Education
BY RYAN REYNOLDS
Cy-Fair ISD projects $50M shortfall
“I really want to put some money aside as well to try to address and bring back
as many of those [bus] routes as we possibly can. Beyond that, it’s really just a case of, what are we going to get from the Legislature?” DOUG KILLIAN, CY FAIR ISD SUPERINTENDENT
With $1.2 billion in projected expenses, Cy-Fair ISD is exploring options to address a projected $50.1 million budget shortfall for scal year 2025- 26. CFISD Chief Financial O cer Karen Smith said at the April 15 meeting the shortfall is due to a lack of state funding and an anticipated 1% drop in student enrollment, among other factors. A closer look Public schools in Texas have not seen an increase in the basic allotment of $6,160 per stu- dent since 2019, according to the Texas Education Agency. Smith said the current state funding formula does not account for cost-of-living increases or in ation, which rose by 20% from 2019 to August 2024, according to a CFISD presentation on Feb. 6. To cut costs, CFISD administrators are rec- ommending reducing the number of un lled positions by 2%, which could save about $18 million, Smith said. The district is also considering
adjusting teacher allocations to match the pro- jected 1% drop in enrollment, potentially saving an additional $6.8 million. Smith said the district expects a $5.4 million increase in spending to cover a full year of trans- portation salaries and instructional software. Superintendent Doug Killian outlined several of his top priorities for the district, including: • A general pay increase to help with teacher retention • $1,000 stipends for teachers at economically disadvantaged campuses • Stipends to teachers in special education and other critical shortage areas • Using savings to address police o cers, parapro- fessionals, bus drivers and other positions What’s next CFISD o cials will hold a public budget work- shop May 22 and plan to adopt the budget June 23.
“We had a de cit budget [for] this current budget, we’ll be looking at a
de cit budget [for] the next budget, and of course, if you run de cit budgets, ... you run out of money. That is de nitely not sustainable.” JUSTIN RAY, CY FAIR ISD TRUSTEE
Harnessing the Power of Cell Science Research and Regenerative Medicine to Redefine and Refine Orthopedic Care Empower Your Every Move
EDUCATION WITH PURPOSE Exceptional Education Devoted
To Christian Discipleship Serving Infants - 3rd Grade
(713) 378-1390 | info@houstonstemcelltherapy.com
A Ministry of The MET Church
15
CYPRESS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook