 State
money cutbacks force Northside ISD to freeze salaries, cut 200 positions,
eliminate programs
Dr. John M. Folks
Superintendent, Northside Independent School District
In the midst of unprecedented growth, 5,800 more students and opening
seven new schools in two years, Northside ISD (San Antonio) was forced
into an unenviable position of having to freeze 10,000 employees'
salaries, initiate a reduction in force that affected 200 positions,
and eliminate instructional programs all part of a $22.7 million
budget cutback that was imposed.
Northside ISD Superintendent
Dr. John Folks laid the blame squarely on the fact that the state
is not adequately supporting public education. ãWhile
the state was also facing its own budget crisis, they also set priorities
on what to fund. Unfortunately, public education was shortchanged,ä Dr.
Folks said.
School districts, like
Northside, have compounded challenges. ãNot
only are we losing state assistance, we are also growing at incredible
rates. All these children require classrooms,ä says Folks. In fact,
NISD has opened 21 schools in ten years. While the construction of
these schools comes out of voter approved bonds, the operations of
the school and salaries for additional staff come out of the Maintenance & Operations
tax which is capped now. There is no more ability to raise additional
funds locally.
The Northside ISD School Board was forced to take drastic measures
in summer 2003 following the cutbacks in funding from the state.
These cutbacks included summer school funding, Student Success Initiative,
9 th Grade Initiative, Extended Year Program, Teen Parenting, Guidance
counselors, and alternative education disciplinary programs.
"Everything that was not
a state mandate was on the table for consideration for cutbacks,"
says Dr. Folks, who labored with senior staff and
the Board of Trustees for two months to decide what programs would
be funded or not funded for 2003-04. ãIt was a very difficult process,ä he
says, ãbecause the programs would not have been funded in the first
place if they were not good programs that met children's needs.ä
In addition, the state
imposed a .4% payroll tax to the District to support TRS Care ($1.4
million hit to the M&O budget), doubled
the TRS Care employee contribution required by the district (a $864,257
hit to employees), slashed in half the state supported health insurance
supplement for all employees (a $5,555,000 hit to employees), and
cut the career and technology education allotment ($304,309 hit to
the M& O budget) and cut several Texas Education Agency programs
($1,348,142 to the M&O budget and to the special revenues account.
To address the state funding cuts, NISD took drastic actions. The
state cuts and unfunded mandates resulted in NISD freezing all employees'
salaries (an impact of $10,288,930); reducing campus budgets by 1.5%
($1,080,034); increasing the student-teacher ratio from 25.47 to
26.50 at the high schools ($1,229,455); increasing the students-teacher
ratio at the middle schools from 20.33 to 22.33 ($2,862,010); increasing
the counselor-student ratio from 1/400 to 1/425 ($1,047,026); reducing
physical education teachers at elementary schools ($294,060); reducing
the formulas for library books ($124,993); combining two schools
for at risk high school students ($284,233); and reducing the number
of teachers in the gifted and talented program ($302,325).
Other cutbacks included downsizing the bilingual program ($91,000);
reductions in staffing in compensatory education ($1,375,962); discontinuing
some testing ($73,147); reducing special education staffing ($1,098,745);
reducing stipends and materials in adult and community education
($67,000); reassigning additional teaching loads to coaches ($200,000);
reducing the staff at the elementary alternative education school
($149,982); eliminating field trips ($72,758); reducing formula campus
accounts ($602,379); reducing improvements in budgets $1,000,000);
eliminating summer recreation programs ($36,870); and reducing most
extra day stipends ($313,985).
ãOur staff has been very supportive and understanding of the predicament
that Northside ISD and other school districts are in,ä Dr. Folks
concludes, ãbut without adequate state funding, I don't know whether
or not we will be able to weather another year with additional cutbacks·not
when we expect to open six more schools in the next three years and
enroll another 14,200 students.ä
( Note: Northside ISD is the sixth largest
school district in Texas . The suburb/urban/rural school district
is located in northwest Bexar County . It has an enrollment of
71,507 students in 87 schools and employs over 10,000 people. Dr.
John M. Folks is the Superintendent.) |
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