JULY 7, 2021 CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
News from around the State
Innovations in cremation
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HaysNewsDispatch.com
Vol. 41 • No. 40
Serving Hays County, TX
DSISD budget increases general fund, staff pay BY SAHAR CHMAIS AND CYNDY-SLOVAK BARTON
The Dripping Springs ISD board recently approved a $104.5 million budget, including a new staff compensation plan. The $104.5 million budget for the upcoming school year is broken down into three main funds – general operating
fund at $80.3 million, child nutrition fund at $3.1 million and debt service fund at $21.1 million. The budget increased from the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which was $94.4 million. Staff will also receive a pay increase of 2.5% – about .5% higher than surrounding districts have proposed. Addi-
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tionally, DSISD staff will receive stipends, depending on their position. Under this budget, an incoming teacher can start making $50,150 with 0 years of experience and a maximum of $63,085 with 26 or more years of experience. The tax rate has not been finalized and is expected to be decided in
August. With the school district opening its fifth elementary school and relocating an elementary school in August 2021, the budget increase would cover additional personnel costs and operating costs for those two elementaries. The presentation showed total expenditures for the general fund
of $80,324,980. A motion by DSISD Board Vice President Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick amended the earlier budget to include the district’s recapture. When looking at revenue in the proposed budget, local sources bring in $70,559,081, state sources $9,186,941, and federal resources $698,000. The state revenue from 2020-
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Don’t forget sunscreen this summer BY MEGAN WEHRING Nothing sounds cooler than lying by a river or swimming pool in the Texas summer heat. But before soaking up the sun, there are some precautions that people should take to protect their skin. “We are getting into the warmer months,” said Dr. Erica Stevens of Baylor Scott & White, “and people are going to be spending a lot of time outside. Sun protection is going to be our first line of defense against causing skin damage that can later result in skin cancer and precancer.” Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are the number one cause of skin cancer, which is the most common type of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, and one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. “The risk of being diagnosed with skin cancer has increased dramatically over the last two decades,” said Dr. Tyler Hollmig, director of dermatologic surgery at Ascension Texas, “particularly for the most common types of skin cancers like basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.” Basal cell carcinoma, about eight out of 10 skin cancers, starts in the basal cell layer, the lower part of
21 to next year dropped by $1,542,410. DSISD’s budget includes a recapture payment of $6, 974,798 for next year. The district went into recapture mode in 2016-17. Recapture mode is set by the state to equalize income per student between wealthier and poorer school districts.
Industrial park breaks ground in East Buda Buda is its first Central Texas destination with an investment of $90 million to create industrial space. BY SAHAR CHMAIS
PHOTOS BY SAHAR CHMAIS
Hundreds of children rode through a crowd of independence day celebrators, showing off their hard work with red, white and blue decorations on their bikes. They glittered, smiled and danced.
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Blue Jays’ Saucedo has Kyle roots BY SAHAR CHMAIS Tayler Saucedo has been into baseball since he could walk; from throwing a ball around with his father, Andy Saucedo, to joining a tee-ball team, to pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays in the major league. “It was an emotional rollercoaster,” Andy Saucedo, Kyle resident, said, adding that he cried when he found out his son was drafted. “Just imagine your son being
president of the United States – that was the feeling. He made it and it has been a long grind for him.” In 2015, Tayler Saucedo was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays as a relief pitcher and has been in the game several times, his father said. In June 2021, shortly before his 28th birthday, he joined the team in the majors as pitcher. He had played for several farm teams, leading up to his debut as pitcher on June 17, 2021. At that
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game, the left-hander pitched a scoreless inning against the New York Yankees and notched his first career strikeout. Prior to joining the majors, he played for AAA Buffalo Bisons and pitched a 2-1 record and had a 2.2 ERA in 10 appearances. The 6-feet 5-inch player has not skipped a game since he was a child. Even when he would visit his father in Kyle over the summers, he would seek out the
nearest team to play. “He was nine years old and playing with 12-year-olds doing the pitching,” Andy Saucedo said. “That’s where his pitching career started. I had to sign a waiver for him to do that because the only league they had was for 12-year-olds. He was about the same size, and he held his own against those kids.” As a proud father, Andy Saucedo has been there for his son
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More than 800,000 square feet of industrial space will be erected on the east side of Buda; city representatives consider the project is a boost for residents, infrastructure and the economy. “This is a pretty good visual of how much has changed,” Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones said as he addressed the crowd at the groundbreaking. “One time all we raised in Hays County were cows and Johnson grass, and now, we’re raising houses and businesses.” United Properties has made Buda its first Central Texas destination with an
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DSHS lacrosse player leaves a hole in heart of community BY SAHAR CHMAIS
The death of Dripping Springs High School lacrosse player Taden Frickel has left a hole in many hearts and a lump in many throats. Taden died over the weekend; the cause of death has not been disclosed to the public. “To my brother. And my best friend. I love you,” tweeted Brennan Frickel about his brother. “You are in a better place now. I have cherished every memory we have ever made. I will ride through life with you until it’s my
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