Argyle ISD will host several opportunities for families and the community to learn more about its School Funding Referendum that will be presented to voters in the November election.
If approved, the district would retain $2.5 million from the School Funding Referendum (also known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election [VATRE]) to address budget priorities, including teacher and staff pay raises, maintaining class size ratios and support personnel and programs, according to a district news release. The referendum includes a 7.7-cent tax increase to the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax rate, which would be an increase of $385 for an Argyle ISD taxpayer with a taxable home value of $500,000. Property owners 65 and older with a homestead tax ceiling would experience no change to their taxes as a result of the election.
Argyle ISD Superintendent Dr. Courtney Carpenter and Chief Financial Officer Liz Stewart will lead the presentations, according to a district news release. The presentation takes about 25 minutes and district leadership will be available for questions afterward. Click here to visit the School Funding Referendum website.
School Funding Referendum Community Presentation Schedule
Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Harvest Hall Community Center
1300 Homestead Way
Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Argyle West Elementary School Cafeteria
1741 Old Justin Rd
Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.
Argyle Middle School Auditorium
191 Hwy 377
Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.
Argyle High School Auditorium
6601 Canyon Falls Drive
Carpenter will also host four informal “Coffee with Dr. Carpenter” sessions, where residents can have free coffee and a chance to chat with the superintendent. RSPV to [email protected].
Coffee with Dr. Carpenter Session Schedule
Friday, Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m.
Canyon Falls Clubhouse
6950 Canyon Falls Drive
Thursday, Oct. 10 at 9:30 a.m.
Marty B’s Ice Cream
2660 FM 407 Suite 400
Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9:30 a.m.
Uncle Mike’s Bistro
144 Old Town Blvd. N.
Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9:30 a.m.
Farmhouse Coffee & Treasures
1300 Homestead Way
Carpenter recently called the community to action, to advocate for more funding from the state government. In a letter to families, Carpenter said there has been no change in the per-student basic allotment since 2019, despite inflation. Also, since 2019, the district has been receiving the Formula Transition Grant, but it is now expired. Also, the district expects to lose $250,000 through the recapture mechanism of the Robin Hood formula. The cost of utilities, fuel and insurance have all risen by more than 44%.
“It is not sustainable for costs to continue rising for Texas public schools without a corresponding increase in funding,” Carpenter said in the letter. “These inflationary pressures will affect our students, classrooms, and programs if they are not addressed. It’s time for the state to put our kids — and our future — first!”
Carpenter asked residents to go to takeactionargyle.com to find tools to efficiently contact state legislators and ask them to prioritize public school funding and finance in the upcoming session.
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