Richardson June 2021

CITY&SCHOOLS

News from Richardson, Richardson ISD & Plano ISD

HIGHLIGHTS RICHARDSON Janet DePuy was elected to serve another term as mayor pro tem following a unanimous vote by City Council on June 21. She will hold the position until the next council election in 2023. RICHARDSON ISD Trustees approved a minimum 2% pay raise for eligible employees June 14 as part of the district’s 2021-22 school year budget. The approximate cost for the raise is just over $6.5 million. PLANO ISD The district will not oer a virtual learning option in the 2021-22 school year, according to an email sent to district families June 8. PISD was developing a permanent virtual school option for students to begin in the fall, provided legislative approval for funding was received. However, the regular session of the Texas Legislature ended May 31 without nal approval of a bill that would have expanded online learning and provided funding for full-time virtual students. Students who have already registered for the planned virtual academy will now resume enrollment at their home campuses, according to the email. Richardson City Council Meets July 12 and 19 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 411 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson. www.cor.net. The meetings are open to the public and are streamed live on the city’s website. Richardson ISD The board of trustees is on summer break. The next meeting is Aug. 9. www.risd.org Plano ISD The board of trustees is on summer break. The next meeting is Aug. 3. www.pisd.edu MEETINGSWE COVER

Monthlysales tax receiptsupbymore than30%inJune

RISDadministrative space to seeupdates RICHARDSON ISD The board of trustees approved a guaranteed maximum price of just under $1.4 million for planned renovations of the district’s administration building during its June 7 meeting. The work on the 107-year-old building, which is located at 400 S. Greenville Ave., will add oces for district sta, create a exible space for the board of trustees and renovate restrooms, Assistant Superintendent Sandra Hayes said during the meeting. The work will all be done on the sec- ond oor and primarily on the south end of the building, she said. The full budget for the project is $2.55 million, Hayes said. The district plans to pay for the project with money from its local capital projects fund, Hayes said. Chief Financial Ocer David Pate said once the project is paid o, the fund will have approximately $8.3 million left. BY WILLIAM C. WADSACK

BOUNCING BACK Sales tax collections are beginning to improve following an annual loss caused by the pandemic.

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2020 2021

BY OLIVIA LUECKEMEYER

RICHARDSON Halfway through 2021, Richardson is slowly recover- ing from a pandemic-driven dip in sales tax revenue seen in 2020. So far this year, Richardson has collected $22.6 million in sales tax, which is up from the $21.3 million recorded at the same time last year, according to data from the state. Percent increases in annual col- lections have been consistent since March, with June allocations rising by more than 30% year-over-year. Collections in Richardson varied during the pandemic. By the end of 2020, Richardson recorded $43.2 million in sales tax revenue, which was about 40% lower than 2019. Assistant City Manager Shanna Plano ISDboard approves budget with $19.6Mdecit PLANO ISD Trustees adopted a budget decit of $19.6 million for the scal year 2021-22 budget during the board’s June 22 meeting. General fund revenue is pro- jected to decrease by just over 1% from the 2020-21 budget to $666.5 million. However, expenditures of $497.4 million and a state recap- ture payment of $187.9 million are expected to lead to the $19.6 BY WILLIAM C. WADSACK

Sims-Bradish said she is cautiously optimistic about Richardson’s performance so far this year. “We continue to budget conser- vatively and will continue to closely watch [sales tax revenue] and other income that provide the resources for the services people depend on every day,” she said. SOURCE: TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTSCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER million decrease in the district’s balance of operating funds. Recapture redistributes property tax dollars from prop- erty-wealthy districts to those deemed property-poor by the state. The district’s payment into the state’s recapture system for the 2021-22 school year is an $8.1 million increase over last year, according to Chief Financial Ocer Randy McDowell. Adjustments will be made to the FY 2021-22 budget as the year goes on, McDowell said. “We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to bring that $19.6 million [decit] down through ... federal [COVID-19 relief] funds,” he said.

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The administration building is 107 years old. (Courtesy Richardson ISD)

RICHARDSON EDITION • JUNE 2021