GISD approves lower proposed tax rate
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School taxes have fallen for the fifth consecutive year.
By Brian Besch
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The Goodrich ISD School Board approved a proposed tax rate and operating budget in their regular gathering for the month of August Thursday in the administration building.
There is good news for those looking to pay a little less in taxes, as a proposed rate of 1.0315 was accepted. That would be down a bit from the 2021-22 number of 1.0656.
This would mark the fifth consecutive year school taxes have decreased. A combination of higher appraisals and an increase in population have contributed to the tumbling numbers.
Goodrich ISD will work with a budget of just under $3.5 million this academic year. A little over two-thirds of that will go toward payroll, and 17% to contracted services. Another 8% will go to miscellaneous operating fees, 5% to supplies and the final 3% to capital outlay.
In the recent Texas Education Agency report card, each of the schools were scored on three different criteria.
Student achievement measures whether the students met expectations on the STAAR test. It also measures graduation rates and how prepared students are for success after high school. School progress shows how students perform over time and how the districts performance compares to other districts with similar economically disadvantaged student populations. Closing the gaps tells how well a district is ensuring that all student groups are successful.
Goodrich ISD graded a 74 overall out of 100. They were not rated (campuses were not given a failing mark for the first graded year from Covid) for student achievement, given a 69 in that area, while school progress scored a 79 and closing the gaps was not rated, but graded a 61. Goodrich High School has a score of 77, the middle school a 78, and the elementary a 54.
“Something that is very exciting about the high school, we did get distinctions in math and social studies,” high school principal Aubrey Vaughan said. “That is very good. I am happy to see that math distinction because that is a tough one to get.”
A distinction is a comparison of 20 schools similar to Goodrich in size. Those schools that are top performing receive a distinction.
“We’ve got some areas to work on,” Vaughan said of the elementary school. “We are fully staffed this year and the increase in students this year at the elementary has hit a little bit harder than the high school and middle school. We are full down there, but the teachers are super excited. I talked to them today and I am excited about this year. I think we have a lot of good things coming.”
With school beginning on Thursday, maintenance has been working diligently to finish projects. The air conditioning on buses have been reserviced. The restrooms are finished and functional and just awaiting a punch list to be opened. Final walk-throughs are getting scheduled.
Around 13 windows are left to be installed as of Thursday morning. The windows will still need to be trimmed with some painting on the inside. Work on the weekends will help in finishing that goal. The district has had five air conditioning units repaired over the past week and two more will soon undergo repairs. There are around 35 units in the district, with six that have been replaced.
The facilities have been toured with Constable Scott Hughes’ deputies for tactical planning. Gas line tests have been performed and are in working condition.
Recently, school lunches were increased for staff to $3.50 per lunch and $1.50 per entree. On Thursday, school lunches were raised from $3.50 to $4.00 per lunch and $1.50 to $2.00 per entree for visitors.
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