By: Zach Markovic w/PlanoStar
Students might be just returning from spring break right now but school officials aren’t getting a break from looming budget cuts.
Plano ISD moved a step closer Thursday to understanding how much it will lose from the state. The Senate Subcommittee on Education Funding, headed by Plano’s own state Sen. Florence Shapiro, voted 5-2 to approve its recommendations for the state’s school budget.
The Senate’s plan would reduce the public education budget by 6 percent, resulting in $4 billion to $5 billion in cuts over the next two years. This is only minor relief for PISD, as administrators feared a cut around $9 billion for the upcoming budget.
In a letter to the district released March 14, PISD Superintendent Dr. Doug Otto said he was grateful for the senator’s work in “shoring up as much funds as was possible during these dire economic times.”
“We are appreciative of Sen. Florence Shapiro’s efforts to supplement the state’s funding levels in order to cut the shortfall in half,” he said. “Her current proposed plan does utilize the Rainy Day Fund and other reductions which will place approximately $6 billion back into the school finance system and potentially minimize local funding reductions to Plano ISD.”
Still, the district is planning on anywhere between $57 billion and $64 million shortfall from the government, a deficit not seen by the district before and not one it believes can be handled without affecting classrooms.
In the past, the district has been able to make cuts or use some of the $135 million in the fund balance to right the budget. However, much like when Gov. Rick Perry says he will not sign a budget that dips into the state’s Rainy Day Funds, Plano ISD is always hesitant to touch the fund balance.
“Our district’s annual operating budget is $461 million, so the potential impact is devastating and will forever change the landscape of the educational program offered in our district,” Otto said. “If we laid off every district-level administrator, every campus administrator, nurse, counselor, librarian, educational diagnostician and every instructional aide, we still wouldn’t reach the $57 million mark.”
Lawmakers realize these times are tough, but they also have promises to keep. Many Republican representatives were voted in on the idea to reduce spending and balance the budget – all while not raising taxes.
While Perry did allow for $3.2 billion of the Rainy Day Fund to be used to balance out the closing budget, he and other GOP lawmakers are standing firm on not going back to the fund at all, or at least not until the government budget is cut substantially.
“I am not prepared to support taking any money out of the Rainy Day Fund before looking at every possible way top cut government spending first,” said Plano’s state Rep. Van Taylor.
The district’s plight is not lost on the representative, who said he supports legislation working its way through and allowing districts more control over funds within the district. Control over property tax revenue that has been siphoned away by recapture, or the Robin Hood program, has been a sore subject for the PISD. Otto pointed out how much money the district has given away to other school districts.
“This year will see the district pass the $1.3 billion mark in the 18 years of recapture since 1993,” Otto said. “It is important that our legislators and state leaders know your beliefs, values and priorities for children and children across the state as they develop the state budget for the next two years.”
As Plano’s newest representative, Taylor said he is aware of the district’s reputation. He said he is also aware that people, rather than funds, are what have made the district the excellent example of public education it is in the state.
“Plano’s crown jewel is our education,” Taylor said. “That is why educators are able to educate students with fewer dollars than some other education districts. Our district’s good leadership, conscientious parents and excellent teachers are going to be able to keep education the same in Plano.”
