However, while the bill pumped billions into teacher pay, special education and insurance, officials in Alvin and Pearland ISDs said the funding didn’t go far enough to address rising costs.
What you need to know
PISD approved its budget with a surplus in late June. Superintendent Larry Berger said the state funding helped, but noted that “thoughtful reductions,” the district’s fund balance and prioritizing items that directly impacted students all helped bridge the gap.
“Like many districts across Texas, we faced continued pressure from rising operational costs, inflation, and the need to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining high-quality staff,” Berger said.
In Alvin ISD, which approved a balanced budget in June, Chief Financial Officer Daniel Combs said the district was “so grateful” for the money provided for teachers. However, he, similar to Berger, noted the rising costs districts have faced in recent years.
Specifically, advocates across the state were looking for an increase of around $1,300 to the per-student basic allotment, which is the funding districts get for each student enrolled. However, it was increased by $55.
“What the Legislature did was certainly appreciated, but it was nowhere near the [$1,300],” Combs said.
Still, officials such as Combs did highlight the pros of the bill, such as helping fund property insurance. For AISD, property insurance almost doubled this fiscal year. The state’s funding helped cover around $2 million of that increase, Combs said.
Zooming out
Advocates for school funding, such as Raise Your Hand Texas, have highlighted the billions in funding for schools, but note in many areas funding still fell short. RYHT Dean of Policy Bob Popinski noted the new funding that went toward the basic allotment was carried over from other funding mechanisms.
In a sense, the state opted against raising the funding amount for one area and instead placed it into the basic student allotment. As a result, advocates like Popinski have argued the additional funding isn’t truly new.
"It's a really complicated way of saying they froze one program to fund another," Popinski said.
However, lawmakers and dozens of school associations across the state praised the bill, with some calling it a “lifeline” for cash-strapped schools, Community Impact previously reported.
Some of those highlights include:
- $3.7 billion for teacher pay
- $1.3 billion for fixed costs, such as transportation and insurance
- $850 million for special education resources
- $430 million for school safety
- $55 increase to per-student basic allotment
Friendswood ISD is expected to approve its budget Aug. 25, Communication Specialist Sofia Armintor said. Officials declined to comment on the effects the bill had on the budget until then.
Hannah Norton contributed to this article.
