Education
BY KEVIN CUMMINGS
Richardson ISD seeks to address projected budget shortfall
After meeting for six months, the Richardson ISD Community Budget Steering Committee has landed on a set of recommendations to help the district cease to operate at a deficit for fiscal year 2024-25. What you need to know Formed in July 2023—about a month after the district adopted its $407.7 million budget for fiscal year 2023-24, which included a nearly $15 million deficit—the committee has been looking at ways to address future shortfalls. At the Dec. 14 RISD board of trustees meeting, the committee presented recommendations that would be phased in over time in the FY 2024-25 budget, including: • Consolidating some elementary schools to address the more than 9,000 vacant elementary school seats across the district • Opening enrollment outside of the district • Adding a $0.03 increase to the district’s
maintenance and operations tax rate • Cuts to central and support departments • Implementing a new staffing framework “At the conclusion of this budget process, we expect to have the long term financial flexibility necessary ... for our students and educators to continue to thrive,” RISD Superintendent Tabitha Branum said in a news release. The context The FY 2023-24 budget is the fourth consecutive deficit budget adopted by RISD. According to the district’s website, the projected upcoming budget shortfall is largely due to a lack of increase to public education funding from the Texas Legislature since FY 2018-19 and enrollment decline due to the pandemic. What’s next? RISD trustees plan to begin discussions for the
Budget deficits
$47.5M
$25.9M
$8.6M
$14.8M
$6.9M
2020- 21
2021- 22
2022- 23
2023- 24
2024- 25 *
*PROJECTED
SOURCE: RICHARDSON ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
FY 2024-25 budget in the coming months with lead- ership presenting a timeline for implementing the recommendations, in addition to presenting options for which elementary campuses to consolidate. Trustees will likely vote to adopt the next budget in June.
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