Copperas Cove ISD board to hold tax rate and budget hearing, meeting Tuesday evening

By LYNETTE SOWELL 
Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove Independent School District board of trustees is holding a public hearing on the district’s 2019-2020 budget and tax rate on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m., at the CCISD administration building board room, at 408 S. Main St. 
There also will be a presentation on the proposed CCISD budget, which has taken into account a number of changes mandated by the Texas legislature during its session this spring. 

The district is proposing a $77,019,092 budget total for its general operating fund, $1,810,320 for its debt service, and $3,789,708 for the child nutrition fund. Of the more than $75 million revenue expected with this budget, more than $57 million will come in the form of state aid, with Federal Impact Aid revenue only being $985,509. 

Also of note is that the district’s proposed property tax rate is a little more than 7 cents lower than the current tax rate.

The district administration is proposing a total rate of $1.14965 per $100 valuation, with $1.06835 going toward maintenance and operations for the district, and the remaining $0.08130 per $100 going toward the district’s debt service.
The proposed rates are also considering the increased property values in the district, with total appraised values at a little more than $2.057 billion, up from a little more than $1.9 billion last year, and includes $44.8 million in new property added to the rolls. 
Following the public hearing and presentation, the board will hold is regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
A number of the district’s insurance premiums via the Texas Association of School Boards insurance cooperative are on the agenda for this evening, with a total amount of $571,272. The three insurances include the district’s property and Casualty Liability Insurance ($414,064), workers compensation insurance ($70,463), along with the district’s unemployment compensation insurance ($86,745).
A number of budgeted purchases costing more than $25,000 are up for a formal vote by the board this evening. They include a contract with Core Medial Group for Special Education Speech Language Pathology Services amounting to $230,640, a software license for employee time and attendance management/absence and substitution management ($32,711.33); instruments for the band program costing $38,940; a contract for Occupational Therapist and Diagnostician Services with Soliant Health for $217,515.84; a contract for Diagnostician, LSSP, Bilingual Diagnostician, Occupational Therapist, and Speech Therapist Services with Candor Consulting & Diagnostics, LLC for $424,080; a contract for Speech Language Pathology Services with Health Pro Heritage, LLC for $115,622.10; and a contract for LSSP and Diagnostician Services with Texas School Neuropsychology for $550,560.00; and Student Accident Insurance with Health Special Risk, Inc. for $45,851.65. 
The trustees will also be adopting the election order for the November 6 board of trustees election.