According to Fort Bend Independent School District administrators, budget cuts due to the state’s $27 billion shortfall will take the district back to 2005/06 spending levels. Since that school year, the district has opened 13 campuses with a student population of 11,500 and an employee count of 1,180.
The FBISD Board of Trustees heard a presentation Monday night to mark the beginning of this year’s budget process.
District officials are estimating a $74 million decrease in state funding. The district’s 2010/11 budget includes $359,635,358 for salaries, $64,400,000 for benefits, $19,365,511 for utilities and fuel, $16,724,599 for supplies and materials and $27,994,387 for “other” expenses.
Staffing levels are currently five percent less than the prior year partially due to a reduction in force earlier this year that eliminated more than 400 positions.
Among the budget challenges, district staff says that the district budgets $37 million in contracted services annually, and many of those budget items are “fixed and cannot be easily reduced such as utilities.” Staff also noted that the district will still be required to remain in compliance with unfunded federal and state mandates, such as transportation to their home campus for students who become homeless during the school year, physical education testing, implementation of the STARR accountability system, which is replacing the current TAKS testing system, assessment and ARD requirements for special education students and employee background checks.
Other budgetary issues facing the district for the 2011/12 budget cycle include the opening of Middle School #14, increasing fuel and property insurance rates and “continued concern about balancing health insurance program with limited salary increases.”
As the FBISD Board of Trustees begins the budget process, staff as advised the board to discuss implementing extracurricular activity fees, further tightening the bus routes, perform a cost analysis of academy and vocational programs, discuss departmental and campus budget “adjustments,” look into health insurance program changes and discuss staffing guideline changes.
Yes, I have!
How is it? I have nephew that was in the Willowridge software academy last year but now he isn’t in an academy because they canceled that academy to have the gaming academy. He found out the first day of school that he was no longer in his academy. The district was very wrong for not informing people of what was going on.
FBConcernresident; How can you see that the Telfair developer is doing a
good job, while other Telfair home buyers are still waiting for a new high school tobe constructed as planned by the developer to do? That was the misleading reason new Telfair home buyers bought homes, becuase
plans view a new school tobe constructed, without FBISD approval!
FBISD rezoning is a disgrace. It does not make any sense especially with the current budget problems. It seems more like Chicago style politics. The Telfair developer is doing a good job at bribing somebody…
Calling anyone a “lone ranger” that had such a sweeping election victory shows the ignorance of our electoral system. You nailed it on the head Aoibhann! Obviously an “insider” attempting to protect the borrow, tax and spenders hiding behind Jenney. Keep shining the light, they don’t like it!
And if it weren’t for Lone Ranger State Representative Steve Hochberg, none of you would have learned about the voodoo formulations for the TAKS ratings this past summer.
I have found that the “Lone Ranger” is a refreshing and wonderful slap in the face to the stagnant, status quo. Lone Ranger is the first person I have found in many years who truly WANTS to listen to the grunts in the trenches and who values their opinions. School board members are just like our on-campus administrators and those at the ivory towers: they say they want to listen but it’s all just lip service. The old good PR trick.
Besides, is it always such a bad thing to have one reality-based voice in the crowd? Look how many there were for the Titanic.
Contractors, Lenders and others that feed on taxpayer dollars must lobby
to balance FBISD budget, in a fair an legal way to provide more funds to our school district budget. Prohibit putting the middle class taxpayers personal low budget in a dipper hole!
Bravo! Great commentary everyone! Folks are really beginning to see through the farce. Think about it, do you see the “real game” behind the strategy to get TEA to change the rating?
TEA is “not’ what it used to be once upon a time. TEA strayed from its original authentic purpose and mission and has lost tons of creditability over the years. TEA became compromised somewhere along the line and is not above playing politics.
So if the rating system for rating the academic performance of school districts is so off-key, willy nilly, and guidelines for rating school districts is not exact so as to easily overturned with some muscle applied; then, to me, that says the rating system is seriously flawed and all school districts should be afforded the same opportunity to seek to change their rating if they don’t like how they were rated the first time around.
TEA dogged the poor minority school district of Kendleton for years and finally, it went bust, on the eve of major impending economic growth in the area. So you see, TEA is not above catering to some school districts while offering disparate treatment in dogging out some others in the mix of politics. I have no faith in TEA.
The FB county court should be accountable for opening more roads to nowhere, only to benefit large community developers an misleading into FBISD school overcrowding budget!
Real Estate sales benefits only Texas GOP thats letting big community developers get out of hand by closing the sugarland state prison. Its going to have a big effect on our FBISD BUDGET an more school over crowding on the westside, after this farm land is sold to big home developers an apartments. But without any state funds ato support our FBISD school district!
