The budget has grown from $58.7 million in expenditures last year to $61.6 million in 2007-2008 but with the loss of more than $1 million in special education funding, the district is projecting a conservative $691,433 deficit.
David Pennington, Mary Klentzman and Dorothy Powell each voted against the budget.
Pennington said he was hoping for more in the way of teacher salary increases and was concerned at the quick pace of the budget process this year.
“When we arrive at this point (in a normal budget cycle), this budget has been gone over (multiple times), every question has been answered, every compromise has been made, every explanation has been made and that has not happened this year,” Pennington said. “All I’ve heard in the last two school board elections was ‘fiscal responsibility’ and ‘transparency.’ This budget does not address either, and I’m very concerned about the financial situation in this district.”
He was curious about why administrative spending is up when earlier in the school year the board was told to expect $380,000 decrease in administrative spending.
Superintendent Beto Gonzalez said Monday the district needed to hire a math facilitator to help improve low TAKS math scores and an assistant superintendent of curriculum.
Michael Tuttle, executive director of administration, said the $380,000 in cuts is part of a multiyear reorganization plan.
Mrs. Klentzman said her fiscal concerns were with the $750 raise for teachers and the community’s desire for a decrease in administrative spending. She also said she thinks Temple should not be deficit budgeting.
Mrs. Powell declined to comment.
Board president Steve Wright attended every finance committee meeting and said all his questions were answered in the $61.5 million budget.
“The administration has done an outstanding job working through the issues and being financially responsible and accountable to the taxpayers and the students that we serve,” Wright said. “We actually felt pretty good at being able to obtain raises for teachers during the budget process. Funding is very tight and we felt really good about being able to obtain raises.”
The board also selected Compass Bank’s bid to purchase $19.9 million in bonds approved by Temple voters this spring. Compass Bank had the lowest interest rate with 4.27 percent, followed by a bid by Bank of America for 4.45 percent, a 4.63 percent bid by Bank of America Public Capital Corporation, and a 5.2 percent bid by J.P. Morgan Chase. Subtracting fees associated with selling the bond the district is expected to have $19.81 million in hand for building projects by the end of July. Administrators said they hope with such a low interest rate the district will be able reinvest the bond money before it is used on the construction and generate revenue for other improvements.
Max Cleaver, executive director of facilities and operations said next month the board will discuss architects and a method of construction for fine arts, science and technology improvements. Cleaver said starting from when contractor signs on it will be 18 to 24 months before all construction projects are finished.
