INSIDE DSISD
The latest news from Dripping Springs ISD
DSISD is holding three community bond information meetings for parents and community members over the next week. Superintendent Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz and Deputy Superintendent Elaine Cogburn will present information on the 2022 Bond and answer questions from stakeholders. More information on the 2022 Bond can be found at dsisdbond.com.
Wednesday, September 28 • 6:15 p.m.
Sycamore Springs Middle School Cafeteria
Tuesday, October 4 • 6:15 p.m.
Cypress Springs Elementary Cafeteria
Wednesday, October 5 • 6:15 p.m.
Dripping Springs High School Cafeteria
The first Parent University of the school year will be held Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 6:00-7:15 p.m. in the Dripping Springs High School Lecture Hall. Dr. Rich Gilman, President of Terrace Metrics, will present "The Pressures of Perfectionism: How Can Parents Help?" A recording will be available on the DSISD website for parents unable to attend.
- Understand how perfectionism can interfere with personal, social, and academic progress
- Learn how some aspects of perfectionism are actually positive and meaningful
- Learn helpful ways to turn negative perfectionistic tendencies into positive outcomes
At the Sept. 26 meeting, the DSISD Board of Trustees approved the annual tax rate by a vote of 5-1-1.
The newly adopted 2022 rate is $1.2929 per $100 of certified property value. The adopted rate represents a $1.74-cent decrease from the 2021-22 rate, the fourth consecutive year that DSISD has decreased its tax rate. Over the four-year span, DSISD’s tax rate has decreased by a total of $22.71 cents.
The total tax rate of $1.2929 is comprised of two parts: $0.9429 for Maintenance and Operations and $0.35 for Interest and Sinking. The Maintenance and Operations (M&O) portion covers district operating costs such as salaries and benefits, utility bills, and supplies, and is subject to recapture. The Interest and Sinking (I&S) rate generates revenue that can only be used to pay off debt.
Property tax bills are a product of the tax rate and the property value. Therefore, property owners’ tax bills may increase even though the tax rate has decreased. School district taxes are frozen for citizens who are 65 and older, have a general homestead exemption, and have taken steps with the Hays or Travis County Appraisal District to claim the additional exemption.
Based on state funding formulas for public schools in Texas, school districts that are classified as having revenue in excess of entitlement (under Chapter 48 of the Texas Education Code) cannot keep the increased revenue associated with higher property values. State funding formulas are tied to property values so these districts must send more money back to the state in a process commonly referred to as recapture. For 2021-22, DSISD owed $11,200,000 to the state in recapture and estimates it will send approximately $20 million back to the state for the 2022-2023 school year, an increase of more than 78 percent.
Ten Dripping Springs High School seniors have garnered the recognition of Commended Student in the 2023 National Merit® Scholarship Program based on their performance on the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
Earning Commended Student recognition from Dripping Springs High School are Tate Anderson, Maya Bisett, Ayden Dennis, Sophie Hassell, Austin Hovatter, James Lee, Joshua Oliphant, Gabriela Salazar-Morales, Savannah Staker and Athena Turner.
Each year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizes a total of 50,000 high scorers out of more than 1.5 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT.
Over the next several months, all Dripping Springs ISD schools will be conducting “lockdown” drills in conjunction with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and local emergency responders. The drills help familiarize emergency responders with the campuses and help train staff and students on the appropriate response in an active threat situation. The exercise is part of the district’s training in Standard Response Protocol, a consistent emergency procedure that is used by schools statewide. Visitors will not be permitted on campus, and students cannot be checked out or leave campus during the drills, which typically last less than an hour.
2022-23 DSISD Lockdown Drill Schedule
October 6, 2022
Dripping Springs High School, 9:30 a.m.
October 11, 2022
Rooster Springs Elementary, 9:30 a.m.
October 25, 2022
Cypress Springs Elementary, 9:00 a.m.
November 17, 2022
Sycamore Springs Middle School and Sycamore Springs Elementary, 10:00 a.m.
January 31, 2023
Dripping Springs Elementary, 10:00 a.m.
February 21, 2023
Dripping Springs Middle School and Walnut Springs Elementary, 10:30 a.m.
