Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent Mark Henry and CFO Stuart Snow were invited by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt to testify before the Texas Commission on Public School Finance today in Austin.

Henry shared best practices the district has to maximize efficiency—including utilizing a district-wide curriculum at all 91 campuses, focusing funds in the classroom and executing a three-tiered transportation system.

Snow said the district would not be able to continue this level of financial efficiency and maintain high academic achievement if state revenues continue to decline. The district adopted an $18-million deficit budget in fiscal year 2017-18, and it could face a $50-million deficit in 2018-19 without "another round of massive budget cuts," he said.

The state’s share of funding for an average public school district decreased from 46 percent in 2012 to 41 percent in 2017 as local taxpayers’ portion has increased, according to research from Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. Read more about school finance and how it affects taxpayers and public school districts, including CFISD, here.