The Dublin Independent School District School board was full of good news during its Monday, Aug. 28 meeting including a drastically lowered tax rate for citizens and tremendous STAAR results from last year.
The school board set its tax rate at $.08732 per $100 valuation this year, compared to $1.0686 last year. The 2022-23 tax rate is comprised of $.7575 for maintenance and operations and $0.1157 for interest and sinking (debt services).
It does not exceed the no new revenue rate, according to Superintendent Melissa Summers.
The board also approved its final budget which comprised the district covering salaries after ESSER 2 (COVID funds) were removed. The board, unlike many other school boards in the state, did not have to pass a deficit budget.
As the board moved into STAAR results from last year, Summers was pleased to announced that DISD had a higher passing rate in every grade and subject that both the state and region.
Test results are as follows: Third grade Reading Language Arts: DISD 86%, State 77% and region 77%; Third grade math: DISD 87%, State 73% and region 71%; Fourth grade Reading Language Arts: DISD 90%, State 78% and region 78%; Fourth grade Math: DISD 93%, State 70% and region 69%; Fifth grade Reading Language Arts: DISD 94%, State 81% and region 81%; Fifth grade math: DISD 89%, State 80% and region 78%; Fifth grade science: DISD 74%, State 64% and region 66%; Sixth grade Reading Language Arts: DISD 86%, State 76% and region 76%; Sixth grade math: DISD 92%, state 74% and region 76%; Seventh grade Reading Language Arts: DISD 91%, state 76% and region 77%; Seventh grade math: DISD 77%, State 61% and region 61%; Eighth grade Reading Language Arts: DISD 93%, state 82% and region 81%; Eighth grade math: DISD 79%, state 74% and region 74%; Eighth grade science: DISD 82%, state 72% and region 73%; Eighth grade social studies: DISD 74%, state 60% and region 61%.
Teachers who received 90% or better from their students on the STAAR test were presented Lion Heart awards at the Monday night meeting. For those awards, see page 8A.
The district also approved allotting five additional sick days for staff members in the 2023-24 school year that test positive for COVID-19.
Verification is required and if the employee gets COVID more than once, they will be required to utilize sick or personal days. The district also made an amendment to the Dublin ISD District of Innovation Plan to allow counselors to work where needed instead of the 80/20 split that the state requires. Per state guidelines all school counselors must spend no more than 20% of their time doing things outside the realm of counseling.
“This gives us flexibility,” Summers said. “They all wear so many hats.”
Regardless of the changes to the District of Innovation plan, Summers said a kid in crisis takes priority over all else. “Know that we will take care of our kids first,” she said.