EDUCATION Conroe, Montgomery, Willis among Texas schools facing nancial struggles
2023 EDUCATION EDITION
BUDGET BINDS In ation in Texas has gone up by nearly 20% between April 2019-April 2023—the most recent data available. However, the per-student allotment, which sits at $6,160, has yet to be increased in that time, tightening school district budgets around the state.
Estimated allotment with in ation
Allotment per student
School districts across Texas, including Conroe, Montgomery and Willis ISDs, are facing budgetary issues and waiting to see if help might come as the state prepares to enter another possible legislative session in October. The state entered the 88th Legisla- ture this spring with nearly $33 billion in its co ers and a list of funding plans for public schooling. However, beyond a few small examples, larger funding bills have yet to materialize, said Bob Popinski, senior director of policy for Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonpro t education advocacy group. “School districts are in a pretty tough position going forward,” he said. The overview Multiple school districts across the state are either proposing or approving budget shortfalls for the 2023-24 school year due to in ation as well as state and federal money drying up that was tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, Popinski said. However, Conroe, Montgomery and Willis ISDs are planning balanced budgets for the 2023-24 scal year. To achieve a balanced budget, o cials with Conroe and Willis ISDs said they recommended foregoing sta raises this scal year and are o ering retention incentives instead. On Aug. 9, WISD trustees approved $1,500 for teachers and professional employees and $1,000 for support and hourly employees to be paid in December. Similarly, on Aug. 1, CISD approved a $1,200 or $600 stipend this fall depending on employment status. “We’re not in a position to give BY ANNA LOTZ, CASSANDRA JENKINS & JAMES T. NORMAN
$7,313
teacher pay raises this year as we look at those rising prices and look at fund- ing as a whole,” said Garrett Matej, WISD’s assistant superintendent of business and nance. However, MISD trustees approved a balanced budget June 27 with a $1,300 raise for teachers and a 2% raise for all other employees, Community Impact previously reported. Nearly all proposals aimed at increasing school funding in the legislative session failed, Popinski said, including those to up teacher pay and the per-student funding given to school districts. The statewide per-student allot- ment, or basic allotment, sits at $6,160 and has not been increased since House Bill 3 passed in 2019, Popinski said. The state would need to add roughly $1,000 this year to the allotment to match in ation. “An increase of the basic allotment is necessary to keep up with these rising costs and to be able to keep up with teacher pay raises and cost of living increases and things along those lines,” Matej said. How we got here Due to high rates of in ation statewide in recent years—totaling about 18.5% from April 2019-April 2023, according to the Texas comptrol- ler’s o ce—school districts have had trouble keeping up with rising costs of their operations. MISD’s Chief Financial O cer Ben Davidson said, for example, electricity costs have increased 58% per kilowatt hour and natural gas prices have climbed 48% since 2021. Property insurance increased about $150,000
$7,500
$6,969
$7,000
$6,437
$6,500
$6,160
$6,180
$6,000
$6,160*
$6,160
$6,160
$6,160
$6,160
$0
April 2019
April 2020
April 2021
April 2022
April 2023
NOTE: ALLOTMENT WITH INFLATION USED A CALCULATOR FROM THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. *THE $6,160 ALLOTMENT WENT INTO EFFECT IN SEPTEMBER AND WAS REFLECTED ON BUDGETS FOR THE 2019 20 SCHOOL YEAR. SOURCES: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS COMMUNITY IMPACT
year over year—all while funding per student has remained the same. Put into perspective While they wait for potential state action, school district o cials this summer are approving new budgets. “During legislative years, it’s always a challenge, and then this year was extremely challenging because we didn’t know what was going to happen, so we really just had to go on the basis of the funding we received in prior years,” Davidson said. State funding is based on the average daily attendance, which puts some districts at a disadvantage to not receive the entire basic allotment. According to CISD Chief Financial O cer Darrin Rice, the district’s attendance numbers dropped from an average 94.3% prepandemic to 92.5% in the 2022-23 school year, where it is projected to stay for 2023-24. Due to the lower attendance rate, CISD does not receive the full $6,160 allotment from the state. Instead, the district’s per student allotment is actually $5,790, Rice said. Despite the lower allotment, the district’s expenditures are expected to increase by $49.46 million to account for additional personnel, in ation and the cost of portable buildings. Similarly, Davidson said if the basic allotment was based on enrollment instead of attendance, the district would see about $4 million more in state funding as attendance numbers are on average 95%.
“SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE IN A PRETTY TOUGH POSITION GOING FORWARD." BOB POPINSKI, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF POLICY FOR
RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS
Matej said WISD would see about $5.29 million in additional funding. What happens next? Although schools are approving their budgets, there is still time for the Legislature to pass a bill on school funding and teacher pay raises by calling a special session this fall. “With the budget surplus that the Legislature had and their stated goal of increasing salaries for educators, we are disappointed that it has not yet happened,” CISD Superintendent Curtis Null said. CISD is expected to adopt its budget Aug. 15, while WISD is expected to vote Aug. 17, both after publication. “I don’t think our district has ever worked as closely with [legislators] as we are now, so we remain opti- mistic that there will be a positive result from the special session,” said Justin Marino, MISD chief of sta and communications.
“WITH THE BUDGET SURPLUS THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAD AND THEIR STATED GOAL OF INCREASING SALARIES FOR EDUCATORS, WE ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT IT HAS NOT YET HAPPENED."
CURTIS NULL, CONROE ISD SUPERINTENDENT
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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