Lufkin ,Tx — The Lufkin school board on Tuesday night approved a half-cent increase in its property tax rate.

The debt service portion of the tax rate will rise from 16.5 cents to 17 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation, and the maintenance and operations portion of the tax rate will be left at $1.04.

School officials said the tax raise was necessary to accommodate the district’s 2012-13 budget, which the board also approved during the meeting.

The board held a public hearing on the tax increase and budget, but no members of the community were present. Roy Knight, the Lufkin schools superintendent, said he has yet to see someone speak on the tax rate or budget in his seven years in the position.

Read more from the Lufkin Daily News.