Richardson | March 2023

CITY & SCHOOLS

News from Richardson, Richardson ISD & Dallas County

Berkner High School to get student-run bank

BY JACKSON KING

Lessons taught through the partnership include hands-on banking experience, creating a budget, making savings plans, balancing a checkbook, and understanding credit and loans. The bank will be situated at the northeast corner of Berkner High School, which is located at 1600 E. Spring Valley Road, near the STEM Academy and South Yale Boulevard. Construction on the bank is scheduled to begin during the spring with student applications being accepted and curriculum developed throughout the summer. The bank is expected to be open in August, while ongoing program implementation and evaluation are expected to last throughout the upcoming school year.

RICHARDSON ISD The district plans to partner with the Credit Union of Texas to open a stu- dent-run bank at Berkner High School at the start of the 2023-24 school year. Participating students, who will receive a $1,000 scholarship from CUTX upon completion, will operate the bank in a variety of roles, including as tellers and branch managers. Operating the program will provide students with real-world work experience while developing nancial skills outside of the classroom, according to credit union ocials. One of the benets ocials mentioned is to provide Richardson ISD students participating in the program with lessons in nancial literacy.

Richardson ISD is partnering with Credit Union of Texas to open a student-run bank at Berkner High School. (Courtesy Credit Union of Texas)

District searching for ways to shore up budget decit RICHARDSON ISD The district is assessing options to reduce costs and increase revenue to overcome a budget shortfall heading into the 2023-24 school year. Richardson ISD recorded a budget decit of BY JACKSON KING $23.7 million during the 2022-23 school year. The decit is a result of reduced enrollment and ination along with a lack of new funding from the state since before the pandemic, Superintendent Tabitha Branum said. District ocials said RISD has already found ways

to reduce $3.5 million in expenditures by eliminating some administration positions and streamlining its English as a second language program. According to district ocials, RISD has multiple options it can take to increase revenue, including opening enrollment outside of district boundaries, advocating for increased state funding, eliminating RISD’s local optional homestead exemption and considering a vote to increase tax rates.