Education
BY EMILY LINCKE
Schools still battling inflated costs 5 years after pandemic’s start
Breaking down the data
For students in grades 3-8, KISD and SISD saw overall lowered student passage rates for the spring 2024 State of Texas Assessments of Aca- demic Readiness versus the spring 2019 scores, according to TEA data. “Unlike literacy, numeracy builds upon con- cepts/skills and during the pandemic there was interrupted education, thus creating gaps in the sequence of mathematical skills that needed to have been learned,” SISD leaders said.
the shortfalls to factors such as high rates of inflation and a lack of additional funding from the state. According to the TEA’s federal report cards: • Total per-pupil spending spiked 14.7% and 26% for KISD and SISD, respectively, from the 2018- 19 school year to 2022-23. • KISD and SISD saw a 13.3% and a 23.5% increase in instructional costs from the 2018-19 school year to 2022-23, respectively. “Despite these rising costs, our district remains committed to prioritizing student success, teacher retention and maintaining high- quality instruction and facilities,” KISD Chief Financial Officer Dan Schaefer said in an emailed statement.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Klein and Spring ISDs have experienced inflated instructional and operating costs, decreased overall student test performance, and lowered staff qualifications, federal report card data from the Texas Education Agency shows. This March marks five years since the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools and businesses across the globe in 2020, which left lasting impacts in many industries, including education. School districts across the Greater Houston area faced budget challenges for the 2024- 25 fiscal year; KISD and SISD anticipate about $33 million and $12 million general fund shortfalls, respectively, as previously reported by Community Impact . The districts attributed
Passage rate changes, 2019 vs. 2024 Data shows the difference in percentage points of students who passed the STAAR between spring 2019 and 2024. Klein ISD Spring ISD
-20-15
-10-5
0
+5 +10 +15 +20
3rd grade 4th grade 5th grade 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade 3rd grade 4th grade 5th grade 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
District per-pupil spending
Difference in total spending: $1,322
Difference in total spending: $2,493
Klein ISD
Spring ISD
2018-19
2022-23
$6,000 $4,000 $8,000
$600 $800 $400 $200
0
Food services
General administration
Instructional staff
Pupils
Student transportation
Instruction
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Teacher experience 2018-19 2023-24
Dig deeper
Major takeaways
Since before the pandemic, the number of teachers without certifications for the subjects they’re teaching and the percentage of inexperi- enced teachers and principals have risen at both KISD and SISD, data shows. According to the TEA’s reports, teachers without certifications in their subject: • Rose 7.8 percentage points from the 2018-19 school year to the 2023-24 school year for KISD • Increased 21.2 percentage points for SISD from the 2018-19 school year to the 2023-24 school year
Klein ISD
Klein ISD Spring ISD Spring ISD
40%
Both districts have implemented programs to improve student academics in response to pandemic impacts. Examples include: • Tutorial and intervention programs • Targeted reading programs • More personalized student support
30%
20%
10%
0%
Teachers not certified in subject
*Inexperienced teachers, principals
*INCLUDES EDUCATORS WHO RECENTLY ENTERED THE FIELD SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
11
SPRING - KLEIN EDITION
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