Opening enrollment From the cover
Two-minute impact
RISD funding gaps Several state mandated programs and services are not fully funded, which has contributed to deficits.
grade. The district would limit or deny transfers exceeding those guidelines. “We have been a net exporter of kids from our district to [other school districts] for a while,” Clark said. “We’re hoping to get our families back, or not lose families, because they’re offering [inter-district transfer] and we haven’t been.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic, RISD was a growing district, Clark said. It was projected to have more than 40,000 students but instead lost nearly 2,300 students during the pandemic. Pate said student enrollment is down nationwide. He also said people aren’t moving away from cities because of the cost of housing. RISD is one of the last districts in the area to implement inter-district transfers, Branum said, with school districts like Garland ISD, Plano ISD and Dallas ISD offering similar policies. “We wanted to provide the assurance that if you buy a house, if you rent an apartment and you are zoned for Richardson ISD, that ... you can go to that neighborhood school,” Branum said.
Richardson ISD’s new inter-district transfer policy is part of Project Rightsize, a series of initiatives meant to balance the budget, Superintendent Tabatha Branum said. Superintendent of Administrative Services Matthew Gibbons said under the expanded policy, potential students will have a one month window to apply beginning May 17 and ending June 17. The district will screen these potential students based on attendance, academic performance, STAAR test results and discipline records. Placement will be based on capacity, staffing and program availability with priority given to students residing within RISD’s boundaries. Additionally, to attract new students and retain current students, the district is evaluating and strengthening magnet programs, Branum said. Magnet schools and programs offer specialized curricula or programs, often with a focus on STEM. Clark said RISD follows state and district student- to-teacher ratio guidelines, with class sizes between 22 and 28 students depending on
State revenue
RISD expense
Special education $40.7M Transportation $1.9M
$48.7M
$9.8M
School safety and security
Pre-K (basic allotment only) $1.1M $4.9M
$7.1M
$8.8M
Dyslexia
$2.9M
$4.9M
Gifted and talented
$712K
$2.9M
SOURCE: RISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
How we got here
voter-approval tax rate election, also known as a VATRE. Pate said state law requires VATREs to be held in November. Other measures to rightsize the budget include discontinuing elective classes with low attendance, such as French and Latin.
60 community members working with staff to find ways to save money. Since its inception, the committee has made several recommendations, some of which have been implemented, including consolidating and closing five schools and budget cuts in central and support departments. Another step the district is considering is a
Several factors have contributed to the funding gaps school districts are currently facing, Branum said, including declining enrollment rates, declin- ing birth rates and the fact the legislature has not increased school funding since 2018. As a result, staff began taking steps to balance the budget and in 2023 created the Community Budget Steering Committee, made up of more than
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