PALESTINE —
Trinity Valley Community College representatives explained how the Westwood Independent School District could eventually join the TVCC maintenance tax district — saving out-of-district fees for local students in WISD — at WISD’s Board of Trustees meeting Monday.
WISD Board Vice President Dr. Carolyn Booker suggested the board look into joining the TVCC maintenance taxing district at its Jan. 14 meeting after hearing about the out-of-district costs for the dual credit program WISD students utilize.
TVCC Vice President of Instruction Dr. Jerry King, TVCC Palestine Campus Provost Dr. Jeffrey Watson and TVCC Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Wendy Mays explained the multi-step process during Monday’s meeting.
According to the Texas Education Agency, in order for a school district to come into a taxing entity, first a petition has to be held in order to get the opportunity to place the item on the ballot. The petition has to get signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in the last regular election.
Once the petition is achieved, it has to be submitted to the TVCC Board of Trustees, who will develop a service plan that will outline how TVCC would serve the area, as well as provide information about the taxing rates and expected income. The plan would outline how much out-of-district tuition rates are versus what they would be if WISD would be in the TVCC maintenance tax district.
At least 30 days after this service plan is prepared, TVCC would host a public hearing on the matter in the Westwood area.
Forty-five days after the public hearing, an election can be called to put the item on the ballot.
“I see this process taking 60 to 120 days, so realistically, it would have to be a November election due to all of the steps involved,” Watson said.
Originally, WISD board members were hoping the item could be placed on the May 11 election ballot.
Currently, a student in WISD pays $48 per credit hour for being out of district. For example, the 42 students currently enrolled in the dual credit program through WISD, if they were taking six classes for the whole year each, the amount of savings for being in the maintenance tax district versus out-of-district would be around $36,000, Watson said.
A full-time student taking 64 hours to receive a degree would save $3,000 in out-of-district fees over the long run, Watson said.
The cost to taxpayers in the WISD would be $0.05 cents per $100 evaluation of their home’s value. A home valued at $84,000, for example, would pay an additional $42 in taxes for WISD being in the maintenance tax district.
“There is a large economic advantage for the residents of Westwood,” Watson said.
Booker expressed the desire for the school board to pursue the process.
“There are a lot of advantages for our district. There are things TVCC is offering that we can’t take advantage of because of the cost, that we could if we were part of this. Plus, with our dual credit partnership with TVCC, it would only enhance that relationship,” Booker said.
Currently, Palestine Independent School District is the only school district in Anderson County to be a member of the TVCC maintenance tax district. Other school districts in adjacent counties where TVCC campuses are located also are members of the TVCC full tax district.
Local News
Westwood ISD pondering joining TVCC maintenance tax district
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Healthy cooking program offered
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Palestine is offering a four-week program starting this Thursday to help diabetics make healthy cooking choices.
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Steps of Faith Dance Center production Saturday
Steps of Faith Dance Center will hold its annual production at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Palestine Civic Center.
“We’re going to take you to a land far away and tell you the ‘real’ story of some of your favorite fairy tale characters,” Steps of Faith Dance Center owner Jennifer Ballew said. “The production is full of lively fun music, a reminiscing ol’ Granny, and of course the incredible dancing of several talented students.” -
Chamber sets photo contest
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Memorial Day celebration set Saturday
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3907 will hold a Memorial Day celebration on Saturday featuring barbecue, live music, an auction and more.
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Longview man injured in motorcycle wreck
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Traffic stop leads to arrest
A Palestine man remained in jail Monday on drug-related charges following a suspicious vehicle stop in Anderson County on Saturday.
According to Sheriff Greg Taylor, while on patrol in the early morning hours on Saturday, deputy Johnny Gorden saw a suspicious vehicle sitting on the side of U.S. 287 between Palestine and Elkhart. -
Residents urged to welcome back local troops on Wednesday
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Community invited to welcome back National Guard troops
The community is asked to help welcome back the local National Guard troops, which will be coming by bus to the National Guard Armory in Palestine at about 3 p.m. Wednesday.
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Texas Area Fund Foundation kicks off new program
The Texas Area Fund Foundation kicked off its newest program — The Action Fund — Thursday evening at an event hosted in the home of Francis and Cad Williams.
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Police department seeking input from citizens on text alert program
The Palestine Police Department is asking for input from citizens regarding the feasibility of introducing a new communication program call Citizen Observer Tip411, an e-mail and text alert system that would allow for outgoing alerts and information to citizens.
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