Educators thank community for passing tax rate
A Champion High School senior’s efforts to raise $10,000 for a grief-stricken family whose teen daughter died from cancer received high praise from Boerne Independent School District trustees.
Board members Tuesday awarded John Casares the Core Values in Action certificate for his role in raising money for the family of Angelina Terrazas, 17, who succumbed Nov. 8 to Stage 3 ovarian cancer.
Terrazas, a senior at Southwest High School in San Antonio, played on the softball team.
In other business at the meeting, trustees officially reviewed the results of the successful Nov. 4 Voter Approved Tax Rate Election, answered questions from Fabra Elementary School students and recognized other accomplishments across the district.
One of the high points of the session included commendations for Casares’ compassion.
Dawn Adamek, Boerne ISD director of fine arts, explained the teen’s role in assisting the Terrazas family.
“When John heard about the death of a fellow high school student, John’s heart immediately went out to her family,” Adamek said. “He asked his own parents if they could purchase groceries to help her (Angelina Terrazas’) family out during this time of mourning.”
But Casares wanted to make sure the Terrazas family would be helped financially as well.
“He got a brilliant idea to start a GoFundMe and share Angelina’s story more broadly,” Adamek said. “Over the past week, John’s efforts have raised just under $10,000.” Casares presented the Terrazas family with a check Nov. 13 at the Champion versus Southwest football game.
“John, thank you for inspiring all of us with your incredible generosity,” Adamek said. “We are so proud of you for your accomplishments and the person you are. You have represented Boerne ISD beautifully, and we wholeheartedly thank you for that.”
The school board then moved to its regularly scheduled agenda and unanimously voted to adopt the VATRE results, sparking applause from the audience.
The tax election narrowly passed, with 51.26% of voters casting favorable ballots.
A VATRE allows school districts to seek voter approval to access additional funding for day-to-day operations such as teacher salaries, academic programs, classroom materials and facility upkeep.
The BISD VATRE will increase the district’s tax rate by 2 cents, from a little more than 99 cents to $1.0109 per $100 valuation. The district will receive an estimated $4.8 million annually for every $1, plus an additional 60 cents coming from the state.
The VATRE will yield $3 million in local funding, according to school officials.
Fabra Principal Troy Latiolais expressed his gratitude for the board’s efforts in getting the VATRE passed.
“I’ve said it many times myself, no one goes into education for the income, we do it for the outcome,” Latiolais said. “We do it because we love kids, love to watch them grow and see what they are capable of achieving.”
Latiolais said he experienced a pay cut when he accepted his first position with Boerne ISD, but the move made sense in spite of the area’s high living costs.
“It made zero sense financially,” he said. “But I still chose Boerne ISD because of the opportunities offered by this district. Across the district, our campuses have done more with less for many years. Many tried to frame this vote as just about money, but we know it’s far more. It’s about investing in the future, both for our staff and our students.”
Superintendent Kristin Craft also expressed her gratitude to the community and faculty for their input.
“Thank you to you, to our community, to our board,” Craft said. “We are so grateful to this district’s voters for supporting this endeavor. It is truly a historic endeavor.”
“Thank you for inspiring all of us with your incredible generosity.”
— Dawn Adamek, Boerne ISD
Comment
Comments