“This is a good budget, but not a great budget,” said Superintendent Dr. Robin Battershell to the board members.
The proposed budget for 2008-09 is $60.1 million, down from the $61.2 million spent during the current 2007-08 budget year.
TISD executive director of finance Charles Mikeska said the district would not replace some of its workers who have left teaching and paraprofessional positions. Instead, the district will try to move employees around to replace those who have decided not to return.
For the 2008-09 budget, TISD has decided to reduce at least five full-time positions. Mikeska estimated the district has between 60 and 70 open positions, which the district also will study over the upcoming months for possible reductions.
Mikeska said the district will not raise taxes for the upcoming school year. The proposed tax rate will match the effective tax rate of $1.23 per $100 valuation. Last year’s tax rate was $1.24 per $100 valuation.
About $33.2 million, or 55 percent, of the proposed budget will go to teaching and instruction, an increase over 2007-08’s $32.9 million. The next highest proposed budget expenditure is for maintenance and operations, which will receive $6.6 million in funding.
There is a total of $756,418 in staff reductions proposed in the budget. Among position and campus funding reductions:
n Cut administrative position for the school year, saving $45,000.
n Cut the position of social studies coordinator, saving $66,000.
n Reduced funding to unspecified Temple High School and Scott Elementary programs, saving $85,000.
n Reduced fine arts funding at Meridith-Dunbar Elementary, saving $6,000.
n Reduced funding to the Wheatley Alternative Education Center, saving $25,000.
n Cut an administrative position at Lamar Middle School, saving $60,000.
n Reduced full-time special education positions, saving $160,000.
n Reduce its number of paraprofessional positions, saving an estimated $120,000.
Mikeska said the district would not be eliminating any programs, although some will receive less funding next year.
Among staffing expense changes, the district will increase paid employee health care by $156,000 during the 2008-09 year to make up for rising insurance premiums.
To help reduce payroll costs, district administrators will receive a 2 percent pay raise, less than an originally proposed 3 percent raise, for the upcoming year. Mikeska said that the money would be shifted into teacher cost-of-living adjustments, which will be set at $1,000 for the school year, over an originally proposed $750.
The proposed budget would also cut about $1.2 million in operational costs, including:
n $450,000 in capital improvement financing.
n $142,000 in transportation operations.
n $10,000 in athletics professional development.
n $20,000 in unspecified athletics funding.
n $50,000 in unspecified contingencies.
n $150,000 in campus operational reductions.
n $370,000 in unspecified funding.
Mikeska said the district will increase fuel funding by 29 percent, from $366,080 in 2007-08 to $471,548 this year. He estimated that food costs will be up 12 to 15 percent for the district for the 2008-09 school year, which the district plans to alleviate by increasing student breakfast and lunch costs between 10 and 20 cents.
The board also approved a 2008-09 staff compensation schedule. Under the new schedule, new teachers will start at $37,250, while all experienced teachers will receive a salary bump, on top of the district’s cost of living adjustment. The Texas required minimum-starting salary for teachers without experience is $27,320.
“In the future, I would like to work with Charles on improving our pay scales,” said Battershell. “But I really want to thank Charles (Mikeska) and everyone else in our offices who helped work on this budget.”
All of the board members present also extended thanks to Mikeska for keeping them informed while the budget was being drafted. TISD held several budget workshops in May and June, which were open to the public that board members attended.