We notice that Stafford City has good control of expanding large residental developments(HOA) to prohibit school overcrowding, that can mislead into budget deficit effects. HOA and religious churchs are prohibited or limited to expand in the City of Stafford in previous years, to improve local funds.
WOW!! It obvious that many of you are either disgruntal employees of FBISD or just plain clueless. I would really like to know why people think Dr. Jenney is the problem? Since he has come to FBISD we have seen tremendous gains in student achievement, including being named a Recognized District. None of our schools are considered academically acceptable at this time, which is rare for a district this size. I would also like to comment on his salary. If you research salaries for superintendents in a district the size of Fort Bend, then you would see that he is UNDER PAID for the job he is doing. That is like paying a teacher with 30 years of experience only $40,000. Dr. Jenney has invested a lot in his education and has accomplished many things in his career as an educator. He deserves to be paid for his services and I commend him for taking pay cut. His retirement is his business and you do not know all of the details of his contract and you shouldn’t. I am not saying he is perfect, however we need to give him credit. Our schools are performing better then ever, even with a STATE budget shortfall. Instead of getting upset with Dr. Jenney, what about getting mad at our current governor. His ignorance has turned down money from the federal government and has taken money away from education. We all soon pay for his inability to lead this state. When it comes to the board of trustees, I believe that it is vital to have a board that is on the same page. Having a lone ranger has never done any good and we certainly don’t want to go back to the days when we had 3 against 4. That causes a lot of stress for the adminstration, when our focus should be on doing what is best for the students. I would like to comment on the academies and why the are important. Who ever said that academies are not important and that she came out just fine, is ignorant. Education is always evolving and improving. Academies are actractive to many students that are career focused. The academy at Hightower High School has a lot of success. I believe that Willowridge deserves to have an academy and that the PARENTS should support it and encourage their children to attend if that is their field of interest.
First, it’s clear you are either a board member or related to one. I would say you are Sonal. Based on the comments about “lone ranger” (clearly referring to Mr. Babb), referring to the state legislature and saying almost exactly what she said in the article about Dr. Jenney’s contract renewal. How can you say that his contract is not the taxpayers business? Don’t they pay the salary? Why do other districts post their superintendent’s contracts on their website for all to see?
Second, I’m ignorant? Because I say that academies are not something that we should put so much money into? You don’t have to have “academies” to train people for careers. Last time I checked, there were lots and lots of doctors that didn’t attend an academy in high school. They learned biology, calculus, etc. and went to college to study medicine. If you are referring to those that are unable to go to college and require techincal school (nothing wrong with that) there are ways to provide career and technology training within the home school. I remember things like automechanics, cosmetology, etc. when I was in school. I think the things students need can be provided in a different way. The answer isn’t costly academies set up everywhere.
Anyway, I have a right to my opinion and I don’t think name calling is deserved on this board. I am not calling you anything.
Your other comment that people who are on this board must be “disgruntled employees” shows how out of touch you are. You think employees are the district are the only ones upset? Do you pay attention at your board meetings? When the place is so crowded numbers have to be taken? Would you be upset if you worked for a district like some people on this board that was constantly looking for ways to get rid of people, have people living in fear and demoralizing them? You cannot say you would enjoy that type of atmosphere. Talk to people that actually are in the trenches. Have a heart.
Oh, and thanks for the laugh. I loved your comment “None of our schools are considered academically acceptable at this time, which is rare for a district this size.” I think you meant “unacceptable.” The correct sentence should have been, “None of our schools are considered academically unacceptable at this time.” It’s not a rare thing for no schools to be academically acceptable in a large district. But, call others ignorant.
I hope you have a great rest of your day and evening.
I’d like to know if anyone at Willowridge had any input in the selection of the academy! Personally, I think kids play far too many games already! And since the school is making great strides academically, why not put in an academy that is more challenging and will help a larger number of students? If you want to be for real, how many video game designer jobs are available these days?
Have you visited the academy at Willowridge? Just curious.
To TheNest: Yes, I have!
“Having a lone ranger has never done any good and we certainly don’t want to go back to the days when we had 3 against 4. That causes a lot of stress for the adminstration, when our focus should be on doing what is best for the students.”
I just noticed the “that causes a lot of stress for the administration, when OUR focus should be on doing what is best for the students.”
Wow, that sentence proves you are a board member. If you weren’t, you would have said, “when THEIR focus.”
Just noticed that and thought I’d point that out. What a slip-up.
To getalifeforreal. I agree academies do serve a purpose. The question is why place an Academy in an overcrowded school and force students currently zoned to the school to another location?
