During a June 18 board work session, Chief Financial Officer Karen Smith broke down the proposed budget with an estimated shortfall of $45.47 million. Smith said with the approval of Texas House Bill 2, which allocates $8.5 billion of new funding to public schools statewide, CFISD will have more money to address the shortfall, which was previously expected to be closer to $50 million.
The details
Proposed FY 2025-26 expenses include:
- $14 million for a 4% pay increase for all other nonteaching staff
- $4.1 million to reinstate bus transportation
- $2 million to increase salaries for teachers with one to two years of experience
- $1.8 million to increase starting hourly pay for paraprofessionals, or classroom aides, to $15 per hour
- $1.8 million to modify special education stipends
- $776,000 to increase the starting teacher salary to $65,000
- Additional expenses for overtime pay, temporary workers, the November board election and technology maintenance
Some context
Last year, the CFISD board approved large budget cuts, eliminating more than half of district librarian positions and significantly reducing bus routes. Parents have since come forward with concerns about student safety, especially pertaining to school commutes, according to past Community Impact reporting.
At the work session, trustees said there will not be more reductions this year, thanks to recent state support. The proposed budget for the upcoming academic year is about $40 million larger than last year, when the projected shortfall was $77.5 million. Smith said June 18 that she expects the actual deficit for FY 2024-25 to be around $24.3 million.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 2 into law on June 4, which included allotments for teacher raises and retention, special education programs, campus safety and operational costs. Here’s part of the HB 2 breakdown for CFISD, as presented during the work session:
- $4.3 million to support non-administrative staff
- $5,000 for teachers with over five years of experience
- $2,500 for teachers with three to four years of experience
- $106 per enrolled student for a total of $12.6 million
- $1.13 per mile transportation reimbursement for a total of $107,800
The debate
Some trustees, including Lucas Scanlon and Justin Ray, said they’re ready to adopt the proposed budget as is. Ray said the proposal demonstrates progress toward a more balanced budget in the coming academic years.
Others aren’t quite satisfied. Trustee Julie Hinaman said she’d rather see cuts in areas like the internal data dashboard platform, budgeted for $1.3 million, to allow for higher teacher and staff salaries.
“When we look at our goals for the budget and the strategic plan that we set as a board for the district, I don’t know that this has a direct impact on students and employees,” Hinaman said.
Public input
Multiple district employees addressed the board during the work session with concerns about paraprofessional pay, specifically for staff supporting students with special needs, who make less than $30,000 annually. They said even with the proposed 4% pay increase, they won’t be making a livable wage.
“We’re not asking for $60,000 a year, we’re asking for [$35,000],” said Stacey Peterson, a special needs paraprofessional in the district. “If my husband dies, I can’t keep my house on $20,000 per year. It’s not just below pay, it is nonlivable.”
Rosa Solar, a paraprofessional within the district for over five years, said she started working in the school library to keep it operating daily. She said she goes in early each morning without overtime pay to distribute book carts to classrooms.
“Our wages don’t reflect the extra work we are asked to do, and a lot of us have second jobs,” Solar said.
What’s next
The board is set to adopt a budget for the district at its June 23 meeting. Community members can register to speak during the meeting about the proposed 2025-26 budget.
