Where local school tax dollars go, how the state pays districts and why rapid growth strains a budget are the planned topics for Van Alstyne ISD's next Coffee & Conversation with Superintendent David Brown.
The district's events calendar lists the session from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in the Partin Elementary School library. A separate schedule on the district's Coffee & Conversation page lists the October meeting on Oct. 8, so parents may want to check with the district before heading over. The school board's regular meeting is also on the calendar for 6 p.m. Oct. 15.
According to the district, the October talk will cover:
- Where tax dollars go
- The difference between the maintenance and operations (M&O) tax and the interest and sinking (I&S) tax that repays bonds
- State funding
- Why growth creates financial challenges
- Budget priorities
What the first session covered
The monthly series began Sept. 10 at the high school with a "State of VAISD" talk, and the district's written recap shows how much of that hour was about growth.
Brown said enrollment has climbed about 6% since the end of last school year, from roughly 2,852 students to 3,024, with projections of 3,100 to 3,120 later this year. The district has added more than 1,000 students since 2018, and its demographers expect yearly growth of 6% to 12% as new neighborhoods fill in.
The recap says the district added four math teachers at the middle school, doubled class time for reading and math through sixth grade and hired reading and math coaches for kindergarten through second grade. Assistant Superintendent Jamie Martinez described the new MAP Growth tests, which students take three times a year.
