Fort Bend Independent School District administrators say that as of December, they’ve shaved more than $8 million off of the district’s $9.9 million budget deficit.
Due to a reporting error, the original version of this story incorrectly stated that the district had lowered the budget by about $2 million instead of $8.1 million, which is the correct figure.
Much of the savings came via cuts from department and campus operating budgets – about $3.74 million, according to figures provided by the district.
Another $1.25 million has been saved because the district has stopped contributing to FBISD’s teacher attendance incentive plan, according to district figures.
Several other areas of savings were outlined in a Tuesday board meeting, in presentations by four administrators.
The presentations didn’t make mention of the campus budget cuts, the attendance incentive plan changes or of $500,000 the district says it saved through changing its prescription health plan provider.
Lindsay Shepheard, executive administrator for Superintendent Dr. Timothy Jenney, told board members that just over $1 million was saved because the district purchased certain items budgeted in the general fund, but paid for them with interest money accumulated from earnings from previous bonds.
Only certain items, such as software licenses, can legally be purchased in that way, officials said. Shepheard’s figures indicated that, through December, more than $1 million was saved through such purchases.
Chief Human Resources Director Rhonda McWilliams said more than $700,000 has been saved through December by either not filling or delaying the filling of job vacancies in the district – except for teaching positions or other critical jobs.
Most “savings” figures apparently were calculated by comparing figures with last year’s budget.
Another approximate $442,000 in savings came without any action by the district – as the cost of fuel fell below what had been budgeted, figures by Director of Transportation Richard Torres indicated.
Director of Facilities Michael Johnson showed the board figures indicating close to $400,000 has been saved so far this school year because of reduced electrical costs and use.
Saying he was revealing the information publicly for the first time, Johnson said he’d lowed the threshhold of thermostats at most district buildings so that heat doesn’t come on until the temperature reaches 70 degrees, instead of 71 as it had been. Likewise, air conditioning now doesn’t come on at most buildings until the temperature hits 74 degrees instead of 73.
Also, McWilliams said the district has saved more than $130,000 through December by using fewer substitute teachers than last year. That means there have been fewer teacher absences.
However, McWilliams said that on Dec. 12, the district needed 432 substitutes because that many teachers had called in sick or were otherwise absent. “Keep in mind here, we have 6,000 teachers,” she added.
McWilliams told board members that on any given Friday or Monday requests for substitutes don’t all get filled. She attributed that to an antiquated system used to automatically make calls for substitutes, and also the fact that people are less likely to want to substitute that close to a weekend.
An additional $114,000 in savings has been realized by the district because of a reduction in fuel consumption, Torres’ figures showed.
“We’re at $8 million, and getting closer” to eliminating the deficit, Shepheard said.
“So at the end of the year we won’t have dipped into our fund balance, right?” Board President Sonal Bhuchar asked Jenney.
“That is the goal,” the superintendent replied.
The board took heat in a public hearing in August, just before voting to adopt the district’s first-ever deficit budget.
In addition to running a deficit, the budget covered raises of about 3% for all district employees.
“Where do we project we’ll be at the end of the year?” Trustee Daniel Menendez asked district Chief Financial Officer Mike Seale.
Seale said he won’t be able to make predictions about the status of the deficit until he receives updated student enrollment figures.
The district receives a significant portion of its revenue from the state of Texas, based on enrollment.
Although – as district administrators and board members pointed out during and since the budget-making process – the state has reduced its share of funding.
In 2007-’08, the state provided about $236.2 million, or 50.8%, of FBISD’s general fund. In the current budget that amount dropped to about $218.7 million, or 46.7%.
as usual when “the truth” comes out and it always does, how different reality really is than how some tried to paint it…..
it’ll be interesting to watch who will now challenge these facts
Ha! Kitty wanders how your fiscals look today! =-)
The original version of this story grossly understated the amount FBISD administrators have shaved from the original $9.9 million budget deficit. The correct amount, $8.1 million, now is reflected in the story.
The error came through the reporting sin of assumption – in this case assuming that the figures presented at a recent board meeting included all of the budget savings to date. They did not.
Kitty we’re just one big happy taxcoalition here….well sum of us want really lower taxes….
so we’re a coalition a consensus for lower taxes…..wow!
thanks to my good friends at FBISDwatchdog…..I’ve learned the art of dblspeak…..
