School district officials see ruling as step backward for state

In the wake of the Texas Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of the state’s school finance system, Spring Branch Independent School District’s board of trustees is urging the community to pressure local lawmakers to address school funding in the next Legislative session.

The district was one of 600 involved in a legal battle challenging the current system, which trustees and administrators say is unfair, inadequate and unsustainable.

The district objected to having to send tax dollars from local homeowners and businesses to the state, a system known as Robin Hood.

“I see the ruling as a step backward for the students, schools, and communities in our state,” said Chris Vierra, board president, wrote in an email. “Regardless of the ruling, I hope the Texas Legislature will do the right thing and take action to bring our system of school funding up to the level that Texas students deserve.”

Vierra said if legislators don’t address school funding, the district will be facing a significant deficit because of payments to the state.

She said Texas already underfunds its students, based on the national average for per-student funding for education, especially for children at the poverty level and English

language learners.

“This also directly impacts SBISD, as 58 percent of our students are socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 33 percent are English language learners,” Vierra said.

Meanwhile, district administrators have been looking at ways to come up with a balanced budget for the 2016-17 school year in the face of a payment of $66 million to the state under Robin Hood and more students to educate.

The preliminary budget calls for $289.9 million in expenditures, 85 percent of which goes to payroll.

Superintendent Scott Muri said they are going to hire 38 additional teachers to address growth, at a cost of $2 million, which will come out of the district’s reserve funds.

While the district can’t afford a pay raise for district staff, Muri has proposed at a one-time, one percent bonus, with a $500 floor, at a cost of $2.5 million, which would also come out of reserves.

Trustees have asked district leaders to explore additional compensation options.

“It is a way to give our employees additional pay this year without building the additional expenditure into the future years where, based on current funding, it would not be unsustainable,” Vierra said.

Estimated revenues for the 2016-17 budget total $305.3 million, up $28 million from this year.

However, payments to the state will double to $66 million from this year’s $33 million.

And the following year, the district is looking at an estimated $91 million payment to the state.

“Basically the additional taxes homeowners pay due to value increases are collected by the district and sent to the state,” Vierra said. “There are no inflationary provisions by which districts can increase their budgets.”

To hold to what is described as a “modified zero-based budget,” which means starting from scratch and asking departments to look at what they need so far, the administration has found $1 million in savings in its own central office.

Details: www.springbranchisd.com