Leader ISD’s Board of Trustees received a budget update at their Thursday evening meeting and are expected to hear final budget recommendations at their June 15 meeting.
Chief Financial Officer Lucas Janda updated board trustees on school finance discussions from the Texas Legislature.
“From the way that the regular session finished up [Monday], they could not agree on school finance,” he said.
For the most part, “there’s no additional funds for public education. What we actually see is a cut into the pre-K program that exists. It is what it is at this point,” Janda continued.
One recommendation board members will hear June 15 is regarding teacher salaries across the district. Janda said staff continues to monitor how other districts are raising their salaries, and Superintendent Dan Troxell said administration is looking at all aspects of the budget.
“Although there may be a special session coming, I don’t think it’s going to touch—although I can’t read the governor’s mind—the issue of school finance,” Troxell said. “We’re just trying to go through a deep dive into our current budget. We want to be as competitive as can be.”
Board Trustee Trish Bode requested staff also consider how the district’s benefits, along with salaries, compare to others in the area.
“I’d like to keep that in perspective as we continue this conversation,” she said.