Tax hike would mean bigger raise for HISD teachers

HISD teachers could get an average 8.6 percent pay raise — up 1 percent over previous proposals — if the school board approves a 4-cent property tax increase Thursday. The increase, which would be the largest in seven years for HISD teachers, was part of a presentation Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra made Monday.

The tax hike would take advantage of a program the Legislature set up under its new school funding plan: If school districts raise their tax rates by up to 4 cents over the new lower rates set by the Legislature, the state will provide matching funds. That would mean an extra $12 million for HISD, which would not only let the district give the pay raises but would also generate $25.1 million for campus upgrades, $3 million for academically struggling schools, an additional $1 million for campus security and enough money to buy 14,000 new computers for classrooms districtwide. "This proposed budget puts the money where it is needed the most: right into the classroom to support learning, and into our school buildings and security to make sure they are clean and safe for our children," Saavedra said.

As for your total tax bill, well, that gets a bit confusing. The new state-set tax rate for HISD is $1.2857 per $100 of assessed property, down from $1.45. If the board approves the increase, the rate will go up to $1.3257, which is about 9 percent lower than last year's bills — good news, sure, but it's likely that homeowners will end up paying more anyway because of higher county value assessments. Kinda makes Houstonist feel like we need to go back to math class.

HISD trustees are expected to vote on the tax hike, which is part of a $1.5 billion 2006-07 budget, after a 5 p.m. public hearing on Thursday.