Bastrop school board discusses campus safety, lowering tax rate
The Bastrop school board heard from the district’s police chief and security coordinator on Tuesday regarding improved safety measures on campuses.
Scot Bunch, the school district's police chief, reviewed for the board the adoption of new technology to improve and maintain the safety of Bastrop students.
The department has installed real-time cameras in all schools, and all are equipped with a 911 direct access radio, Bunch said. He said the district has adopted panic buttons and Raptor Technologies — a school safety software that screens visitors and volunteers and responds to emergencies.
Bunch also discussed an upcoming grant, as the state is set to release $800 million to school districts to reinforce campus exteriors and to bolster safety. Bunch said the district will send a detailed plan to the state on how it intends to use the money, and once the funds are distributed, Bastrop can add additional fencing to school exteriors, including windows, doors and locks.
The Police Department will continue to improve safety measures for the district, Bunch said, and will continue to make detailed plans in case of an active-shooter situation.
Ted Coleman, the school district's safety and security coordinator, briefly reviewed the 2020-2023 district audit report, which must be turned in to the state every three years to ensure it is meeting safety requirements. He also discussed a new emergency operations plan but did not detail any specific changes to the plan.
In other action at Tuesday’s board meeting, nurse coordinator Tanya Coleman gave a School Health Advisory Council end-of-year update, which included discussions of required safety curriculum.
Senate Bill 9 requires school districts to offer students education on the prevention of child abuse, family violence, dating violence and sex trafficking. Coleman said a certified teacher must be in the room at the time of the violence and trafficking education, but the district is considering outsourcing the curriculum to develop a program that can be tailored to the district’s needs.
At the meeting, Dina Edgar, the chief financial officer, presented the proposed tax rate for 2023-24. The total tax rate for 2022-23 was 1.2556, and is proposed at 1.0702 for 2023-24, marking a 0.185 decrease.
Edgar mentioned Senate Bill 2, which provides property tax relief through school finances and reduces the district's maximum compressed tax rates by 10.7 cents.
“The biggest takeaway here is that upon adoption of this 2023 tax rate, we will have lowered the (maintenance and operations) tax rate by 37 cents since 2018,” Edgar said.
The new tax rate will be voted on in September.
In updates to the student code of conduct, all vaping is now a mandatory Disciplinary Alternative Education Program referral. Penne Liefer, associate superintendent of administrative services and human resources, said that if Gateway, Bastrop’s DAEP campus, becomes too crowded after the new mandatory vaping referral, the district will seek other legal options.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bastrop school board discusses campus safety, lowering tax rate
