CFO details Cleburne ISD funding situation

Dec. 18--Cuts in state funding and a drop in enrollment led to a loss of almost $5.4 million in revenue for Cleburne ISD between 2010 and what is budgeted for 2014, the district's chief financial officer, David Johnson, told Cleburne ISD board of trustees on Monday.

CISD Superintendent Tim Miller told the board he asked Johnson to prepare a financial report for them to answer ongoing questions about the district's fund balance and an across-the-board raises given to teachers "and how that relates to other school districts in Region 14."

Johnson presented information released in the fall of this year that shows Cleburne ranks eighth out of nine school districts in Johnson County in terms of fund balance per student, based on the districts' fund balances as of Sept. 1, 2012.

Cleburne ISD had a fund balance of $15,344,215, and a student population of 6,741, for a fund balance per student of $2,276. Godley ISD, with a student population of 1,620, had the highest fund balance per student at $6,813.

Rio Vista ISD -- the only district in the county with a lower fund balance per student than CISD -- was in the red with a negative fund balance of -$1,177,910. With a student population of 865, that puts RVISD's fund balance per student at -$1,362.

Johnson said that one reason CISD's fund balance is not lower is that the district deferred some maintenance expenses and other expenses over the last few years, and because the district has worked diligently to lower utility costs.

"We've saved about $1 million a year in utility costs," he said. But district officials chose in 2010 not to buy new buses to save money, he said. And the master facility capital needs plan dated Aug. 31 shows almost $20 million in maintenance costs scheduled to be spread out over the next 13 years. Maintenance scheduled for 2013 includes HVAC replacement and repairs, roofing, painting and maintenance work on parking lots, tennis courts and the running track totaling about $4.4 million. Maintenance scheduled for 2014 includes more HVAC, roofing and painting work, and more maintenance on parking lots and tennis courts, totaling about $3.8 million.

Johnson said that some suggested the district was carrying an overly large fund balance, but "that just isn't so," especially considering the needed maintenance work.

Johnson and Miller also presented data intended to address questions about teacher salaries. In setting the budget for the 2012-13 school year, the CISD board last spring voted to give a $535 raise to every teacher, librarian and registered nurse in the district. But Miller noted that an increase in insurance premiums in many cases offset the increase.

Miller also said that the district changed from paying teachers based on a pay scale to a pay grade. A pay scale is based on specific steps, such as length of time an employee has worked for the district, and Miller said that given the ongoing uncertainty of state and federal funding, a step increase system isn't really feasible for the district.

Johnson presented a report compiled with information available through Texas Association of School Boards comparing salaries among school districts in Region 11, which includes Cleburne ISD. That data shows that Cleburne is "right there in the 100 percent range" in comparison to the median salaries in Region 11. And CISD is slightly higher than the median for teachers with 20 or more years of experience.

The report shows that the starting salary for teachers in CISD is $43,000 and the maximum teacher salary is $63,214. The average teacher salary in CISD is $47,766, just slightly below the market median in Region 11 of $49,719.

"The goal is to make sure we can compete with other districts in our area" in terms of salary, Johnson said. "And we're in the 100 percent range [of the market median]. That shows that we provide a marketable salary in this region."

In other action Monday night:

--CISD trustees approved a 2014-15 school calendar that has students returning to classes on Aug. 25. The school year will end on June 4, or June 5 if necessary due to bad weather.

Asst. Superintendent Tammy Bright told trustees that a survey indicated faculty members preferred to have five of their mandatory seven staff development days scheduled before classes begin, with the other two scheduled during the school year, and trustees approved that option. That puts new teachers attending in-service training Aug. 13-15, and all faculty members attending staff development days Aug. 18-22.

Bright said staff also voted overwhelmingly in favor of ending the first nine-week semester before the 2014 Christmas holidays, which puts the end of the first nine weeks on Dec. 19.

--Miller told trustees about the Kindness Matters anti-bullying program in place in the Burleson ISD, but trustees took no action on adopting a similar program in the Cleburne school district.

Miller said BISD started by contracting with Rachel's Challenge, a nonprofit organization started by Darrell and Sandy Scott in memory of their daugter Rachel Joy Scott, who was killed in the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School. Rachel's Challenge provides an anti-bullying program to schools, including seminars, training sessions and more.

Miller said it would cost Cleburne ISD about $72,000 to implement the two-year program on every campus, district-wide. He said that Burleson ISD started with the Rachel's Challenge program, using that as a basis to develop the Kindness Matters campaign which has become a city-wide effort to end bullying.

Board member Don Bonner asked why the district needs to spend money for the Rachel's Challenge program when the tenets of the program are already included in the district's curriculum.

Miller said Burleson ISD involved city officials and local businesses in the Kindness Matters campaign, and that businesses can partner with schools to help pay for the cost of Rachel's Challenge. Board President Brent Easdon suggested that school officials talk to Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain and City Manager Rick Holden about the possibility of the city partnering with the school district.

Personnel report

Following is a list of staff and faculty members who have resigned. Board members are not required to take any action on these resignations:

--Hillery Duddington resigned as life skills aide at Adams Elementary effective Dec. 20.

--Pam Burkhart resigned as inclusion teacher at Marti Elementary effective Dec. 20.

--Joyce Robertson resigned as credit recovery lab aide at Cleburne High effective Dec. 20.

--Carol Sortini resigned as pre-K aide at Coleman Elementary effective Dec. 20.

--Angela Koslowski resigned as a second-grade teacher at Irving Elementary effective Jan. 10.

--Vanessa Navarette resigned as a receptionist at Adams Elementary effective Nov. 15.

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