1. PISD trustees approve 2017-18 budget, anticipate budget shortfall

The district approved the $165.8 million budget for the 2017-2018 school year with an anticipated 1.4 percent budget shortfall. With the 1.4 percent shortfall, the district would be required to take $1.6 million out of the district reserve fund, which is an accumulation of budget surplus from previous years. The reserve fund has between $42 and $45 million, according to Chief Financial Officer Don Marshall. While the budget was approved unanimously by trustees, PISD board secretary Jeff Barry saying that the board could have balanced the budget without dipping into the district's reserve fund.

“It’s fiscally irresponsible for us to do this,” Barry said.

Barry suggested that the district balance the budget by not allocating money for raises to employee salaries. The budget includes a two percent raise to teacher salaries. The PISD 2017-18 budget will go into effect July 1.

 

2. PISD re-approves contract with private security company 

The district offered All Pro Security Service a contract for one more year on an as-needed basis. According to Superintendent Kelly, concerns include high turnover at some campuses, variability of work ethic and relationships forming between some guards and students. Security guards can be as young as 18 or 19 years old.

"I've seen the platonic and, sometimes, non-platonic relationships that these guards sometimes form with the students," PISD trustee Mike Floyd, who graduated from Glenda Dawson High School this May, said.

As a result, the district requested that there be a minimum age requirement of 25 years for guards working in the schools, but a timeline for implementation wasn't available.

Floyd also cited behavioral issues with the guards.

“I’ve seen guards when there is a fight at school start recording the fight instead of intervening. I can’t provide any kind of factual claim to that but that’s been my personal experience. It’s very hard for me to vote in affirmative for this All Pro Security Agency."

Floyd, who voted in favor of the contract renewal, was assuaged when Superintendent John Kelly said that Dawson High School Principal Kelly Holt wanted to keep security guards rather than be without them.

The contract renewal was unanimously passed by trustees.

 

3. PISD tax rate stays the same, but residents will pay more taxes anyway

The PISD board of trustees voted to hold the property tax rate for 2017 at $1.4156 per $100 valuation, which is the same rate as 2016. While the district tax rate has ticked down over the past 10 years, falling from $1.4294 per $100 valuation in 2007, property appraisal values in Pearland have gone up. With home values going up, the revenue generated through PISD's tax rate has also gone up. While the 2017-18 school year budget maintains the same tax rate, PISD will effectively collect 8 percent more revenue over last year, according to the district's tax notice. The effective tax rate for 2017-18, which means the rate at which tax revenue would remain the same as the previous year, is $1.300775 per $100 valuation, according to the tax notice.