Large residental community development, effect FBISD budget deficit and mislead into overcrowding schools, that FBISD can’t afford to pay for! Closing the Sugarland state prison will benefit real estate sellers only, but will put FBISD in a deeper budget hole!
All we have just said is why we must get out and vote for 3 new BOT. As a teacher I am also getting a lot of information about more bad news to come as the state cuts away at funding. This board continues to be out of touch and they have not even dealt with the actual issues of student and teachers yet. We need to make sure that class size does not suffer and that paraprofessionals not be cut to a ridiculous ratio in Special Ed. If we think the rezoning is going to affect money, the cuts that relate to the teacher student ratio will affect the future of the students sitting in classroom right now. Let the kids be rezoned to less numbers per teacher and then protect the student teacher ratio. The good teacher ratio will be all we have left but with that, we can survive. Like some one said below we used to not have a lot of fancy programs. Right now we DO have a lot of fluff that actually keeps us from teaching. We have specialists that we do not need and we have coordinators that need to go. And as I already said many times, let’s use our existing schools and not use any money to add expensive
3 million dollar additions to Cornerstone when a very good performing school is 4 miles away. Let’s play fair and rezone everyone in overcrowded areas. Instead what I see is we are taking steps back as we make decisions that are hurting the morale of our district. If kids anywhere are going to succeed they need a chance for a good education. When it comes down to the bottom line it is the teacher working with parents for the students that makes the difference not buildings or programs. I do not want to sit through another mission/vision statement development when they are just empty words. I teach in an affluent school but I know that the quality of the citizens of the future depends on what we do now for ALL of our students. In this district we have managed to offend all parents and teachers. Who else is in the news as much as we are. Other districts have moved on to the more important issues. We desperately need some leadership in FBISD.
Well, I have heard the same thing. They want to cut people on campuses that assess students and handle ARD paperwork, make sure ARDs are in compliance, assist teachers with paperwork and advise on RTI, etc.(diagnosticians). At least that is what I was told by our diagnostician yesterday. Yet, as you say, there are coordinators and facilitators that, as far as anyone has heard, are not on the chopping block. It’s not only the teachers that work with students and parents. Not only the teachers that make a difference. Keep that in mind. I am sure you do not do your job perfectly without any support from anyone.
This district, nor any, could survive without the expert, high-class leadership of coordinators and others at central administration that haven’t been in classrooms for decades (if EVER!) yet are the only decision-makers for the district.
So well-spoken. No new academies, cancel failing academies, no new schools, and no re-purposing of any school. Equalize the numbers to eliminate crowding and give teachers an opportunity to teach. It’s time to stop teaching TAKS and return to good old-fashioned teaching.
If done well and with high expectations, test results would rise and there would not be a need for multiple opportunities to re-test.
You want to know why they really have academies? Good PR. The things this district really cares about is good PR, good standardized test scores for ratings, and the students who make great grades (GT/Honors, AP, Pre-AP, Academy). Have you ever read in one of those fold-out mail-outs from the district an article on a child who went from failing or trouble with the law to honor roll? Or about programs to help struggling students do anything but pass standardized tests? That’s because those students are ignored by the district and fall squarely on the shoulders of the teachers. The money goes to the brainiacs.
You’re kidding, right? FBISD is FAR behind their neighbor to the north when it comes to PR! My gosh, we have SO much to learn from Katy!
And they still will open another school! 13 campuses in 6 years (soon to be 14) is a lot of growth. Too much, to be honest.
Be sure that many things are decided before we ever hear about it…
Did anyone notice that one board member’s favorite area looks they are going to get a 3 million dollar addition to their brand new school (only 3 years old), when Colony Bend Elem is 4 miles away. This is when we have no money and there are schools that really need repair. Oh and didn’t we just spend a good amount to renovate and update Colony Bend. And no I am not a CBE parent just a very upset taxpayer! Most of what was decided was tough to take but we all realize some of it cannot be helped BUT the 3 million on Cornerstone is ourtrages to me when the rest of the district has to be brave and face rezoning! Let’s be fair as we ask everyone to be brave. Move the Cornerstone kids to a very very good school and save 3 million. Time for BOT election to change some things.
“perform a cost analysis of academy and vocational programs”
Gee I wonder which school will be the first to get their academy axed…?
WHS is the second oldest school in the district, but the last to get an academy, one that is totally worthless. You won’t have to wonder for long!
Personally, I hope they don’t touch the Technical Ed Center. 2 of my 3 kids went there and it put them FAR ahead of others before college. Of course, it’s small and probably easy to pick on – especially if they’re possibly closing one or two full high schools in 12-13.
