Friday's Internet Edition, September 10, 2010.
‘This is not a sky-is-falling mode’
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The trustees also agreed that the district needed to begin three roof repair projects at H.M. King High School. The approved budget of $31 million will produce a deficit that had been discussed at previous budget workshops.
Trustees agreed on the teacher pay increase even though it will contribute to the $1.2 million anticipated deficit.
Teachers will receive a $1,220 annual pay raise. Other staff members will receive about a 3 per pay increase, depending upon the midpoint of their pay scale.
The trustees approved a $1.04 tax rate per $100 valuation for the year and 36.53 cents for debt service.
The budget constraints are due to a declining student enrollment with KISD losing about 125 students this year.
Almost $23 million of the budget goes to salaries and benefits for KISD employees.
During the public budget hearing held before the special meeting a discussion was held concerning roof repairs at H.M. King High School, as well as, teacher pay raises.
Superintendent Dr. Rudy Lopez also pushed for expanded repairs of roofs at King High after earlier suggesting that KISD could get by with only one roof repair project.
Rey Suarez, KISD director of maintenance, pushed for the roof repairs.
“Dr. Lopez, if you asked for my input, all roofs need to be repaired,” Suarez said.
Larry E. Garza, KISD board president, agreed they could no longer wait on the roof repairs at the high school.
Karen Wiesman, KISD assistant superintendent for support services, cautioned the trustees that construction costs have increased 38 percent.
“The roofs are beyond repair and damage is also being done to the rooms,” Wiesman said. One high school staff member said he needed an umbrella when it rained because his office got wet.
The trustees agreed that roof repairs were a priority and that money would be used from the capital projects fund and from the $25 million bond issue money. The bond issue money has a projected $13 million to be spent on repair and renovation of the high school.
After the roof repair discussion the next subject focused on teacher raises again as they had in previous budget workshop meetings.
Harvey School teacher Victoria Garza, who is also president of the local chapter of the Texas State Teachers Association, expressed concern about teacher raises and also raises for the support staff and paraprofessionals.
Jackie Garrett, a Memorial Middle School teacher, told the board KISD needed to be equitable in its pay raises.
“We need to keep teachers here because there is a big turnover and once again we need to lure them in and keep them here,” Garrett said.
Her speech was greeted by a loud applause by several of the teachers present at the meeting.
KISD pays a beginning teacher $33,000 and continues to give good raises the first five years. Balde Leal, KISD personnel director, said this is a common practice in school districts.
Trustee Joe Trevino, who is Brooks ISD superintendent in Falfurrias, said recruiting and retaining teachers are two main issues that needed to be balanced.
“I am in favor of giving raises if our budget could sustain it,” Trevino said.
He said he realized people would go where the money was.
Lopez said he was aware of the equity issue but reminded the audience of the declining enrollment. He said the school district would be looking seriously at consolidation of schools next year.
KISD trustees will hear a feasibility study next month that will make cost effective recommendations. The study is expected to recommend closing schools because of the decline in student enrollment and high operational costs.
Larry Garza said “the decisions made tonight will be hard — and harder decisions will be made in the future.”
“We will be dipping in areas we do not feel comfortable,” he said. One plus factor would be the $25 million bond money that was already in the bank and would be used for facility improvements, according to him.
KISD has $4.6 million in reserves and trustee Juan Garza asked how much money was needed to operate. Larry E. Garza replied that ideally the district needed $7 million in reserves. (TEA recommends keeping $7 million in reserves to operate for three months).
Juan Garza asked the superintendent if there would be a reduction in force in the future. Lopez replied the district would look at attrition.
Larry E. Garza said that three years ago the district had a $2.6 million deficit and during his 14 years as a board member the budget had only been balanced one time and that was last year. He said that other districts had a zero budget (in reserves). He said this was not a panic mode.
“This is not a ‘sky is falling’ mode,” he said.
All seven trustees were at the meeting.