At the August 15 meeting, the Rochelle ISD Board of Trustees met in special session to approve the budget as presented, set the new tax rate, and to order a Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE). A listing of polling places for the county can be found here.
Rochelle ISD adopted a tax rate that will raise more taxes for the maintenance and operations than last year's tax rate. The tax rate will effectively be raised by 4.5% and will raise taxes for maintenance and operations on a $100,000 home by approximately $0.
Our district has made budgetary cuts where cuts can be made and has passed a bond package that provides monies to repair/renovate our campus (which saves operating funds). Also, we have received safety grants to cover the costs associated with making our campus safer while avoiding spending our local monies on big safety projects. Additionally, we have received a math grant that provides us a new math curriculum framework; this grant is also covering portions of salaries (which saves the district money as well).
Per requirements in the state of Texas, the Rochelle ISD has been required to conduct an efficiency audit given the board's adoption of the tax rate and the subsequent VATRE. A copy of the efficiency audit (conducted by Moak Casey) can be found here.