Leander ISD is cutting $16 million from its budget due to a lack of increased state funding, leading to staffing reductions and an increased student-teacher ratio. The cuts will impact classroom resources and potentially affect student learning outcomes.
Leander Independent School District (ISD) is facing a financial shortfall and will implement budget cuts totaling $16 million to address the deficit. Superintendent Bruce Gearing explained that the district's financial struggles stem primarily from a lack of increased state funding, leading to a projected deficit of $21 million higher than anticipated. The district is currently absorbing this deficit using its fund balance, but this unsustainable practice must cease.
Gearing emphasized the district's reliance on personnel costs, which constitute 87 percent of its budget, making staffing cuts unavoidable. The cuts will impact classroom resources and result in an adjusted student-teacher ratio of 20-to-1 in elementary schools, 23-to-1 in middle schools, and 22-to-1 in high schools. This adjustment will lead to the loss of approximately 122 educators. Gearing stated that the district explored various options, including cutting central office positions, but the magnitude of the deficit necessitates cuts at the campus level.Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas State Teachers Association, expressed concern regarding the impact of these cuts on students, stating that larger class sizes could hinder their development and the ability to establish meaningful teacher-student relationships. Molina also highlighted the additional burdens placed on educators who often contribute financially to support their students' needs beyond the curriculum. Gearing expressed hope that the state legislature will fulfill Governor Greg Abbott's promise to fund public education adequately if the school choice voucher bill is enacted. He stressed the legislature's constitutional responsibility to fund public schools and lamented the unallocated funds from the previous session amounting to $4.5 billion. Gearing believes that sufficient resources are available and urges the legislature to prioritize adequate funding for public education
BUDGET CUTS EDUCATION FUNDING TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS STAFFING CLASS SIZES
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