At the Klein ISD Board meeting of March 9th, during a presentation regarding the 2010-2011 district budget, the prospect of a tax election in the near future was looking less like speculation and more like necessity.

Tax increases over the next four years are a certainty following the 2008 bond, but what now looks likely is that in addition to these increases, Klein ISD will call an election in the 2011-2012 school year to approve collection of the remaining two “super pennies”. If approved, the 2-cent (per $100 appraised value) tax increase will be matched penny for penny by the government, effectively doubling district revenues from those two cents.

Full story, with more figures, after the jump.

Current district plans call for tax rates over the next four years to increase as follows:

Klein ISD Associate Superintendent of Finance, Mr. Thomas Petrek, stated at the meeting that with current bleak district growth projections, and an annual deficit of millions of dollars set to eat into the district’s general fund reserves over the next four years, a tax election for the super-pennies would be necessary in the school year 2011-2012. Klein’s cost-cutting in recent years has led to efficient operation, but leaves little room for further cuts in the event a tax increase is denied; Mr. Petrek indicated that at 88% of current costs, staffing represented the main area for potential cuts in that case, with reduction of special programs being another option.

After the emotions of the 2008 bond election, and the recent public outcries over the plans for Klein High School, a tax election will certainly face a hard time – but if the financial climate does not improve, it will be one of the tough choices Klein residents will have to make.