Fort Bend school district avoids tax-rate increase

Fort Bend Independent School District has decided to keep the same property tax rate for another year despite a 7 percent cut in state funding. The administration later identified $2.1 million from a debt-service savings account that can be used to keep the debt-service portion of the tax rate at 30 cents based on a review of financial statements for the previous year, Chief Financial Officer Tracy Hoke said. The flat tax rate trustees have set for next year doesn't signal an ease in the district's financial crunch, as indicated by a $462.7 million new budget that is $25.4 million less than last year's. Because of the state funding cuts, the district has slashed its budget by $47 million over a two-year period, Hoke said.