Dear Vega ISD Community,
As the month of June comes to a close we hope everyone continues to enjoy the summer weather and stay safe.
Our FFA students attended the Area 1 Leadership Camp this past week. Be sure to check out the Vega FFA Booster Facebook page for pictures. The boys basketball team will attend the Eastern New Mexico basketball camp this week to continue staying in shape and honing their skills over the summer.
One of the most important tasks that school districts take on over the summer is the development of a budget for the upcoming school year. We have been in the process of working on this task. Last week we talked about the reality many school districts across Texas are facing regarding having to adopt deficit budgets. The cost of doing business and providing learning opportunities for students exceeds the revenues provided by the State to fund public education. Funding for Texas public schools comes from three main sources: (1) local school district property taxes; (2) state funds; and (3) federal funds. Most funding comes from local property taxes and state funding. Vega ISD receives very little federal funds. At the time of this writing, in our region alone, a majority of school districts are planning on adopting a deficit budget, including Vega ISD, in hopes of maintaining exceptional learning opportunities for students in the absence of adequate state funding. Just like with the budgets in our households and any business, it is not sustainable to continue to operate in a deficit budget environment.
Each year through the budget development process, our district reviews expenses and identifies ways to reduce the budget. There have been several staff positions over the past several years that have not been filled in order to reduce spending so we can reduce the budget deficit. The reality is, however, that providing exceptional learning opportunities for students requires adequate funding and public schools have not received any increase to keep up with inflation and rising costs from the basic allotment from the state since 2019. School districts, including Vega ISD, need more revenue to support our students and teachers.
School districts have two ways to increase revenue: (1) an increase in student enrollment (and average daily attendance) and (2) maximizing tax rates through enrichment pennies.
We are continuing our efforts to increase our student enrollment. Vega ISD is accepting transfer students throughout the summer for the 2024-2025 school year. Check out our transfer landing page on the district’s website that talks about our school and how to apply for a transfer. Please note that to be eligible to be accepted as a transfer student to Vega ISD, all students must be in good standing with their current school district, have good attendance, and have no discipline issues. If you feel comfortable doing so, please “like” the social media posts and share them on your own social media pages. If you need any help in doing this, please reach out to our office. We would be glad to help.
Many school districts are considering calling for a VATRE (Voter Approved Tax Ratification Election) for this upcoming election cycle as a result of a lack of increased funding from the state that matches inflation and provides for increasing costs of goods and services. 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. The timeline for school districts that choose to ask the voters for permission to maximize the tax rate through enrichment pennies is for them to call for a VATRE in August and set the election date for the VATRE in November for the voters.
As always, if you have any questions or if we can help in any way, please reach out to your campus principal or to my office.
Thank you,
Jerry Adams
Superintendent
Vega ISD