Since last November, the College Station school district has been working on a way to keep $1.2 million dollars from a city bond refund. Superintendent Eddie Coulson says he is not optimistic that will happen, due to the state’s school finance law. A final decision has not been made by the Texas Education Agency.
This comes as the CSISD board of trustees and administrators discussed the 2012-2013 budget this week.
Next year’s draft budget proposes going to the district’s maintenance and operations fund balance, or savings account, to come up with $4.65 million dollars to operate the first year of the new College Station High School.
The proposal includes a 1.5% operational increase, including a 1.5% increase in employee salaries. Administrators say the small increase is an attempt to offset cost-of-living increases, including the rising costs of health benefits.
The draft budget has $1.8 million dollars in reductions. Recommendations includes high school teachers in core subjects teaching six periods a day instead of five, eliminating 10 to 15 elementary teachers to bring class sizes closer to state mandates, reducing central office personnel, and restructuring support staff in the instructional technology department.
All extracurricular activities would be maintained.
The overall property tax rate in CSISD would remain the same. The proposal calls for a four-cent increase in maintenance and operations, generating $2.5 million dollars in new revenue. Administrators say there would be a four-cent decrease in the interest and sinking fund (I&S) because of savings realized through bond refinancing and by using a portion of the I&S fund balance.
Trustees also discussed the possibility of visiting PTO meetings to present the current funding situation with parents.
Dr. Eddie Coulson visits with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.