Board Highlights

The official budget for the fiscal year 2001-2002 was adopted by the Board. Expenditures outlined in the budget are $452,530,644 which includes payroll costs, purchased and contracted services, supplies and materials, and other operating expenses.

Estimated expenditures account for those budget items mandated by the state and federal government as well as salary increases for employees, continuation of funding for at-risk campuses and TAAS programs, increases in security and safety, capital outlay, and for the hiring of new teachers and other positions as a result of student enrollment growth.

The revenue schedule for the budget includes: state funding based on the outcome of the 77th Legislature with a projected total of $124,444,720 for the district; net taxable value projected at $16.25 billion; $7 million in freeport payments with an additional $500,000 in interest income from those funds; and an estimated Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate of $1.485.

The actual M&O tax rate will not be set until September or October when the Harris County Appraisal District is expected to publish its report on local property values. The budget was developed with a projected $233,175,443 in M&O revenues.

The Board approved the addition of several Advanced Courses for the 2001-2002 school year. Those courses are: Spanish IV AP; French IV AP; German IV AP; Art III or IV AP— Drawing; Art III or IV AP—Two Dimensional; Art III or IV AP— Three Dimensional; Chemistry I; Chemistry I K; World History AP; and AP Science Research Extension. These courses will be offered to high school students in addition to the list of Advanced Courses already offered by the district.

As part of the ongoing construction at Cypress Ridge High School, the Board approved a 25-square-foot water-meter easement with Harris County MUD No. 130. The district’s 7th high school is scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year.

Trustees approved the sale of the district’s surplus equipment through an Internet auction in lieu of a live auction, which has previously been the method of disposing of surplus items. The Internet auction has the potential of creating more revenue from the sale of the equipment while eliminating all district costs in preparing for a live auction.

On second reading, the Board approved amendments to policy GKD (Local), which pertains to Community Relations regarding the use of school facilities. The amendments included numbering of the organizational categories defined within the policy as well as additional wording and clarification throughout the policy.

Clarification was made to require that all non-school district groups and organizations using district facilities must be based within district boundaries, and that no individual or group may use district facilities for the sole purpose of fund-raising or making a profit.

Additionally, a new guideline was added to the policy that states that the district has not created a public forum for speech and debate on district property. District buildings, parking areas and grounds adjacent to district will not be made available to non-district groups for public demonstrations, rallies or political events.

A special meeting of the Board was called at noon on July 10 to address a structural problem discovered by construction workers overseeing the renovations in the administration area at Cy-Fair High School.

After removing the plaster ceilings of the administrative offices near the front of the building, PBK Architects discovered that the structural support of the building was made of wood as old as the 60-year-old building. Though the wooden frame remained sturdy and intact, the assembly of those beams violates many of today’s structural-engineering practices which requires steel.

The Board approved the first and only change order to the construction agreement in the amount of $258,500 to install the new support beams and convert those beams to steel. Funding for the change order was made possible due to savings from other bond-related construction projects that was not used to purchase the vacant Albertsons’ building.