Looks like creative word smithing again to me. No one in here has defended a tax increase but you by defending a legislative official that was pushing a record bond debt one month and then attacking paying it off the next.
Better try another tactic.
I’m sorry you’re against lowering taxes….for the common man.
Well,
I’m not “getting into” this conversation. So I’m going shopping with my Mom. She loves me.
Okay,
So please. Does this “consentially” relate? I propose a toast to Rep. Charlie Howard — not that my family lives in his district, but because he vehemently stands against some things I stand against too!
so we have a consensus Rep Charlie Howard stood up to FBISD against the tax increase….isn’t that FBISDwatchdogs wants?
I’m glad we all agree…..
so you admit Rep Charlie Howard called the FBISD out on the tax increase….wow that must hurt.
I was there when Charlie spoke. He insulted the Board of Trustees and spoke as if he had just gotten off a flight from Mars. He deserved every bit of disdain he received.
Sugar Land and Fort Bend ISD deserves better representation. Speaking of working both sides of the issue, Charlie supported the Trans Texas Corridor until he noticed he was on the losing end of that one. His latest “newsletter” touts how he is against the TTC and preserving property rights.
Factually speaking- ask any principal in FBISD what kind of pressure they are under- everyone in this District should be riding their representatives like a rodeo pony telling them that they need to adequately fund education. The State Legislature is funding at the same rate they were in 2005- are children suffer while Rick Perry’s “rainy day fund” keeps growing.
Mms. Scarlet’s infamous warm words? Bob won’t let me d***in…
I’m miffed, hot but miffed! =-)
and the noise continues….
As I have mentioned previously, I think we all are “too busy” enjoying the wonderful ambiance of the pursuit of happiness, the shopping, and eating at great restaurants in the surrounding Sugar Land area to really take a stand regarding the unpleasantness of controversy. It is easier to pretend its is not what it is and bury our heads in the sand.
On one end of the spectrum, some of us are a little like Scarlet O’Hara; we’ll think about it tomorrow. And some of us are, perhaps, like Rhett Butler, and you know what his famous words were as he walked away from Scarlet at the end of the story.
“How else does the District “save money?” By cutting your children’s activities and enrichment budgets by almost 10% on the justification that $$$ were pulled from the bloated fund balance to do so.” —-Anthony 1
Oh, my I was not aware of the above. Well, well. So are the children on the short end of the stick?
Thanks Kampf. When I read the bit about the savings I laughed outloud. Didn’t FBISD administrators or Mr. Johson figure that the public would catch on to the fact that the electrical “savings” were really due to Hurricane Ike and no school for 2 weeks. I hope that there are others that see through this spin. Could it be the fuel savings that were claimed by the district is really due to the price of fuel dropping more than 60% in the last year and a half due to a global recession. With the help of a hurricane which closed schools for two weeks, and a recession that has made gas cheap, how couldn’t you “save” money?
I remember when Rep Charlie Howard spoke out against the tax increase and many here vilified him…..
The Board didn’t take heat for giving educators much deserved raises, they took heat for having a huge fund balance while continuing to raise property taxes. What people are failing to look at though is property appraisals that continue to creep up.
How else does the District “save money?” By cutting your children’s activities and enrichment budgets by almost 10% on the justification that $$$ were pulled from the bloated fund balance to do so. I’m not being critical… I just think it is a matter of priorities.
It is true that numbers can be made to say anything you want. Take for example the district’s Director of Facilities Michael Johnson showing figures of close to $400,000 have been saved so far on electrical usage. Mr. Johnson also states that “he was revealing the information publicly for the first time”.
Now, keep in mind that there was a little event by the name of Hurricane Ike, which kept FBISD closed for a period of two weeks, with McCollough Ms being closed all semester. Now, do you think that having the school district’s 80 plus buildings shut down for a two week period, whereas the year before there was no such two week period would account for these “savings”? My personal electrical bill was $50 dollars the month after Ike. Could it be that these “savings” are no more than a result of having your 80 plus buildings shut down for two weeks? Numbers really can say what ever you want them to, can’t they?
Well I’m not too sure they’re just not playing monkey games, moving money around and using various tricks to show how they’re saving money. The proof will be at years end when they either come in under or over budget.