EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Pearland ISD, Alvin ISD & Friendswood ISD
COMPILED BY JAMES T. NORMAN
QUOTE OF NOTE
Pearland ISD approves budget with $13.3M shortfall PEARLAND ISD Officials adopted a budget at the school board’s June 23 meeting that includes a shortfall to the tune of $13.3 million. Chief Financial Officer Jorgannie Garza Carter said. BUDGET BREAKDOWN Pearland ISD officials expect only $254.76 million in revenue.
HIGHLIGHTS PEARLAND ISD Robert Richter, 75, will take over for former PISD Trustee Lance Botkin, who announced plans to resign from the board at its June 13 meeting due to “personal and medical reasons,” Superintendent Larry Berger said at the meeting. Having lived in the area for more than 50 years, Richter worked at PISD for decades, starting out as a teacher but eventually being promoted to assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent. To pair with his list of jobs, Richter also drove a school bus for the district at one point, he said. After retiring, he returned to fill spots of need within the district, which took him to every campus. FRIENDSWOOD ISD One person was killed and three people were injured after a roof collapsed at Friendswood High School on June 13. The roof collapse happened in an existing construction site at the boys gym at Friendswood High School, according to a Friendswood ISD Facebook post. FISD officials confirmed the person killed and the people injured in the roof collapse were not staff. The district’s regular school year ended May 25. FISD staff confirmed that due to the construction and not as a result of the roof collapse, all summer school classes were relocated to Friendswood Junior High, and summer classes would continue. FISD officials confirmed the high school was closed June 14 while Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the general contractor, ICI, conducted investigations. Pearland ISD will meet at 5 p.m. Aug. 21 at 1928 N. Main St., Pearland. Meetings are streamed at www.youtube.com/user/ thepearlandisd. Friendswood ISD has not yet posted its schedule for fall 2023. Alvin ISD will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 8 at 301 E. House St., Alvin. MEETINGS WE COVER “UNTIL THE STATE DOES SOMETHING ABOUT OUR TEXAS WINDSTORM STATE INSURANCE, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND BUSINESSES ARE IN A BIND.” CAROL NELSON, ALVIN ISD SUPERINTENDENT
During fiscal year 2022-23, the district’s tax rate was at $1.3027 per $100 valuation, according to district documents. Officials are eying a rate of $1.2427—a rate that is down from last year but would more than likely still trigger the need for a VATRE. Despite the tax rate being all but certain to drop, due to increased property values, it’s expected the average residence’s tax bill would go up by about $227 if the VATRE were passed, according to district documents. Diving in deeper: A VATRE could help make up almost all of the district’s anticipated shortfall for this year’s budget. District officials will move forward with its property tax rate at its August meeting, and, if necessary, an election would be held in November. To have the VATRE, a supermajor- ity of the board is needed to approve the tax rate beyond the threshold certified by the state, Carter said. If the measure were to fail at the
$215.1 million for the general fund $42 million for debt service $11 million for food services
ALVIN ISD Trustees approved a $5.8 million property insurance policy—up by more than $2.4 million from the year before. The overview: The district’s prop- erty insurance will cover damage from windstorms and all other peril along with equipment breakdown, Superintendent Carol Nelson said at the district’s June 13 meeting. In total, the increase is about 72% higher than the previous year and comes as school districts across the state and nation are seeing similar increases to their property cover- age, Nelson said. “Until the state does something about our Texas windstorm state insurance, school districts and busi- nesses are in a bind,” Nelson said at the meeting. “This is challenging.” The new rate was passed in a 6-1 In a nutshell: This year’s budget, which came in at a little less than $268.1 million, includes: • $215.1 million for the general fund • $42 million for debt service • Around $11 million for food services The budget may put PISD in the red as the district expects only $254.76 million in revenue—a short- fall of about $13.3 million. According to district documents, the budget increase is mostly tied to: • Refreshing student devices • Employee salary increases • Insurance • Additional staff requests, among smaller items Sorting out the details: The dis- trict’s tax rate remains up in the air as officials contemplate whether to hold a voter-approved tax rate election, also known as a VATRE, which could potentially add $11.4 million to the district’s coffers, PISD
$268.1M TOTAL:
SOURCE: PEARLAND ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
ballot, the district’s tax rate would fall back to the certified rate. It’s projected that threshold could be around $1.1527, which represents a $0.15 decline from last year, according to district documents. However, Carter said at the June 23 meeting it will probably come in a little lower. If district officials were to choose a VATRE, it would still leave the district with a shortfall, but Carter in the past has said it’s likely the district could make that up through- out the year. Similar to other districts, PISD officials are also waiting to see if the state will provide more funds.
Alvin ISD’s property insurance goes up 72% Alvin ISD’s budget up $20M from last year
vote at the June 13 meeting. Trustee Albert Johnson, who was the lone vote against the item, declined to comment June 15. How we got here: Being a fast- growth district, AISD officials expect to see higher premiums in the future due to new buildings being added, according to a memo from Donnie Marek, the district’s executive director of risk management. However, the primary driver for increased premiums for several governing bodies and companies is high-cost disasters that cause losses in the insurance industry, Marek stated in the memo. “Our neighboring districts are seeing the same increases and are also being forced to accept lower [policy] limits with higher deduct- ibles,” Marek stated in the memo.
ALVIN ISD The fiscal year 2023-24 budget for Alvin ISD is expected to increase by more than $20 million compared to last year. The overview: District officials on June 13 approved AISD’s new budget for fiscal year 2023-24, which began July 1. The budget is expected to come in at just under $360 million. While the district’s tax rate is expected to go down, the average residence will pay about $3,678 in total taxes—about $378 more than last year—due to home values increasing by about 32.2%, according to district documents. The additional revenue will go to the new Nichols-Mock Elementary School opening this year and staffing at Iowa Colony High School.
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