If approved, Proposition A will allow North Lamar ISD to generate additional revenue while keeping the overall tax rate the same. These funds would directly support priorities that impact students, teachers, and the entire Panther community.

Prop A provides funds to give all staff members a compensation increase.

Prop A includes three pennies for competitive salary increases for the 2025-26 school year.

North Lamar ISD is the 7th largest employer in Lamar County. The passing of Prop A will increase the salaries of approximately 397 employees.

North Lamar competes with neighboring districts for teachers and staff. Currently, teacher salaries at North Lamar ISD are approximately $1,000 to $3,000-$4,000 lower than the average of other local districts in theNortheast Texas area.

Prop A will provide funds that will enable the district to increase teacher salaries as well as help recruit and retain high-quality teachers.

PROPOSED DEVICE REPLACEMENT CYCLE

The average useful life is 5 years for iPads, 5 years for Chromebooks, and 4 years for instructional devices and static labs.

The average price of a Chromebook and iPad is $350, and the average price of a desktop computer is $650. The district normally has to replace 200 Chromebooks, 50 iPads, and 27 desktop computers per year.

Proposed devices would be on 5-year replacement cycles.

In 2021, TEA and state leaders began standardizing online tests for district assessments and state-required standardized tests. North Lamar ISD students are impacted by inconsistencies in older devices, which in turn affects testing and classroom instruction.

BUS/VEHICLE REPLACEMENT

North Lamar ISD utilizes 40 buses on more than 28 daily routes to transport students. Approximately 1,384 students (59%
of enrollment) ride buses to and from school each day.

The average age of North Lamar ISD buses is 10.6 years old.

The useful life of a school bus is 8-10 years, 40% of the current NL fleet is more than 10 years old, another 10% will be 10
years old in the next few years. The average mileage for the current fleet of buses more than 10 years old is 129,430
miles.

North Lamar ISD buses transport students to away games and activities that can be many miles away from our city.

NLISD school buses travel over 196,000 miles per year.

There are 5 Activity buses that drive around 42,520 miles per year.

Some NLISD buses have poorly functioning air conditioning & limited seat belts.

New buses have safety features like seat belts, interior/exterior cameras, and air conditioning.

The district has only been able to purchase two buses over the past three years due to limited maintenance and operations funds. These buses have been used to accommodate new daily routes and not to replace outdated buses.

The district plans to purchase 20 new buses/vehicles over the next 10 years to stay on a regular replacement schedule.