[NR] ECISD 2011-'12 property- tax rate and budget
The ECISD Board of Trustees met for a public hearing and the official adoption of the budget and tax rate for the coming year. Luis Galvan was absent.
A. No citizens attended the public hearing.
B. Trustees voted 6-0 to approve the 2011-12 official budget. The total approved budget is $184.56 million, a $7 million decrease from the previous year. ECISD realized a loss of $11.3 million dollars in state funding but was able to offset some of that with a higher than expected student enrollment (by 700) this past year and an increase of almost 7% in the most recent local property values. Still ECISD is expecting to lose $15.9 million in state funding for 2012-13 meaning a total loss of about $27 million dollars over the two-year period.
C. Trustees voted 6-0 to approve the 2011 tax rate. Officially, the tax rate is $1.04 for Maintenance & Operations (the same as last year) and $.092 for Interest & Sinking (also known as debt service and it is a slight decrease from $.095 last year.) The total tax rate of $1.132 will result in an increase of $26.73 for the average taxpayer, depending on an individual’s appraised value.
As was sent to you after the budget workshop on August 10, here are a few key points of this year’s budget discussions and decisions:
- Even before the much-publicized shortfall in state funding, the Board of Trustees had charged District officials with operating more efficiently and to provide the necessary resources to support strong teaching and learning.
- In the spring District officials estimated a loss of about $17 million dollars in state funding and planned cuts of some $14 million along with the use of $3 million from its fund balance.
- Individual departments were given 90% of previous year’s budget and required to substantiate the need for more money.
- With the end of the legislative session ECISD is now expecting the loss of $11.3 million in state funding which means it will not have to use the money from fund balance and can also pay for major classroom priorities like CSCOPE curriculum and New Tech Odessa.
- During the spring ECISD eliminated 106 positions. PLEASE NOTE: Over the course of the entire school year the District eliminated 161 positions for various reasons and added 55 resulting in the net 106.
- Of those positions eliminated due to state budget cuts ALL certified employees who did not retire or resign were placed in other openings.
- Of those positions eliminated due to state budget cuts 95% of paraprofessionals who did not retire or resign were placed in other openings.
- District administrators promised to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible and kept that promise by keeping student-to-teacher ratios the same as last year (and administrators are working toward that goal now as students continue to register for school):
- K-4 22:1
- 5,6 24:1
- Secondary schools 23:1 average – also revamped the staffing process so it is based on student course requests rather than a flat allotment of teachers as was past practice.
- Used Federal Education Jobs money ($4,471,065) released this summer to support health insurance and benefits ensuring that ECISD premiums and benefits will remain intact through December 2012.
- If everything remains the same ECISD will receive another cut in state funding of $4.5 million for the 2012-13 school year. That fact, coupled with the uncertainty of the state’s budget situation, enrollment numbers, and property value appraisals are the reasons District administrators did not propose an across-the-board raise for the coming year. The District must position itself to absorb future cuts/losses without having to cut more positions.
- A shift of Title I funds means some 700 teachers are no longer required to do Time & Effort paperwork.
- All schools are receiving an increase in their basic allotments per student.
The allotment increase coupled with the fact that the District is paying for all CSCOPE costs is putting more money in the hands of the campuses to support teaching and learning.
