While this audit was not required due to local disaster declarations, district leaders said the audit was conducted to help provide financial transparency. The audit was completed by Weaver and Tidwell LLP.
Breaking it down
Audit findings show the district’s total operating revenue for all funds for fiscal year 2023-24 totaled $8,941 per student. The average for peer districts totaled $11,132 per student, while the state average totaled $13,037 per student.
Weaver and Tidwell representatives highlighted that the majority of revenue for Boerne ISD and peer districts comes from property taxes.
Additionally, the report found that the district’s operating expenditures for all funds totaled $9,361 per student, while peer districts and the state average were $10,661 per student and $12,944 per student, respectively.
Trustee Garrett Wilson pointed out that the district has maintained a balanced budget over the years and has worked to ensure budgets do not have significant surpluses or shortages.
When comparing payroll expenses, the average teacher salary was $59,514 for the district, and $61,743 and $62,463 for peer district and state averages, respectively.
In FY 2023-24, 85% of the district’s funding went toward payroll, compared to the state average of 77.8%.
What they're saying
Trustee Rich Sena said while the district does not have as many economically disadvantaged students as surrounding districts, the extra state funding those districts receive on top of the recapture the district previously paid has led to pressure on Boerne ISD.
“Not only are we less than our peer group average, we are less than neighboring districts,” Sena said.
Boerne ISD is pursuing a voter-approval tax rate election to utilize golden pennies to generate additional revenue, planned to be distributed to staff salaries. Trustees and staff utilized the information from the audit to highlight the need for the VATRE.
“I think one of the themes of the VATRE is we are doing more with less,” Sena said. “That is a common theme, and it really is true.”
The full audit can be found here.
