TISD accepts proposed tax rate, sets public hearing for Aug. 28
BY CHARLOTTE SMITH Editor

Troup school board members approved a proposed tax rate of $1.08 at Monday's regular meeting and set a public hearing on the issue for 6 p.m. Aug. 28. Following that session, the board will open a regular meeting and adopt a tax rate.

The proposed rate would offer the average homeowner a savings of $67.65 on property taxes (based on the average taxable property value of $56,999). Last year's tax rate was $1.28. See page 3B for a more detailed look at the rate proposals.

The trustees also accepted a $10,000 check from the Troup Youth Association and voted to earmark those funds for renovation of fields.

Following an executive session, the board approved Ruth Wilson as a Spanish teacher and also voted to raise the stipend structure for several hard to fill positions.

The current platform offers $2,000 to first year high school and middle school math teachers, high school science teachers, and middle and high school Spanish teachers. The amount increases by $1,000 the second year, and another $1,000 the third, for a maximum of $4,000.

In order to be competitive with area schools, trustees approved increases for all those positions.

The new schedule would offer middle school math and high school science instructors first year stipends of $4,000, increasing to $5,000 in the second year and then $6,000.

For high school math and both middle and high school Spanish teachers, the approved increments are $8,000, $9,000 and $10,000.

Dewayne Brown, director of support services, gave an update on several campus projects and said the new track should be open to the public on Monday, Aug. 20.

Jennifer Stewart, financial director, gave an update on investments and reported a Texas Education Agency payment of $422,000.

Trustees accepted written reports from various departments, including daycare, which reported that they are one student away reaching capacity (51). In other matters, trustees approved:

-- property and casualty insurance for 2007-08;

-- food service bids for '07-'08;

-- TAKS incentives for seven administrators;

-- a local policy for student expression as a result of the passage of HB 3678 by the Texas legislature concerning a student's voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint.