(Spanish)
Dear SBISD Parents, Colleagues and Community Members,
Spring Branch ISD is paying close and careful attention to the 88th Legislative Session currently underway in Austin. We are very concerned about our district’s financial sustainability beyond the next school year if the Legislature does not infuse significant funds into public education.
Based on bills we’ve seen filed thus far, the proposed funding for public education does not look promising.
Your advocacy is needed now more than ever.
Our Board of Trustees’ Legislative Priorities, and our School Finance Advocacy Team’s priorities call for at least a $1,000 increase in the Basic Allotment. This amount would cut our recapture payment roughly in half. (This year alone, the state will take, or recapture, $87 million in local taxpayer funds from SBISD.)
Two school finance bills filed yesterday, HB 11 and HB 100 call for only a $50 increase in the Basic Allotment, far short of what SBISD needs to continue providing the strong programming and supports our students deserve and our community expects.
Here’s the math:
- The State has an unprecedented $33 billion surplus for the upcoming biennium.
- SBISD’s recapture payment to the State, this year alone: $87 million
- Increased revenue to SBISD based on $50 increase in the Basic Allotment: approximately $ 2 million
- Based on the current language in HB 11 and HB 100, half of the proposed $50 increase must be used to increase compensation for teachers, nurses, counselors, and librarians.
- This amounts to $1 million or only about $400/educator, leaving $1 million in additional state revenue to cover inflationary costs and salary increases for non-educators. (Reminder – inflation for just three line items- fuel, utilities and insurance have averaged about $3 million annually.) THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
- Based on other bills addressing property tax relief, we do not anticipate any new revenue to be generated from local property taxes.
How you can help TODAY:
Please reach out to our legislative delegation, and the members of the Senate Education Committee and House Public Education Committee with this message that spotlights our top priority to increase the Basic Allotment by at least $1,000 and our additional school finance priorities.
Hello! My name is ___________, I am a constituent of Senator/Representative_________________. My child is a student/I am an educator at _____________ in Spring Branch ISD. I am reaching out to encourage [Senator/Representative] to advocate for increased public education funding for our students, including the following school finance reforms:
- Basic allotment increase by at least $1,000
- Automatic inflation adjustment
- Cost of Education adjustment
- Early recapture payment discount
- Full credit for Homestead Exemption
We will continue to monitor the 88th Legislative Session and provide regular updates and calls to action via email and on our school finance webpage as the legislative session unfolds this spring.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Blaine, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools