The Ira ISD school board unanimously approved an agreement with the Flatland Solar Project LLC to limit the portion of the project’s value that the school district will tax for 10 years to $20 million instead of $186.6 million, in exchange for cash payments in lieu of the tax payments.
“The limitation, just to refresh y’all real quick, 10 years for M&O (Maintenance and Operations) purposes. After that, they have to maintain viable presence for five more years after the limitation ends,” said Kathy Mathias, associate with Moak, Casey and Associates, a financial firm specializing in school finance. “The limitation would start in 2023, and it would end in 2032. Part of the agreement is, you get a revenue protection payment from the company which says, ‘If you would’ve had more money if it had been built at the full project value than you have for M&O purposes with the limitation in place, the company will make up that difference to hold you harmless. So you won’t lose money by signing agreements.
The company will always hold you harmless for anything you would have had that you’re not having because you agreed to have the value on the rolls at $20 million.”
The project is designed to produce 180 megawatts of electricity, said Bryson Vodder, regional manager for Tri-Global Energy, the company that owns the Flatland Solar Project.
The company’s cash payments to the district are not yet set and depend on future appraisal district property valuations. Mathias said the payments could range between $200,000 and $1 million over the 10-year span of the agreement.
The school board also unanimously approved new board goals for 2020-2021.
Goals include increasing the percentage of Ira third graders performing on grade level on the STAAR reading test from 70 to 80 percent, and on the STAAR math test from 75 to 85 percent, by June 2024; increasing the percentage of Ira graduates who meet the criteria for College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) from 85 to 95 percent by August 2024; continuing to provide a safe learning environment for all students with an emphasis placed on safety and security; and continuing to implement the latest advances in technology.
In other business, school principal Dale Jones said Ira ISD was one of only about 50 school districts statewide that administered a mock STAAR test offered by the state.
“Overall, had this been the STAAR test, we would have done very, very well,” Jones said.
Jones also discussed plans for the Ira High School graduation, photos on the schools website of sports award presentations and the school’s recent field day.