Don't miss our Legislative Town Hall on Feb. 24

SBISD will host a special Legislative Town Hall meeting beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24. Please make sure to join us.

Legislative 101 Training Session Video Recap

On Jan. 27, many SBISD parents and community members attended a Legislative 101 Training and Information Session held at the HISD Administration Building. SBISD was joined by HISD and both Spring and Cypress-Fairbanks ISDs for this important meeting. At the meeting, school districts and local residents focused on they can work together on student-related issues.

David Thompson, a partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP and an expert in public school financing, told the group that Texas faces its worst budget crisis since World War II. He said that the impact on schools would be lessened if Legislators used a so-called Rainy Day Fund, a $9 billion emergency savings account, among other strategies and tactics.

SBISD Legislative Priorities and Resources

SBISD has posted to its website a special document, titled Legislative Priorities for the 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature. At the site link, you will find contacts for local Legislators and a district map detailing State House and Senate districts. Read more >>

Why should you care about the State Legislature and how its leadership impacts SBISD students?

In 2005, state property taxpayers were told by the Texas Legislature that their property taxes would be lowered and that the funding loss to our schools would be made up through other taxes or revenue sources, including a new business or "margins" tax. That promise to make up for the funding loss has not been kept. The Texas Legislature must honor its commitment and restore this funding.

Reductions proposed in Austin would equate to 15% of SBISD's current funding. This represents a reduction of about $800 per student from the current $5,700 per student allotment, or $20,000 per classroom. Pictured in another way, this is the equivalent of one full class period being eliminated from every student's school day.

In 2006, the state froze school district revenue at the 2006 level. Since that time, in order to fund basic inflationary cost increases, including cost-of-living increases for our teachers, SBISD has made difficult non-campus reductions and used its savings to limit the direct effect on our classrooms. In fact, the current 2010-11 SBISD budget reflects reductions of more than $8 million to make ends meet. Unless the Legislature restores school funding, SBISD will no longer be able to keep the impact of yearly budget reductions away from its classrooms.

Our Priorities:

Spring Branch ISD students will graduate from high school on time and go on to successfully complete a 2-year technical degree, or a 2-year associate's degree, or a 4-year bachelor's degree.

To support this goal, the Legislature must:

  • provide SBISD with a revenue stream that is predictable, takes into account inflationary costs, and is not less than the amount SBISD currently receives;
  • exempt school districts from state mandates for which the Legislature has not appropriated funding sufficient to meet expenditures (for example, costs related to the 4X4 math/science requirement);
  • restore the authority of elected school boards to raise funds locally without a tax-rate election, and eliminate the requirement that any of these additional funds be sent to the state (Robin Hood);
  • return local control and responsibility over important issues, such as the school calendar, to elected school district trustees who are most accountable to the community on matters of public schools; and
  • provide high-performing school districts like SBISD with autonomy and flexibility over their educational program.

Downloads:

As the Texas Legislature continues to meet during the months ahead, reduced budgets and associated reductions will be more clearly defined. SBISD, in the meantime, will continue to communicate with Legislators and our community about what these cuts will mean to our students, our employees and the local community.

www.springbranchisd.com