College Station school district board members and administrators are waiting on the state to provide more information that impacts next year’s budget.
Board members at this week’s budget workshop were anxious to make decisions on pay raises and other staffing issues.
After board member Geralyn Nolan said “it’s better to not hire and hold off on that, rather than have to let people go eventually”, CSISD superintendent Mike Martindale said any personnel cuts would be through attrition.
Martindale was among administrators who told the board they are waiting on the state to make financial decisions that could allow CSISD to restore eight janitorial positions at elementary schools that were eliminated in 2011.
Board member Kimberly McAdams told CSISD’s new financial officer Amy Drozd that last year at this time the board was able to announce pay raises. Drozd says some CSISD salaries are higher than peer districts and other positions are lower.
Drozd says the board will receive recommendations about what is now $1.5 million dollars for pay increases and benefits after getting better revenue projections.
CSISD enrollment is projected to increase two and a half percent next year.
No board members or administrators brought up the ILT charter school opening a high school. But concerns were raised about students not returning due to the pandemic.
CSISD board members were told administrators have posted job openings for $228,000 of $1 million in new positions for the 2020-2021 school year. That’s out of $5.85 million of new personnel requests.
The board was also told there are $3.98 million in “exceptional item” requests for the next school year. So far, $300,000 has been found in this year’s budget to pay for new science equipment, band instruments, and furniture.
Other challenges raised by Drozd in developing the fiscal year 2021 budget included:
● Student enrollment may not follow the normal trends or demographer projections
● What the educational school day will look like in the transition
● Potential changes in the calculation of average daily attendance (ADA)
● Lower than normal property value growth
● Property value information delays
