By Kevin Jefferies
Commerce – The Commerce ISD Board of Trustees reorganized in regular session last night. Debbie Akin remains President of the School Board, with Willie Blow as Vice President and Bob McLeroy as Secretary. The board also adopted a preliminary budget which reflects a tax decrease, according to Director if Finance Billy Myers.
MYERS: The total budget for general fund, food service, and debt service are the budgets that legally have to be adopted; and that's the amount of $14,214,571. And this represents a little over a nine cent decrease on our tax rate for the year.
In other action, the CISD School Board increased the pay schedule for full-time teachers, counselors, nurses, and librarians by a state-mandated $2,500, which would have a first-year teacher starting at $32,500.
The rate for school lunches was also raised by $.40, reflecting a higher cost to the district that is believed to be a result of higher fuel costs in shipping. It is the first price hike in school lunches in the Commerce ISD in three years.
The purchase of a new school bus and a new cooling tower for Commerce Elementary was approved. A preliminary report on TAKS results was presented, and in closed session, the Board discussed options in hiring a School Resource Officer and creating the district's own police department.