What is the STARR accountability system? As I recall, about a year ago, some schools that did not have these systems had them paid for by their PTA’s/PTO’s. The article leads us to believe that the District paid for this. Not true in all cases.
The STARR is replacing TAKS. The writer of the article should have clarified that for non-educators. It’s the “new” TAKS. The state apparently thinks we need to change the name of TAKS again (was TAAS, before that TEAMS or something stupid). Like it makes any difference.
Is FBISD going to meet its $74M budget deficit by creating “uniformly overcrowded schools”? In Monday’s FBISD meeting which started with a budget workshop and concluded with the zoning workshop, it was as if the Board members who sat in on the budget workshop were not the same ones who sat in the Zoning workshop! and why do I say that ? In the zoning workshop there was no mention of cost savings from the various rezoning options proposed and there was no indication that the priority of FBISD was cost savings and revenue generation instead of creating “Uniformly crowded” High Schools by moving students from one crowded High School (Clements) to create yest another crowded High School (Elkins) with no attention being paid to the fact that the homes that were zoned to Clements would lose value if they were zoned to Elkins and therefore the district would lose more revenue from property taxes. There was no attention paid to options put forward by home owners who proposed moving the Global Languages Academy out of Clements or better still- creating virtual academines so that students could attend virtual classes for the academies from their home campuses, or online without having to be bused across the district. I guess it would be too much to ask our school adminstrators and Board to actually listen to the public who they represent!!
My question is this (and I’ll probably get struck down): Why do we need these academies in the first place? What true value do they offer? I don’t remember there being academies when I was in school. I am in my mid-30′s. I went to school with one of the co-founders of PayPal (no lie). We were all fine and turned out to be successful, educated people. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. that I graduated with. There were no special academies. Just regular school. Maybe if we cut these programs out and actually held students to high standards and made them be responsible for things like,I don’t know, HOMEWORK, we might develop students that are more capable of learning when they get to college. They might not need to be trained on things for an additional four years or so just to be able to compete in college. Just a thought. I know many will disagree.
You may have a point. Texas public education is nowhere near where it was in the 60′s when there were no computers and no academies.
Perhaps we should go back to encyclopedias and libraries. At least then, students were required to read and research! Something is grossly wrong when you have all of this technology and our students are continuing to decline.
I could care less about those who whine about property value when their kids are rezoned from Clements. You want stable value? DO NOT move to a growing/shifting school district. Go to far west or far east Texas to a district who’s population hasn’t changed in 3 decades.
And by the way, when did West become North and East become South?
Changing the names does not change the situation. Synergism and unity within the district—-NOT!
Sounds to me like there was a meeting before the meeting before the meeting. Workshop #6 did not address questions left on the table in Workshop #5! So how did the Board come to a concensus? Now the proposal is to put 9th graders back in Middle School, but only on the East side of the district. What does that mean for 9th graders participating in UIL competitions and sports?
And the cascading across the district was a farce. The only students proposed to move to Willowridge were those from Marshall, both predominately African American schools. That certainly doesn’t improve diversity within the district! So,it’s business as usual! North Side (formerly known as West Side)-10 South Side (formerly known as East Side)-ZERO!
I’m not sure how your scoring system works, but I think the fact that Willowridge is still open is worth a few points.
Now that the East side has been organized, why not try to implement some change by getting people to show up to the voting booth this spring? It sounds like we’ll all be going through the same thing next year. Now that Jenney has 5 more years to screw things up, the last thing the district needs is 6 “yes men” on the board. With a little effort, we can cut it to 3.
Drew,
That’s already in the making. Cutting 3 is at the top of the agenda!
Sorry Drew! I don’t give any points for staying open for another year. It simply allows more time to whittle away at the morale of the school, its teachers, the students, and the community! It’s already begun. The Associate Principal of WHS was named principal at Garcia Middle School at the January 24th meeting! I wish him well, but can you imagine the kind of pressure that is putting on the principal at WHS?
Pay raise? Didn’t you hear? He is taking a $34,000 pay cut! haha
Wait a second — maybe I am wrong but I thought his “bonus” incentive of $34,000 now became a “guarantee”. Am I wrong??
Don’t believe everything you hear. His “pay cut” is a sham. The $34K is going straight into his retirement account, rather than his bank account. And that’s just next year. After that, it goes back to normal. Check out the Fort Bend Star for details.
When is Superintendent Jenney’s next pay raise?
mlee952; Nobody spoke against Dr. Jennys contract renewal on 01/10/11, that speaks for it self that nobody had a better deal to offer or to say to the board before his approval.