenue. In the absence of state funding in response to the increasing cost of doing business, an approved VATRE would go a long way toward closing the deficit. The proposed budget, with an approved VATRE, would make tremendous progress from the budget deficit of -$786,445 from the 2023-2024 adopted budget.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you,
Jerry Adams
Superintendent, Vega ISD