By Jolie Jackson
Due to legislative decisions regarding public school funding, Texas schools are experiencing extreme budget deficits. Friendswood ISD is one of many districts having to make serious budget cuts.
During this legislative period, the state has pushed Governor Greg Abbott to alleviate some of the $32.7 billion budget surplus; however, Abbott wants bills regarding school vouchers to be passed first. This has created a standstill with no additional funding released.
“Abbott wants parents to have 100% choice on where the funds go, and he’s not going to fund public schools until he has the vouchers and in the form that he wants them,” FISD Board President Tony Hopkins said.
The surplus budget came from legislation in 2019 but has not changed since then. “I have to give our former seats and Larry Taylor a whole lot of credit because they made a significant investment in public schooling,” Hopkins said. “There was $4 billion appropriated for public schools last legislative session, but it is still sitting there in the state’s bank account.”
Though legislation has not helped with additional funds, Abbott passed House Bill Three to increase safety protocols in public schools. According to Hopkins, this will cost the district around $960,000.
“The funding we actually get for safety is currently at about $180,000,” he said. “We’re retaining our four Friendswood police department officers and we’re adding three additional officers through third-party services, so that’s an additional hole that we’ve had to fill this year.”
While facing low funding, the district also faces rising inflation costs. To combat the issue, some budget cuts include changes in property insurance and bringing back a part-time energy manager; however, the biggest cuts are affecting FISD employees.
“People are such a large percent of our budget, 80-85%, so we’ve had to really look at those expenses,” Hopkins said. “Along with eliminating second planning periods, there’s certain positions that we’ve decided not to refill as we’ve had employees retire or decided to take other opportunities.”
The budget cuts have shaved $1.4 million off the total $1.8 million. Hopkins has made school attendance a priority to hit zero in the near future.
“There will be a big focus on having our teachers and students in the classroom next year, which will allow us to receive a little bit higher revenue than we have received,” he said. “Attendance peaked the year after Covid, but now we want kids in class every day possible.”
Though the budget situation is tense, Hopkins is confident that Friendswood will stay strong.
“We are still working with our legislators to get funding, but nothing can happen until either Governor Abbott calls a special session or we get to a regular session next year,” Hopkins said. “We will make it through this and we’ve made it through before, but there are costs when you have to make these cuts. Our plan is to continue to provide great education in the meantime.”
