FISD CFO Kimberly Pickens said the 2016-17 budget needs to address the rapid growth of the district.
Superintendent Jeremy Lyon said class size has increased in the past five years. He said 30 percent of classrooms from kindergarten to fourth grade now exceed the 22:1 class size ratio mandate, causing the district apply for 300 class size waivers this year.
This chart reflects the preliminary budget needs for the 2016-17 school year for Frisco ISD.[/caption]Pickens said the district’s student population increases by 3,000 students or more per year and as the district continues to grow, it face several fiscal challenges.
Those challenges include increased staff needs, increased operational costs at the campus and administrative level, and the need to maintain competitive salaries and benefit packages for teachers and other staff. Pickens also mentioned the $30 million of the Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction fund the district will lose at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.
For the district to stay competitive, Pickens proposed a 2 percent raise for employees, increased medical contributions and an increase to starting teacher salary, among other suggestions.
Overall, the total operating budget needs equal nearly $42.3 million. In May the administration will once again come before the board to present a "near final" budget. Then in June the board will hold a public hearing.
