Fairfield Independent School District trustees approved a $17.4 million budget to operate schools this year and raised the property tax levy 3.233 cents to make bond payments.

The operating budget is part of $37.4 million in costs that includes bond payments and sending money to the state for distribution to property poor districts.

Bond payments are $4.23 million and tax sharing under the Robin Hood state school financing program is almost $11 million.

The remaining $5 million is for a combination state and federal funded programs.

FISD will raise $28.4 million through the maintenance and operations property tax of $1.04 per $100 assessed property valuation and $3.99 million through an 18.84-cent interest and sinking fund tax.

Superintendent Katie Ryan presented trustees with two M&O tax scenarios, adopting a rate of $1.04 or a rate of $1.03.

She recommended the higher rate, which is the same as last year, because the lower rate would create a $70,400 deficit.

The I&S rate is kept to a minimum by using $240,000 in savings from the bond fund.

The superintendent calculates that taxes on an $87,000 house, the average price in FISD, will be $1,069, or $36 more than last year.

In getting to the final budget numbers, $375,000 had to be cut from expenses, which Ms. Ryan and finance manager Lesley Cain did this summer by combing through expenses.

Another option presented trustees before approving the budget was $20,000 for the lease/purchase of a bus.

FISD has not bought a school bus for two years and trustees felt it was needed to maintain a current fleet. The lease/purchase cost was offset by additional budget adjustments.

Not included the 2010- 11 budget is the purchase of individual laptop computers for students in the new intermediate school, grades 3-5.

Early in the process of designing the school, which opened last week, approval was given by the board to install infrastructure to support a wireless computer network. Trustees also approved purchase of the individual laptop computers which would be used by students through the rest of their Fairfield school careers.

However, in budget cutting necessitated by a 13 percent drop in taxable values, the computer project has been placed on hold.

Ms. Ryan says that administrators at all four FISD campuses will form teams to study student computer needs before any purchase decisions are made.

The teams are to formulate long range technology plans, which the superintendent explains is addressing needs for the next three years.

Trustees unanimously approved the tax rates on a motion by LaCharles Bass, seconded by Blake Robinson, and unanimously approved the budget on a motion by Robinson, seconded by Tracie Ezell.

In other action, the board approved a sick leave pool for fulltime employees and employees with benefits.

The pool provides 10 days of additional leave after all other available sick days are used by an employee.

Use of sick pool days is for employees and/or members of their immediate family with a catastrophic illness or injury.

A bank of pool days is voluntarily donated by employees who may contribute a maximum of two days each.