The overview
The $2.2 billion budget includes just under $2.4 billion in expenditures, setting up a shortfall of $168.5 million, though district officials expect to make up some of the difference in unspent dollars in the current budget. The budget includes funding for several items being prioritized by new Superintendent Mike Miles, appointed to helm the district by the Texas Education Agency June 1, over backlash from public education advocacy groups.
The backstory
The 2023-24 budget was largely based on what had been prepared by the previous administration, before the TEA-initiated takeover Miles said.
However, roughly $100 in changes were approved as a request from Miles to help with the early stages of executing his vision for the district, a plan called Destination 2035. Miles provided some details on where the funding would be cut from at a June 15 meeting, including $25 million in cuts from salary commitments made with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency relief funding; $50 million in cuts from the vendor contract budget; and $30 million in cuts from the central office budget.
The details
Few details were provided about Destination 2035 at the June 15 meeting, but Miles expounded more on the plan June 22. By implementing "wholesale systemic reform, the plan aims to close achievement gaps in the district and better prepare students to enter the workforce, Miles said.
About $19.7 million was set aside to implement the New Education System program at 29 schools that Miles has identified as high-needs. Teachers at those schools will be paid an average of $85,000 per year, Miles previously announced, and must also reapply for their jobs in a process that is ongoing.
Longterm plans involve rolling out the Destination 2035 program beyond the NES schools and to 150 schools total by 2030. Under the NES plan, schools will have pre-approved lesson plans, and more support will be provided to teachers when it comes to running classrooms.
The cost
In New Education System schools, classrooms will have been 12-15 pupils per class in pre-K, a new standard Miles said he would like to roll out districtwide in the longterm and to the district's eight early childhood centers in the nearer future. Officials are looking into the costs of the transition at NES schools first, Miles said, and will report back to the board.
In some schools, limiting classrooms to 12-15 students per room may not be possible because of a lack of rooms, Miles said. In those instances, a teacher's assistant will be added to the room.
“It costs money, but we have enough money to do the supports for 29 schools even if we don’t have it for the whole district,” Miles said.
What they're saying
Opponents of the TEA takeover continued to speak out at board meeting, including against the budgetary changes implemented by Miles, which speakers criticized as changes that did not involve community input and that did not include enough details on where the funding was coming from.
What else?
The district will also see its special education services reformed and will implement a new principal evaluation system in 2023, Miles said. Special education teachers will get assistants in New Education System schools.
HISD plans to roll out six Sunrise Centers across the district, designed to support families outside of classrooms. HISD also temporarily suspended its magnet program policy during the meeting until Aug. 31 to implement new programs at NES schools. Magnet programs outside of NES schools will not be changed, Miles said.
