The Hays CISD board of trustees voted to adopt a $155.9 million budget for the 2013–14 school year on Aug. 29.
Included in the budget are increases in salary and health care contributions for faculty and staff as well as restoration of a school resource officer position that was cut in 2011–12. The officer will serve Dahlstrom Middle School and the Impact Center.
District 4 board member Merideth Keller said she wanted the board to consider revisiting the budget to add funding for more full-time positions in an effort to reduce the district's 22:1 student-teacher ratio ceiling for elementary schools. Last year the board added $300,000 to the budget for full-time-equivalent or FTE positions, Scherff said.
"I don't want our adoption of this budget to give the public the impression that possible FTEs are not in our future or that we're not concerned about that 22:1 ratio," Keller said.
The budget also includes a $1.9 million shortfall, but Deputy Superintendent Carter Scherff said he expected the district to be in "good shape" by the end of the year. Last year's budget included a $5.3 million shortfall. Scherff said the district's ability to overcome budget shortfalls is due to conservative budgeting.
"I made the budget revenue just a little bit less than what's possible, but it's a number that I feel very comfortable with," Scherff said. "On the expenditure side you tend to budget the most you think it will be.
"We have a very good group of folks at the district, and they are very good with the district's money," he said.
The board also voted in August to begin meeting twice monthly during the 2013–14 school year. In most cases, the board will hold a workshop on the third Monday of each month to discuss agenda items and a business meeting to vote on the items on the following Monday.
The board's next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16 at Jack C. Hays High School.
Hays CISD budget by the numbers
- Total revenue: $153,997,432
- Increase from last year: $7,731,173
- Property tax rate: $1.4613
- Change from last year: No change
- Total expenditures: $155,894,758
- Increase from last year: $4,292,844
