It was Chief Financial Officer Earl Husfield’s “day of the year” according to Board President Forrest Collins, as Husfield had the lion’s share of items to present at the special meeting including the fiscal year budget and the proposed tax rate.
The budget includes a general pay increase across staff and teachers of the district that increased the budget by approximately $5,185,973. The details of the pay raises as laid out in the budget are:
$2,800 to $5,000 for full-time classroom teachers, plus Teaching Experience Stipend of $525 to $4,000 based on total years of teaching experience; and
5% of pay grade midpoint for other district staff, plus Aledo ISD Experience Stipend of $500 to $2,000 based on total years of service in Aledo ISD.
District contribution to employee medical coverage increased by $25 per month per employee.
Also included in the budget is a list of approved additional 15 staff positions across the district, which has a projected cost of $697,180. According to Husfield, the total payroll costs totals more than half of all budgeted funds.
Collins said he appreciates the work that Superintendent Dr. Susan Bohn, Husfield, and staff put into the budget. He mentioned that out of the $6.2 million of the additional funding, $5.9 is going to people, with $5.2 million being raises and said that it’s through a budget where you can see a district’s priorities.
“We’ve come a long way the last few years and I know personally there’s no greater feeling to be able to support your staff in that way,” Collins said. “My understanding is we have two teachers who actually have an $8,000 raise, that’s $16,000 for their household. That is a significant chunk of money for a household to get, so appreciative to our state reps, state legislature, and thankful for the board and administration.”
According to Husfield and Bohn, it has been an intense past two years in finding budget reductions, and it was because of these efforts that the board was able to include these pay raises to the staff.
“We’re super excited that we were able to give such a huge raise this year and that you all supported that,” Bohn said talking to the board. “We also appreciate that y’all were willing to vote on it in July so that we can tell our staff and try to keep and recruit the best staff to put in front of our kids, because that did make a huge difference.”
In the child nutrition fund, they budgeted the replacement of the serving line at Vandagriff Elementary School, which is the last school that needs to have its line replaced.
For a more in-depth look at the budget as was presented to the board find more at: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Documents/WebViewer/871?file=53cd960a-84c8-4cdd-83e5-2ded39a3b3ad
Paired with the budget passing, the proposed tax rate was also passed at $1.1942/$100 of value, with $0.7442 being allocated to the General Fund and $0.4500. allocated to the Debt Service Fund.
Husfield said this is a decrease of a little more than a penny from last year’s tax rate, which was $1.2052.
According to the district, this is the seventh year in a row that they have lowered the tax rate for a total lowering of $0.40.
Along with the passing of the budget and proposed tax rate, the board also approved two items regarding the Aledo Growth Committee.
The AGC was appointed in 2022 to serve with an advisory capacity to the board. The committee recommended the 2023 Bond Program to the board in February 2023 and it was passed in May of that year. All major construction projects related to the bond have been completed.
Bohn recommended that the charge and purpose of the AGC be changed to focus more on future high school space planning due to the slowing down of growth across the district. She said that with the slowing down, this would be a good time for the AGC to focus on what spaces would be needed when the high school reaches capacity.
“The growth committee will get back together again to work with architects on conceptual design of both a second comprehensive high school and then also a college and career academy so that those both are options for potential future bond elections,” Bohn said.
According to the item presented to the board, “administration anticipates that the work of the committee, resulting in conceptual designs of future high school space options, will be completed in January of 2026.”
With the change in purpose and charge, the board also approved the new roster of members on the AGC. Many members on the 54-person committee transferred from the previous committee but some left due to other priorities so, after receiving applications from interested parents, the board approved the AGC with the new members.
The list of members of the AGC can be found at
https://www.aledoisd.org/aisd-bond/aledo-bond-2023/aledo-growth-committee.
Also during the special meeting, the board approved the adding of a district lead nurse as presented by Deputy Superintendent Kim Raymond.
She said this position is needed due to the increased enrollment in the district and increased medical needs of students.
The nurse would be based at the Early Childhood Academy, where she said some of the neediest children with medical concerns are housed, but will have responsibilities across the district including overseeing the certified medical assistants.
Bohn said how the position will be flexible and can be moved to different campuses in the district depending on the medical needs of the students.
The board accepted the prepayment of $10,120,000 toward the 2016 outstanding bonds with a coupon of 5% on the interest rate on the bonds. Husfield said that with this payment, the district would be saving taxpayers $7,890,250 of future interest costs.
According to the item presented to the trustees “after a review of the 2025-2026 proposed budget and proposed tax rate for the debt service fund, it was determined the district would have the funds available to prepay” that amount to the 2016 bond series.
The payment will be sent out during February of next year.
The board also accepted the amended 2024-2025 fiscal year budgets presented by Husfield.
The board took no action out of executive session.
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