Bryan ISD CFO walks trustees through how tax rates affect district revenue

Chief Financial Officer Norma Frootter presented a step‑by‑step overview of school tax rates and how they feed district revenue and budgeting.

Frootter explained the two components of local tax revenue: maintenance and operations (M&O) and interest and sinking (I&S). Using the district example, M&O is roughly 67¢ per $100 of property value (with approximately 61¢ from Tier 1 and 6¢ from Tier 2); I&S is about 27¢, producing a total tax rate near 94¢ in the example. She described Tier 2 "enrichment pennies" (golden and copper pennies) and said Bryan ISD currently levies six of the eight allowable golden pennies; the remaining two golden pennies could conservatively generate approximately $4.8–$5.0 million in recurring revenue, though that yield is sensitive to weighted average daily attendance.

Frootter walked trustees through example calculations (including homestead exemption effects) and emphasized that tax law and TEA formulas constrain rate changes: additional enrichment pennies generally require voter approval through a VATRE (voter‑approved tax rate election). She also noted M&O and I&S collections are kept in separate accounts and reconciled monthly as part of the annual audit.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about yields, exemptions, senior freezes and the percent of district spending that goes to salaries. Frootter said the district spends about $155 million on staff (roughly 85% of the total budget in personnel costs), explaining tax collections are only one line of district revenue that funds that total.

The presentation was informational and will be followed by additional budget‑series sessions.