EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Georgetown ISD & Texas
QUOTE OF NOTE
GISD o cials expect increase in recapture payment
HIGHLIGHTS GEORGETOWN ISD Those seeking to run for a spot on the Georgetown ISD board of trustees had from Jan. 18-Feb. 17 to le for a place on the ballot. Two GISD board of trustees positions— places 4 and 5—will be on the May 6 ballot. Places 4 and 5 are held by Stephanie Blanck and Melanie Conner, respectively. Each GISD trustee serves three-year terms and is elected at large. GEORGETOWN ISD The board of trustees approved a $183,927.70 contract with Raba Kistner Consultants to perform material testing as part of Elementary School No. 11 construction. Funded as part of the 2021 bond program, the school is being built in Liberty Hill’s Santa Rita Ranch neighborhood. The school is projected to open ahead of the 2024-25 school year. GEORGETOWN ISD The district will hold its eighth annual State of the District event March 2. Attendees will be able to hear from students through visual showcases, performances and presentations. Superintendent Fred Brent will also give an address highlighting recent and upcoming district happenings. Georgetown ISD board of trustees will meet Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Hammerlun Center for Leadership and Learning, 507 E. University Ave., Georgetown. 512-943-5000. www.georgetownisd.org MEETINGS WE COVER “IN TEXAS, IT’S GO BIG OR GO HOME. AND IT’S TIME, AT THIS MOMENT, TO GO BIG ON TEACHER PAY.” STATE REP. JAMES TALARICO, D ROUND ROCK
BY GRANT CRAWFORD
REELING FROM RECAPTURE Georgetown ISD may owe the state more in recapture for scal year 2022-23 than the district initially budgeted.
GEORGETOWN ISD Projections show Georgetown ISD will have to pay more to the state in recapture payments this year, although the exact dollar amount remains unclear. During a workshop with the GISD board of trustees Jan. 10, Chief Financial O cer Jennifer Hanna presented gures showing an estimated $52 million in recapture payments to the state—$7.5 million more than what the district had allocated for in the scal year 2022-23 budget. She said the increase was based o GISD’s increase in revenues and lower average daily attendance. “That number might move up or down,” Hanna said. “It might move down if we have more students, which we think we probably will, but we’ll be somewhere in between.” Meanwhile, board members were happy to see a change in the district’s projected shortfall for FY 2022-23. Estimated revenues for the year decreased by approx- imately $3 million, while expenditures dropped by around $6.9 million. With an additional $5.4 million from land sold in 2022, GISD is expecting a funding de cit of $608,000, rather than $4.4 million. The district is in the process of developing the
Estimated recapture payment
$52 million
Budgeted amount
$44.5 million
FY 2023-24 budget, and Superintendent Fred Brent said he expects a larger shortfall next year that the district will need to accommodate for. Potential revenue sources for next scal year include changes to how the state funds schools, an increase in facility rental fees and growth in investment earnings. A state policy of taking revenues from wealthier districts to be paid to poor districts. The amount paid depends on how much a district’s tax collections exceed what the district is entitled to keep based on the number and type of students in its district. RECAPTURE: SOURCE: GEORGETOWN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
‘Go big or go home’: Talarico proposes $15K teacher pay raise
nurses with less than one year of experience must receive at least $33,660 per year, according to the Texas Education Agency website. Under the bill, the average teacher salary would be $73,887, making Texas the seventh-best state for teacher pay, Democrats said. According to the National Education Association, Texas ranks 28th in the nation for average teacher pay. Nearly 11.6% of teachers left their jobs at Texas public schools ahead of the 2021-22 school year, according to a TEA report. “Now, 40% of Texas teachers work a second job just to pay the bills,” Talarico said at a Jan. 24 press confer- ence announcing the legislation.
BY HANNAH NORTON
TEXAS In an attempt to address the teacher shortage, state Rep. James Talarico, D Round Rock, led House Bill 1548, which would raise teacher salaries by $15,000 and increase pay for school support sta by 25%. This would bring the minimum annual salary for Texas teachers to $48,660. During the current school year, classroom teachers and full-time librarians, counselors and registered
State Rep. James Talarico’s bill would increase teacher salaries by $15,000.
HANNAH NORTON COMMUNITY IMPACT
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GEORGETOWN EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023
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