Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Sept. 15, 2014
(DALLAS) — Members of the Dallas County Community College District’s board of trustees recently passed the 2014-2015 budget, which included maintaining the current tax rate; increasing tuition, effective spring 2015; and increasing salaries for full-time employees, among other items. The total budget, which was approved on Tuesday, Sept. 2, for 2014-2015 is $535,119,192.
Specifically, they approved these actions:
- Board members approved a tax rate of $0.124775 per $100 valuation, which represents a flat rate for Maintenance and Operations and an increase of only 0.3 percent in the Interest and Sinking rate. Based on increases in average appraised values in Dallas County, the average homeowner will see DCCCD taxes increase by $8.19 next year because the average home value is expected to increase from $130,793 in 2014 to $138,919 in 2015. The current tax rate on a $130,000 average home value, with homestead exemption, is $130.48. The tax rate that passed on Sept. 2, 2014, will be $138.67 for the year, based on a $138,000 average home value, with a homestead exemption.
The current tax rate ranks among the lowest of the 50 community colleges/districts in Texas, and officials expect the new rate passed last week to continue to remain among the lowest. Taxes are used by DCCCD for current operations and also for payment on general obligation bonds — both of which enable the district to provide classes, programs and the facilities needed to provide excellent instruction, technology and a good learning environment for students.
- The board also approved a tuition increase of $7 per semester credit hour, effective spring 2015. The tuition increase, beginning in January, will make DCCCD’s tuition $59 per credit hour, still among the lowest in Texas. The average tuition rate at community colleges statewide is $78 per semester credit hour. Currently, DCCCD’s tuition rate is ranked 49th-lowest among all community colleges/districts in Texas and should remain among the lowest tuition rates in the state when the cost of tuition changes next year. Tuition also helps the district pay for instruction and other expenditures, but at a far lower rate than DCCCD’s other two main sources of funding: taxes and state appropriations.
- The trustees also approved a 2.5 percent salary increase in order to retain current, competent employees because the employment environment in Dallas-Fort Worth is highly competitive.
“All of these actions are an investment in our students and in the communities that DCCCD serves,” said Dr. Joe May, DCCCD’s chancellor. “Our communities also are making a smart investment in DCCCD, in higher education and in economic development because we are educating the skilled workers this area needs to boost our economy — which is important to all of us. We appreciate the support of our DCCCD board of trustees.”
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