BY ANGELA BONILLA, VANESSA HOLT & EMILY LINCKE
What they’re saying
Also of note
On May 7, MISD trustees authorized district leaders to order an efficiency audit in relation to a potential voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, ballot initiative that would be held in November if called. If approved, a VATRE could bring in between $1.4 million-$9 million more in total funding annually, depending on how much
of a tax rate raise the district decides to pursue, according to a May 7 special meeting presentation by MISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin. “We really, truly have reached the point where we either increase local revenues or we begin making really tough decisions that do impact our students and our staff,” Ruffin said in a July 25 interview.
“We’re taking on … over a $4 million deficit budget going into next year with
the intention of it not impacting our kids and our learning experience for them or our teachers or our staff. That being said, we can’t keep up that pace long term.”
MARK RUFFIN, MISD SUPERINTENDENT
May June
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Dec.
2024
2025
“There has never been a session where public education funding has not gone up, and with the exception of this
May 7: Trustees authorized district leaders to order a VATRE efficiency audit
Aug. 6: Audit results presented to trustees
Aug. 19: Deadline for trustees to call a VATRE to be held this November
Nov. 5: If called, the VATRE will go before voters for consideration
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
past legislative session, it’s the only time it hasn’t kept pace with inflation.” STEVE TOTH, TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 15 REPRESENTATIVE
What’s next?
that stage. “There is ... strong support to pass the school finance legislation I filed last year, which would infuse our public schools with historic new funding and provide an increase to the basic allotment,” Creighton said in an email. “Anyone who asserts that we can’t deliver historic new funding for public schools while also providing school choice is ... grossly misinformed.”
Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, filed Senate Bills 1 and 2 during the 88th Legislature in 2023 that would have provided funds for public education and teacher stipends, but also included funding for private school vouchers with up to $8,000 for each student through an education savings account. The bills were sent to the House of Representatives but did not advance beyond
“We should be able to come out, even in January, and tell our
staff, ‘Everyone will have a job. You may not have the job you have today, but … you will have a job.’”
CURTIS NULL, CISD SUPERINTENDENT
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