At yesterday’s Board Work Study meeting administration and staff began the first step in workshopping the 2024-2025 school district budget. The Board is expected to adopt the final budget in August 2024.
As we begin the budget planning process, I wanted to share some insight into the state of public school funding and the impacts on our budget. Over the past few years, Katy ISD and public schools across Texas have faced significant budgetary difficulties due to insufficient state funding. Despite a Texas constitutional mandate for the “… support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools,” our legislature has continued to ignore its duty to increase public school districts’ primary source of funding per child — the Basic Allotment. This funding source is the legislatively mandated apportionment of state dollars directed to each Texas school district to provide a basic level of education for its school-age children.
It’s important to highlight that during the recent legislative session of 2023, our lawmakers allocated more than $4 billion for Texas public schools, which has yet to be distributed. Political maneuvering over the past year has led to these funds remaining stagnant in state coffers. The inaction of our legislature has resulted in Texas public schools seeing no increase in the Basic Allotment since 2019. This financial predicament is further compounded by:
- Three years of record high inflation
- Deep fiscal cuts to the School Health and Related Services program that reimburses schools for medically related services for our special education students ($7M loss)
- The legislative cap to the Fast Growth Allotment ($8M loss)
- Expiration of Federal ESSER dollars
- Fast-paced enrollment growth and the increasing diversity of student needs across campuses
Each of these variables adds layers of complexity to school districts’ budgeting processes.
Katy ISD is recognized as a state-acclaimed school district for fiscal integrity and responsibility. Though, like many other school districts, our district is approaching an increasingly difficult task of maintaining balanced budgets year after year. The state’s inaction on school funding has compelled districts throughout Texas to operate on deficit budgets.
Put plainly, without an increase in state funding for public education, our district is facing a challenging budget scenario that will necessitate future reductions and a renewed focus on revenue-generating programs to achieve a balanced budget for the 2024-2025 school year.
With that said, I want our staff and community to understand that as we begin budget planning for the next school year, our priorities are to:
- Retain ALL of our exceptional teachers and staff within our district
- Strategically modify some program models to create greater efficiencies
- Protect core student programs and services
- Phase out programs that have shown limited return on investment
- Ensure all standards for student academic performance remain intact
Partnering alongside our teachers, staff, and parents to deliver unparalleled learning and fiscal responsibility is at the forefront of every decision we make.
As our district and Board work toward developing a 2024-2025 budget, I encourage you to reflect on this with me…Our students deserve more than a “basic” education. Our school and community partnership must resolve to provide the best education possible for Katy ISD students.
This resolve is what distinguishes Katy ISD as the #1 school district in the Houston area, the reason why Forbes has named Katy ISD among the Best Employers in Texas, and the validation for TEA consistently conferring an “A” rating upon our district.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude for the support of the Katy ISD community. I am sincerely thankful for the tireless dedication of our over 13,000 employees who consistently exceed expectations in providing our students with an education well beyond “basic.” As your superintendent, I remain resolute in my dedication to making our school district a place where the future of our students will undoubtedly… Be the Legacy.
Ken Gregorski, Ed.D.
Superintendent
