School Board Holds Meetings On Budget, Bond
Hart ISD Board of Trustees Adopts Budget
By Neoma Williams
At the June 25, 2019, school board meeting, a budget for the 2019-20 year was adopted. Since Hart ISD does not have a business manager, the Region 16 Service Center out of Amarillo handles the budget. Kristen Brown of the Center presented the budget. Interim Superintendent Steve Post said that because of House Bill 3, there will be changes made, but that the budget needed to be adopted by June 30. Members present at this meeting were Mary Ann Carrasco, Marsela Marin, Angelica Ramirez, Julissa Chavez, Alex Carrasco, Martha Gonzales and Erasmo Mata.
The budget calls for revenues of $2,289,466 and expenditures of $2,309, 466. During the discussion on the budget, it was noted that in the Cocurricular Activities portion of the 2018-19 budget, $75,000 more than the budgeted figure of $61,613 was spent. This reporter asked Post later where are the safeguards in the agreement between HISD and Region 16 as to when a red flag is thrown up in such instances. He said that he will be exploring this to remedy such a situation.
Post later told this reporter that in his superintendent experiences, he has only worked with business managers on budgets and not with the Service Center. On Thursday, August 1, he said that in talks with Region 16 that it is the practice of the Service Center to do only what the school requests. He said that budget amendments must be one of the remedies for such an overage. “I’m still working on the budget,” he said, and plans are to present it in its amended form to the school board in August.
In discussing expenditures, Post told the school board that Hart pays teachers about $3,000 above the state salary schedule, and HB3 will compress the current tax rate of $1.17/$100 valuation to $1.06835. These rates are for Maintenance and Organization, and there will be an Interest and Sinking rate of $0.25/$100 valuation. The I&S payment on the bonds will range from $0.2220 the first year to $0.222 the 15th year, with slight increases in the intervening years, to pay for the interest and principal on the two million dollar bond passed on May 4. It was suggested by the company handling the bond sale that a cushion be provided on the I&S rate.
At this June meeting, the Board approved Coach Ruby Romero as Athletic Director; Christian Brooks as teacher/coach; and Martin Rodriguez as certified teacher/coach. Brooks will be the head football coach. Also, Mary Ann Carrasco and Erasmo Mata will be the delegates for the Taxes Association of School Administrators convention.
On July 24, Specialized Public Finance Inc. (SPFI) competitively bid the Unlimited Tax School Building Bonds, Series 2019. Vince Valle with SPFI was at the school board meeting that day and announced that The Baker Group won the bid. The Bonds are rated AAA, and will be amortized over a 15-year period with annual debt service payments ranging from $160,358 in 2020 to $162,000 in 2034. An interest rate of 2.55% is included in the payments…thus, the I&S rate. The projects the money will be spent on are being prioritized. Post did tell the Board that the school district is under contract with ARMKO Roofing Consultants. He has talked with the owner of the business, Brad Draper. He said there are several ways the school district can opt to begin remodeling, repairs, etc., under the bond monies provision. One is an architect contractor process, a construction manager, competitive bids, and competitive sealed proposals. He leans toward competitive bids. This will be decided later
At the July 15 school board meeting, insurance premiums for the upcoming year were approved. The insurance is through the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Risk Fund. Workers compensation premium is $4,130 and Auto, Liability and Property insurance is $50,538.
Post handed out charts of financial data to the board members at the July 15 meeting. He said that a large portion of the revenues of a school district is based on the number of kids enrolled. And the amount per student the state pays varies from student to student, based on which category they fall in, such as special education, regular classroom, etc. Also involved are attendance rates. Local taxes are based on property values and the tax collected on the property. He pointed out that Hart ISD had revenues of $3.6 million in 2014 and $2.2 million in 2019. In 2015-16, the district was spending more than what was brought in.
He added that a general rule of thumb for a public school district is to have surplus funds of three to four months on hand in which to operate. In 2012, there were 304 students enrolled at Hart ISD; in 2019, that had dropped to 213 at the beginning of school and ended at 194 at the end of the year. Post said that 75-80% of expenditures is salaries. He did say that fund balance is $1,931,535.
“You can’t continue this (spending more than revenues),” Post told the board. He also said that Hart has more staff than comparable schools. In the new House Bill 3, Post said that 30% of any gains in revenue must be put into salaries.
HB3 includes $6.5 billion to improve public education and pay teachers, plus $5.1 billion to lower school district taxes. Post said the extra revenue Hart receives will last two years…until the next state legislative session begins. Some of the extra money has come from the Rainy Day Fund, Post said. He said that HB3 has no provision for sustaining the increased revenues beyond the two years.
He said that Hart ISD will receive between $136,000 to $137,000 extra this school year and next. A salary schedule for certified teachers was approved, giving Hart teachers on the average a $4,000 yearly raise. At Hart, beginning teachers will make $37,000 a year, and those with 20 or more years of experience, the figure is $60,000. Post said that because Hart is an economically disadvantaged district helped to get this extra money, adding that some districts didn’t fare as well. He said that HB3 requires that 305 of any new money be spent on teacher raises, and that 75% of that be on administrators and the other 25% may go to other non-administrative, non certified staff.
At the July 24 meeting, handbooks were approved. Stipends were approved, and a change made that stipends routinely be paid to certified teachers who can be paid based on salary and not an hourly rate as would be the case for non-certified persons. He did add that there will be a non-certified person, Rosario Gonzales, II, helping Brooks to coach the boys. Gonzales works in maintenance at HISD and Post said that he is working on how to keep him in compliance with federal wage and hour laws with his two jobs at the district. Gonzales will be paid a stipend of $2,000 for football and $2,000 for basketball.
He said that all teacher positions have been filled, adding that two positions from last school year will not be filled because of budget constraints, secondary math and social studies positions. Also, HB3 provides for a fully funded, full day prekindergarten class.
Different Dress Shorts Dress Code For Boys Than Girls Adopted
At the July 24 meeting, Board member Marsela Marin made the motion regarding the student dress code that no shorts can be worn by girls in Grades 7-12, with an exception for athletic activities, and that dresses must reach the knee. Both boys and girls had been able to wear shorts to school in these grades this past school year. Also, she included in her motion that all students parking on school property must have a driver’s license. Alex Carrasco seconded this, and these passed 3-1 with the dissenting vote from President Mary Ann Carrasco. She did not agree with the dress code change.
This reporter talked with Post later, questioning how this action on shorts not be considered discriminatory based on gender. He said on Thursday that he had spoken with the school’s attorney and that this action likely will be addressed at a later meeting to make it gender-neutral.