Tomball ISD is set to increase its spending on security services by 55.63% in fiscal year 2023-24, according to a presentation by Zack Boles, the assistant superintendent of finance and incoming chief financial officer, during the school board’s May 8 workshop meeting.
What happened: The third budget workshop meeting included a breakdown of the proposed FY 2023-24 budget and how it compares to the FY 2022-23 budget. The areas that will see the biggest increases in spending include:
- Security services: 55.63% increase
- Curriculum/staff development: 13.02% increase
- Instructional leadership: 12.27% increase
- Instruction: 8.75% increase
- Transportation: 7% increase
Quote of note: “What that is tied to is the expansion of our [school resource officer] program,” Boles said of the proposed security services spending. “You’ll see almost a $900,000 increase in that budget [item]. That is all tied to the SRO expansion.”
The backstory: The district is aiming to have 20 officers on its campuses during the 2023-24 school year following the approval of an amendment to its contract with Harris County, Community Impact previously reported.
TISD first contracted with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office in early January, before the city of Tomball terminated its SRO agreement with the district.
What’s next: The district will call a public hearing, after which the proposed budget will be adopted, outgoing Chief Financial Officer Jim Ross said during the workshop meeting.
