By JOE BOCANEGRA
Special to the NEWS
The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District (SBCISD) Board of Trustees approved its budget for the 2011-2012 school year during a special meeting Tuesday night.
According to the budget summary provided by SBCISD Business Manager Emma McCall, the general fund was approved at $92,209,362 in proposed expenditures. The estimated revenue, $92,410,027, is made up of $72,984,304 from state funding, $10,362,500 that’s local, and $9,064,123 in federal monies.
The budget for the 2010-2011 school year was $150,643,004; in 2011-2012 it drops to $130,190,745. One of the departments significantly cut was athletics, from $841,003 to $719,148, and band, which was budgeted $154,054 after receiving $235,628 last year.
From the general operating fund, total instruction increased from $42,638,684 to $46,732,272. The total library funding decreased from $1,514,562 to $1,447,328, whereas the total curriculum and instructional staff development slightly gained from $403,981 to $428,900. Total instructional development saw an increase as well, from $1,507,572 to $2,249,984. School administration gained a bit from $5,211,944 to $5,283,385 while guidance and counseling services decreased from $2,596,028 to $2,589,056. Social work services and Health Services each received a small boost, from $363,980 to $395,346, and $924,800 to $961,810 respectively. However, the child nutrition program and the co curricular/extracurricular activities were hit with a small loss – $7,315,621 to $7,306,123 and $2,651,782 to $2,565,046, respectively. Pupil transportation gained from $1,036,923 to $1,099,664 while general administration dropped from $3,328,149 to $3,126,111.
In other news, the board approved a resolution to set up discounts for ad valorem school taxes in return for promptly paying them before January: for anyone paying in October will receive a three percent discount, November will be a two percent discount, and December will get a one percent discount. These discounts will come into effect on October 1.
The board also agreed upon the refinancing of bonds that were issued to the district, thus saving them a total of $500,000 from 2012 to 2024 – $43,484 per year. As reported in the Aug. 31 mid-week edition of the News, the interest rates of those bonds have been lowered, thus causing the district to consider refinancing.
Also, after much debate, the board decided against imposing a fee on teachers and staff who bring small refrigerators and microwave ovens to work, saying they can find other ways to cut costs. Specifically, Board President Yliana G. Rodriguez did not agree with the measure. The discussion also included instances in which the faculty needs to bring their personally-owned appliances, mostly due to time constraints.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of the Sept. 4 edition of the San Benito News.
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