EDUCATION School districts await budget help from special legislative session
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.
Projected allotment with in ation
Allotment per student
BY JAMES T. NORMAN
of their operations. Budget documents reviewed by Community Impact indicate some of those items a ected by in ation include: • Fuel for buses • Supplies for schools • Teacher pay • Property insurance • Food On the state side, many funding bills failed because of e orts to tie them to a private school voucher program as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s goal to make private institutions more a ordable to families in Texas. The program lacked support from both sides, blocking many bills from passing that otherwise might have had the needed votes, Popinski said. Put into perspective While they wait for potential state action, school district o cials this summer are approving new budgets— some of which are still anticipating help from the state—and many are predicting shortfalls this upcoming 2023-24 year. Houston ISD, which is in the middle of a takeover from the state, approved a $2.2 billion budget June 22 with a $168.5 million shortfall, Community Impact previously reported. Up north, Dallas ISD is expecting a $157.4 million shortfall, according to the district’s proposed budget. The story rings much the same at Cy-Fair ISD—the state’s third-largest school district—which passed in June a $1.21 billion budget with a roughly $138.6 million shortfall, Community Impact previously reported. Many are also expecting shortfalls in the coming years too, according to sev- eral districts’ budgetary documents. “Let’s just hope and pray that Austin comes up with something that can help us out here,” Grapevine-Col- leyville ISD board member Tammy Nakamura said. “We don’t have anything at this point.” What they’re saying In recent months, school district o cials from across the state have not been shy about sharing their feelings on the state’s role in this year’s
$7,313
$7,500
School districts across Texas are facing budgetary issues and are waiting to see if help might be coming as the state gets closer to wrapping up this year’s legislative session. The state entered the 88th Legis- lature with nearly $33 billion in its reserves 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. “It was a session out of balance,” Popinski said. “It was absolutely sur- prising. ... All the recommendations ended up failing.” The overview Multiple school districts across the state are either proposing or approv- ing budget shortfalls for the 2023-24 school year. This is due to a number of economic factors, such as in ation, which has driven up operating costs, as well as state and federal money tied to the COVID-19 pandemic drying up, Popinski said. On the other side of that issue is an ongoing national teacher shortage with budget issues making it more di cult to increase compensation and retain teachers. Nearly all proposals aimed at increasing school funding in the legislative session ended up on the cutting room oor, Popinski said. Among those included proposals to increase teacher pay and the per-student allotment funding given to school districts. The per-student 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 that’s happened since the last increase. How we got here Due to high rates of in ation in recent years—totaling about 18.5% from April 2019-April 2023, according to the Texas comptroller’s o ce—school districts have had trouble keeping up with rising costs
$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
SOURCES: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS COMMUNITY IMPACT WHAT OFFICIALS ARE SAYING NOTE: ALLOTMENT WITH INFLATION USED A CALCULATOR FROM THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. School districts around the state are proposing shortfalls in their budgets this year and are pinning much of the blame on the lack of action from the state Legislature this session.
LEE MCLEOD, TOMBALL ISD BOARD PRESIDENT “[Our legislators] are betraying public ed, in my opinion. ... There are school districts that are absolutely broke. They have no money.”
“We’re funding education where it’s a race to the bottom ... and that’s not acceptable for this state.”
NANCY HUMPHREY, PLANO ISD BOARD PRESIDENT
“As everybody knows, the governor’s holding all of the money hostage just for vouchers. ... He’s not doing what’s best for the state of Texas or doing what’s best for public education.”
ERIC WRIGHT, HAYS ISD SUPERINTENDENT
budget-making process. Board Secretary Lynn Boswell at Austin ISD, which passed a $2.1 billion budget with a $52.25 million shortfall in June, said the state did not help in the district’s budget this year, prompt- ing o cials to make “painful choices that impact our students.” CFISD Superintendent Mark Henry said his district’s newest budget was the most di cult to prepare in his 32-year career. “It’s irresponsible and insidious what the state is doing to public education right now,” Henry said at the district’s June 20 meeting. Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, said in a July 6 emailed statement to Community Impact that more money will be available to districts when the state passes the school choice legislation, adding it’s an e ort to “empower parents.”
“Gov. Abbott has prioritized public education funding and support for our hardworking teachers throughout his time in o ce,” Mahaleris said in the statement. What happens next? Despite many school o cials’ comments throughout the state, there is still time for the state Legis- lature to pass something. The state is working through special sessions right now, which could include some school funding bills, Popinski said. In the meantime, with shortfalls and a growing need to increase teacher compensation, many districts will likely be dipping into their reserves to make ends meet, Popinski said. “School districts are in a pretty tough position going forward,” he said.
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FLOWER MOUND HIGHLAND VILLAGE ARGYLE EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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