Two-minute impact
SISD’s board of trustees approved the FY 2023-24 budget—which shows a general fund with an anticipated $319 million in total revenue but about $345 million in anticipated costs, according to budget documents—on June 27.
- To cover the anticipated shortfall, the district’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund monies will be used, leaving a $3.1 million gap, according to a June 29 news release from the district.
Also of note
On June 8, SISD trustees approved a $10.6 million one-time retention incentive package for employees. However, SISD’s FY 2023-24 budget does not include increases to teacher salaries, Superintendent Lupita Hinojosa said June 27.
“I want our teachers and our staff to know that we understand and we wholeheartedly support all the work that our staff does, our employees do every single day,” Hinojosa said. “It is just a very tough budget for us. You have seen the deficit that we have, and we must do something about it, but know that the administration and most importantly, this board, values every single employee, and we recognize that it's difficult.”
By the numbers
The FY 2023-24 budget is based on an estimated maintenance and operations tax rate of $0.7833 per $100 valuation and a projected student enrollment of 34,265.
According to budget documents, SISD’s FY 2023-24 budget will also include:
- About $297 million designated to payroll costs compared to about $314 million budgeted for FY 2022-23
- About $160 million collected in local revenue compared to $154 million collected for FY 2022-23
- About 54% of budget funding allocated to instructional functions—which cover payroll and professional development training for teachers, teacher aides, librarians, instructional coaches and supplies, as previously reported by Community Impact—compared to about 56% allocated for FY 2022-23
A 14.5% increase in costs was seen statewide for school districts between 2019 and January, according to the Texas comptroller's office. The 88th Texas Legislature opted not to raise the basic allotment, which has remained at $6,160 annually for each student in average daily attendance since the 2019-20 school year.
Meanwhile, the 88th Legislature’s House Bill 3 allowed SISD to add nine officers to its police department, according to the district’s news release.
- Trustees also opted to increase the starting annual pay to $60,000 for police officers June 27.
- The FY 2023-34 budget includes an almost $1 million increase for its police department compared to the district’s third review of its FY 2022-23 budget, according to budget documents.
