Mission school district approves tax increase, budget deficit

MISSION — The Mission school board unanimously approved a 2 cent increase in the property tax rate Tuesday, bumping it up to $1.30 per $100 of assessed valuation.

The higher rate translates to a $17 increase on a person’s tax bill for a home worth $100,000 that qualifies for the $15,000 homestead exemption.

The 2 cent increase goes directly toward servicing the district’s debt obligations and should yield nearly $4 million in additional revenue.

Meanwhile, another $15 million in property tax revenue will fund the district’s maintenance and operations. Unlike other districts and Hidalgo County as a whole, the school system’s tax zone has yet to suffer a decrease in property appraisals amid the economic woes.

However, though the bump in taxes will add to the district’s sizeable revenues, Mission schools still begin their 2010-2011 fiscal year with a $3.6 million deficit in the new $152 million budget. Officials said they expect to trim that deficit as the district amends the budget with various cuts throughout the year.

Already disgruntled with proposed cost savings, a group of bus drivers challenged the board on what they said was an unfair change in their hours. They were upset with a plan to re-allocate 30 minutes of maintenance and cleaning time from each of the two three-hour shifts drivers work daily.

“Cutting five hours (a week per driver) isn’t going to be enough money for everybody,” said 48-year-old driver Maria Peña. “Sometimes we work enough, but there are other times when 25 hours isn’t even guaranteed.”

Before the budget vote, officials told the school board that the flex pay would not be implemented and drivers would receive their 30 hours plus field trips and other shifts.

Trustees Sonia Treviño and Patricia O’Caña said they hoped efforts to ensure employees make efficient use of their work time — which the drivers’ supervisor said he was undertaking — would carry through to all school district divisions as they justify their costs.

“I’ve seen people selling tacos in central office,” Treviño said. “If we’re going to choose to do this … we need to make it across the board.”

The finance office mentioned it might present more information and data on hours, overtime and productivity at the board’s meeting next week.

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Neal Morton covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956)683-4472.