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Liberty Hill ISD

Building Champions in Academics, Character, and Community

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Department Information

Business and Financial Services

Image for the business office department landing page

Address
301 Forrest Street
Liberty Hill, TX 78642

Phone
512-260-5570

Fax
512-260-5587

Hours of Operation 
7:30am - 4:30pm (Monday -Friday)

 

 

The Business Office oversees all district finances and the annual budget development process.  We are dedicated to supporting the educational mission of Liberty Hill Independent School District by providing effective and efficient financial services through superior customer service to all district and community members with a focus on availability, accountability, and accuracy.

  • The 84th Legislature passed HB 1378 to increase the transparency of local government debt. As a result, the Liberty Hill Independent School District (Liberty Hill ISD) must annually compile their debt obligation data from the preceding fiscal year and post the information on the District’s web site. Liberty Hill ISD maintains a conservative approach in the management of its debt and has implemented strategies to effectively manage the impact of debt.

    For a fast-growing district like Liberty Hill ISD, the District balances the need for additional facilities for a growing student population, as well as, maintaining our existing investment in facilities and equipment. The District employs the following practices:

    • Long-Term Planning - Although facing annual fast enrollment growth, Liberty Hill ISD makes decisions to continue to provide a high quality education to our students while not over-burdening taxpayers in its long-term planning of facilities. When planning for a bond sale, District officials work with the District’s bond financial advisor. The continued use of these strategies will be necessary as the District continues to grow.
    • Rapid Repayment of Debt - While state law allows the financing of debt over a maximum period of 40 years, the maximum maturity on debt issued by Liberty Hill ISD is 30 years.
    • Bond Refundings - The District considers accelerated retirement and restructuring of its outstanding debt when financially advantageous or beneficial. Bond refundings are considered in order to achieve interest cost savings or to remove or change burdensome bond covenants or restructure the stream of debt service payment.

     

    Local Entity Debt  - 2022 Debt Transparency Report

  • The State of Texas recently released Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III federal stimulus allotments to school districts using Title 1 funding formulas. LHISD's share of these federal funds totaled $1,185,856. The TEA is making approximately $790 thousand available to the district now to specifically address costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic and address learning loss due to the pandemic.

    It is crucial to note that these federal funds are temporary and will cover a 3-year period which will be heavily audited. We will continue to communicate with staff, parents, and the community on the District's progress with formulating a plan and having that approved by the TEA and monitor the continued guidance that the Agency releases. There will be an application process through TEA to access these funds, which involves a grant application process and receiving student, staff, and community input to create a plan to expend these funds.

    The remainder of our available funds through the federal government's ESSER III stimulus is being held while TEA awaits a response from the U.S. Department of Education for any specific language or details on how the funds may be spent. Often, federal money like this comes with specific requirements which limit how the district can use the funds.

    The District collected stakeholder feedback from district administration, campus leadership, teachers, parents, students, and the community through a series of surveys and in-person meetings including a public hearing held on June 21, 2021. A District-level committee analyzed the stakeholder feedback and determined a plan for the use of the funds.

     

     

    As part of the ESSER III grant application, the district has prepared a Use of Funds Plan while meeting the following criteria:

    1. Safely open and operate schools for in-person learning.
      LHISD has completed this task and launched the COVID 19 Guidelines Website
    2. Use the required 20% to address the academic impact of learning loss.
    3. Utilize ESSER III funds for teachers/staff retention and professional development.
    4. Ensure interventions will respond to academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.