Henderson County board adopts small tax-rate increase to fund safety and facilities projects

Superintendent Dr. Lawson asked the Henderson County Board of Education to approve a modest increase in the district property tax rate and the board voted unanimously to adopt the proposal.

Lawson said the district seeks an increase he described as "eight-tenths of 1 cent," moving the rate from 67¢ to 68.2¢ per $100,000 of assessed value, and framed the request as necessary to "make the mission happen." He told the board the change would help maintain safety investments, including school resource officers (SROs) in every Henderson County school, and support facilities and staff recruitment efforts. "The money makes the mission happen," he said.

In presenting the proposal, Lawson highlighted the district's strategic plan and recent investments in staff pay and professional development, noting the board has provided at least 12% minimum raises over the past five years along with supplemental pay. He said the district is competing in an "ultra-competitive market" for teachers and must fund safety systems and personnel to retain staff.

CFO Mr. Stokes detailed cost pressures the district faces: school bus prices have risen sharply in recent years, utilities and maintenance costs continue to increase, and district insurance expenses have risen significantly since 2020. Stokes said some safety and operational costs originally covered by federal ESSER funds must now be funded from local revenues.

Lawson tied the tax-rate request to ongoing facilities work, including recently completed wings and renovations, an upcoming geothermal bid for South Middle School and other projects such as ADA access improvements, shop upgrades and wastewater-plant installations. He said the district has planned the projects with phased construction to minimize disruption to students.

A motion to accept the superintendent's recommendation (adopt the 68.2 rate as presented) was made, seconded and passed unanimously.

The board did not present an itemized tax-impact table during the public presentation. Lawson gave example dollar impacts for several home values during his explanation; those figures were presented in the meeting but the district did not provide a reconciled, downloadable table in the record presented to the board at the meeting. The board indicated the rate adoption was intended to preserve program continuity and fund capital and safety needs going forward.