Budget Reduction

Updated budget rankings include federal dollars
Round Rock ISD has updated its website with a new Budget Reduction List which takes into account the $6.9 million in federal dollars allocated to the district last month. During the ongoing budget process, Round Rock ISD has attempted to provide updated, accurate information to the public as quickly as possible. A previous Reduction List was released last week, however, the list did not correctly factor in the federal money and its impact on the projected state funding... UPDATED BUDGET LIST

Trustees approve use of federal dollars
Round Rock ISD has received notification that it will receive additional dollars from the federal government to fund campus jobs. The additional $6,873,545 will go towards funding items initially eliminated due to the state’s budget crisis. At the May 16, 2011 Budget Workshop, the Board of Trustees approved the restoration of 140 positions using the federal funds...

RRISD finalizes budget reduction lists
Round Rock ISD has outlined a list of potential budget reductions to partially help the district meet its projected $61 million shortfall in state funding for the 2011-2012 school year. The district is releasing a list which provides a ranking of district reductions in the order they would be added back along with detailed description of the impact of each reduction.
RANKED BUDGET REDUCTION LIST  |  ITEMIZED DEPT. REDUCTION LIST

District proposes redesign of TAG model
The district is proposing modifications to the current Talented and Gifted (TAG) model in order to meet budget constraints. The draft outlines the current program and proposed changes.
TAG MODEL PROPOSAL

District publishes results of online budget survey
More than 6,400 parents, students, community members and Round Rock ISD staff members participated in the district’s interactive Web survey to provide feedback regarding programs to cut, ways to save taxpayer dollars and generate revenue...
SURVEY RESULTS

Budget Reduction Suggestions
The following budget reduction items are a collection of suggestions by Round Rock ISD stakeholders, including staff, parents and the community. The updated list contains dollar amounts to be saved if the district implements the reduction. The list should not be viewed as official budget reduction recommendations from district leaders. After considering stakeholder input, district leaders will develop an official list of reductions at a later date. During the budget reduction process the district will be continously updating the list of recommendations, but will continue to show earlier versions by date with the most recent list on the top. 

• 2/15/11 List of suggested budget reductions
• 2/14/11 List of suggested budget reductions
• 1/26/11 List of suggested budget reductions

Budget Background and Goal
The district is looking at significant budget cuts for the upcoming school year. We have been told the state deficit could be up to $25 billion and as education makes up 44 percent of the state’s budget, we expect to see cuts to the district’s state funding.

We are preparing to cut an estimated $47 million to $73 million from the 2011-2012 district budget, with the possibility of additional cuts in the 2012-2013 budget. These projected cuts are the direct result of the state shortfall among other things.

District staff has begun to identify programs and positions that may be reduced or eliminated in order to balance the district’s budget. We have a difficult road ahead and we must work together to ensure that our 44,700 students continue to have access to all necessary programs.

Budget
2010-2011

Per Pupil Expenditure: $7,505

Guiding Principles
The executive team, principal representatives and various directors developed the following guiding principles to assist in identifying possible budget reductions:

• Budget reductions will be considered in all areas. Decisions will be driven by the district’s mission, vision, beliefs, goals, stakeholder’s input and data.
• Efforts will be made to protect the core business of schools which is classroom instruction and accountability requirements. A greater percentage of reductions will be taken in areas outside the classroom.
• Engage staff, parents, business, and community in a collaborative and transparent process to develop budget cut recommendations.
• State and federal mandates must be met in the budget process.
• While maintaining a focus on state and federal accountability, budget reductions will be shared among all schools, programs and departments.
• Adoption and implementation of new personnel, programs and initiatives will be limited. Where new investments are necessary, off-setting savings from current programs will likely be required.
• Different scheduling models will be analyzed to ensure effectiveness and efficiency at all levels of schooling.
• RRISD will remain positive as budget cuts are suggested, and supportive of the budget recommendations.
• Communicate budget reductions and the rationale clearly and thoroughly to all stakeholders.
• RRISD will address staff reductions through attrition with reassignment of existing employees when possible.

Process

Budget Calendar

Meetings

FAQ -- How were teachers and others identified for layoffs?
Round Rock ISD began informing contract employees (teachers, counselors, nurses, librarians and campus administrators) of their employment status for the upcoming school year at the end of March.

The district faced two options in determining how contracted employees would be identified for termination. The first option involves the Board of Trustees declaring a financial exigency and enacting a Reduction in Force (RIF), which allows districts to break term contracts. The second option does not require a financial exigency be declared; however, only probationary contracts may be terminated under this option.

After careful deliberation, the district opted to not declare a financial exigency for multiple reasons. Declaring an exigency means the district is not in good financial standing and it negatively affects the district’s bond rating which impacts the district’s interest rates, thereby increasing taxes. Round Rock ISD has a healthy fund balance and because of these reserve dollars, declaring a financial emergency is not sensible.

The next decision the district faced was determining if probationary employees would be identified in a district-wide process or a campus-by-campus review. The district chose to take the approach of identifying probationary employees based on each campus’s need, in lieu of the district-wide approach.

The district has opened several new schools in the past few years which prompted the hiring of many new teachers to staff the campuses. Some new campuses have nearly 50% of their employees on probationary contracts. If the district had performed the budget reductions on a district-wide basis and determined that all 1st year Probationary Contract employees would not be renewed, this would have significantly impacted some campuses over others.

The district determined how many positions each campus had to eliminate and principals were given the opportunity to look at their staff and make the best decisions for their campus. In identifying employees for termination principals and other hiring managers based position eliminations on the following criteria: certification/license/testing/skills, performance, seniority and professional background. By using this process, the district implemented a system that identified positions for elimination consistently across the district.

By using this approach some first year teachers were allowed to remain while some second and third year probationary teachers lost their job. This was a very challenging decision; however, the district followed this process in the best interest of campus and student needs.