HUTTO — Approving a 2025-26 tax rate and addressing school grievance and library polices kept trustees busy at the first Hutto Independent School District board meeting of the academic year.
Hutto ISD Chief Financial Officer Caleb Steed presented a Fiscal Year 2025-26 tax rate of $1.2052 per $100 valuation for adoption by board members.
Officials said this is the same rate as Fiscal Year 2024-25.
Steed’s presentation outlined a maintenance and operation rate at slightly more than 75 cents to fund the majority of school operations and a 45-cent interest and sinking rate to cover debts.
The board approved the recommendation with no discussion, though Steed updated trustees on a measure going before voters Nov. 4 that — if approved — would add a $40,000 increase to the $100,000 homestead exemption.
According to officials, Hutto ISD’s projected “Robin Hood” allotment to the state — or recapture — of nearly $970,000 could be lowered if the district’s overall taxable value is affected by the vote.
In other taxing developments, Steed also reported on an increased maintenance tax rate for the East Williamson County Higher Education Center at slightly more than 4 cents per $100 valuation, which comes out to about $15 annually per household based on the average value of homes in the district.
The center partners with Temple College, Texas State Technical College and Texas A&M University of Central Texas in Hutto to provide an array of educational opportunities for Hutto and area students.
“They’re asking us to go with this tax rate so that they can meet expenditures for the running of that campus and also look to future growth in that area,” Steed said.
Meanwhile, the board also upheld the District of Innovation plan, or DOI, for schools to decrease lag time in handling grievances.
Otherwise, under new state legislation, three months could pass before a grievance is filed with the district, said Brittany Swanson, associate superintendent of instruction and innovation.
“Our committee believes that the sooner we know about a grievance or concern, we can address it more quickly,” Swanson said. “Our DOI amendment allows us to investigate concerns more thoroughly, closer to the event and to respond to them and try to alleviate any of those concerns more quickly at a local level.”
A DOI designation allows a school district to exempt itself from certain requirements in the Texas Education Code and be more flexible.
During the presentation, Swanson also asked the board to uphold the existing DOI plan for Hutto ISD’s library acquisition and review policies, which trustees did.
“This would allow us to maintain our library acquisitions through an internal review in a more timely manner and to follow our established book review policy, which still calls for community involvement,” Swanson said.
Hutto ISD maintains a process for parents to challenge any material they deem inappropriate, but it also includes educators and community members in that challenge process.
Trustees said the district has sound policies covering both grievances and the libraries.
“This is a great example (of DOI), of being able to make some shifts and adjustments that are best for our district and best for our kids,” said Trustee Billie Logiudice.
In other news:
• Hutto ISD is building a ninth elementary school and converting the Ninth Grade Center into its second high school. Completion dates are still two to three years out on both projects.
• Trustee James Matlock has been accepted into the yearlong Texas Association of School Boards Leadership program to earn his master trustee certification.
School board meetings are held in the Administration Building Board Room at 200 College St. on the fourth Thursday of every month.
The open meeting begins at 7 p.m. after the board’s closed session at 6 p.m.
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The sooner we know about a grievance or concern, we can address it more quickly.”
— Brittany Swanson, Hutto ISD
