The district will need to hold a voter-approved tax rate election, or VATRE, in the near future as it is already facing mounting expenses, LHISD Chief Financial Officer Rosanna Guerrero said.
Two-minute impact
District officials shared the costs associated with two different high school bell schedules at a Dec. 18 board of trustees meeting. Under an A/B block schedule—in which students would attend four 100-minute classes daily—the district would incur an additional $1.3 million in expenses next school year with 21 additional teachers, Chief of Schools Travis Motal said. A seven period schedule would cost almost $200,000 and require three additional teachers, he said.
Almost 84% of surveyed teachers at Liberty Hill High School voted to switch from the current eight period schedule to an A/B block schedule, Motal said. Teachers favored having fewer transitions each day, an easier daily workload and more time for instruction and homework in a previous survey.
While board members and district staff have expressed their support, Guerrero said the district could not financially sustain an A/B block schedule due to a lack of funding. The district is on track to deplete its fund balance by the 2025-26 school year with a budget deficit of $15.4 million expected in that year, Guerrero said.
Costs for staffing are expected to exponentially increase as the district will open three new campuses in 2026, and adopting the new bell schedule could divert funding away from future compensation increases, she said.
Guerrero said it is "undeniable" that the district will need to hold a VATRE even if it does not adopt A/B block scheduling. Although the district has been financially responsible, state funding has not been sufficient to cover the district's growth, she said. A VATRE would allow the district to adopt a higher tax rate than otherwise authorized by the state.
Quote of note
“We have to,” Guerrero said about holding a VATRE. “This, if anything, supports that and why we need to go forward and explain the funding formulas of the state and where we are in our situation. We're doing everything we possibly can to support and educate our children and fiscally responsibly. That's still not enough.”
Looking ahead
Board President Megan Parsons said the board would still like to adopt a new bell schedule and suggested considering a seven period schedule as a more affordable option.
Some board members asked district officials to provide future information on what it would cost to implement A/B block scheduling based on a larger class size of 25 students per teacher compared to 22 currently, which Motal said would reduce costs.
The board also asked to receive more information and data about holding a VATRE.
