Brittany Kelley
KYLE — The Hays CISD Board of Trustees approved a new tax rate and the new principal for Lehman High School at its Nov. 17 meeting.
This comes after the proposed $0.12 tax rate increase failed on the Nov. 4 election ballot. According to official polling results from Hays County, 6,171 voters were in favor of the increase, while 9,691 were against.
“Because that did not pass, we had to take a look again at our tax rate and ask for another approval,” said Deborah Ottmers, chief financial officer (CFO). “This is an example of a rollback tax rate, meaning that we were going to have $1.2746 [if the proposition passed] and, now, we need to roll it back to, not necessarily, exactly where we had it, but that is one of our options.”
This means that the board will be voting to increase the tax rate to its maximum, without calling for a tax rate election, Ottmers explained, which happens to be what the previous tax rate was — $1.1546.
The CFO stated that “to the normal eye,” this will not appear as an increase, since it is the same amount, but that the district has to calculate a no new revenue tax rate. A no new revenue tax rate means that an entity will bring in approximately the same amount of tax revenue that it did the previous year, so, she continued, if someone’s taxes stay the same, it really is an increase.
Trustee Byron Severance motioned to approve the item, with trustee Raul Vela Jr. seconding. The motion to adopt the new tax rate was passed 6-0.
Additionally, the board unanimously voted to approve James Cruz as the new principal for LHS.
Cruz was serving as interim principal at LHS for the past several months and previously served as McCormick Middle School’s principal since 2017. According to the district, Cruz also has 14 years of experience as an educator and principal at Del Valle ISD.
“It’s a great match and James, you’ve proven to us for many, many years your worth. You’ve done a great job for us over at McCormick; you’re a good, good principal and an even better man. So, we’re excited about having you in place,” said superintendent Dr. Eric Wright.
Cruz earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from Southwest Texas State University in 2003 and a Master of Education Administration from Concordia University in 2011. He is married to Starr Cruz, who serves as a counselor at Hays High School. Their daughter Juliet is a Hays CISD student and their son James Jr., graduated from Hays High School in 2017. Cruz enjoys spending time with his family and watching his favorite sports teams: The University of Texas Longhorns, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Antonio Spurs.
“As the principal, I want to ensure that each child has access to and receives a quality education. I believe this can be achieved by providing a safe and nurturing environment conducive to learning,” said Cruz. “I envision our school as a place where all students can learn, where teachers can teach and be supported and where all stakeholders are committed to excellence.”
The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will meet next Dec. 8.
