Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Efficiency Audit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants present efficiency audit as Taylor ISD proposes small M&O tax increase
Summary
Consultants told the board an efficiency audit required by state guidance accompanies a proposed M&O tax-rate increase from 0.7072 to 0.7389, projected to raise about $650,000 for salaries and student programs; the report compared Taylor ISD to peer districts on revenue, expenditures and staffing.
Taylor ISD trustees received an efficiency audit presentation explaining the fiscal context behind a proposed increase in the districts maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate.
Justin Barlow of the audit firm said the district proposes raising the M&O rate by 0.0317 (from 0.7072 to 0.7389), which the team estimated would generate roughly $650,000 in additional annual M&O revenue directed to salaries and student programs. He told trustees the audit follows Legislative Budget Board (LBB) guidance under House Bill 3 and is intended to present standardized information to voters before any tax rate election.
The audit compared Taylor ISD to a set of peer districts on enrollment, five-year growth, taxable values and per-student revenue and expenditure measures. Barlow reported Taylors average taxable value for a single-family home at $178,261 and showed how the levy on that value would increase from about $1,261 to $1,317 — a difference the presentation listed at $57. He also noted Taylors operating expenditures per student and higher-than-peer teacher turnover (reported at 31.4%).
"This would generate an additional $650,000 of M&O tax revenue," Barlow said in the presentation.
Board members asked about the vintage of the data and were told the audit uses the most recent statewide datasets available under LBB direction; some figures can reference the 2023-24 school year and earlier depending on availability. Staff and consultants said the audit does not render an opinion on the districts efficiency but standardizes fiscal comparisons for voter information prior to an election.
No formal vote on a tax rate was taken during the meeting; the audit and related figures were provided for board review and eventual use in public materials if the district proceeds to an election.
