By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District has hired a consultant, Martin Peña, to review the district’s budget.
Superintendent of Schools Antonio G. Limón said Friday, “There is a plan in place to balance the budget, not for this year but for the 2013 budget.”
The superintendent added, however, that no such plan is “set in stone.”
The district acquired a $16.9 million fund balance, due in part to an unexpected $2.5 million generated by a program in place, $2 million in local funding, savings in utilities expenditures of over $1 million and other additional savings across the board.
This year, as Limón mentioned, the state provided the district with a budget of $89 million. The actual needs of the district were $91 million. Limón said the district had to borrow the remaining $2 million from the fund balance. He said, “We had to borrow from savings.”
The fund balance is not scheduled to be touched for 2013-2014, said Limón. The superintendent stated, “We are going to balance the budget.” This is why he said the district has enlisted the advice of Peña
Peña is a retired superintendent, the executive director of South Texas Association of Schools and a lobbyist in Austin. The plan he prepared consists of a “proposed three-year balance,” said Limón. The superintendent added, “There might even be room for raises.”
In response to other reports indicating that the recent $1,000 holiday incentive which was awarded to qualifying district employees may have resulted in possible budget cuts, Limón said, “The fact we gave an incentive or not doesn’t have anything to do with the budget cuts.”
Regarding Peña’s plan, Limón said, “It’s a plan we’re going to look at.”
Limón said that much of the district’s final considerations regarding the budget will lie in the state’s upcoming legislative session. Limón said, “If (the state) sends us additional monies, we might not have to cut $2.5 million. We might only have to cut $1 million to balance it out.” Regardless, Limón said the district is considering its options at this time.
One consideration of the district for balancing the budget includes not replacing all of the staff and faculty who resign. Limón said, “Normally, about 80 teachers leave the district annually. Maybe we won’t (replace) all of them.” The superintendent said the district might have more clerical, maintenance and custodial positions than they “need” yet specified the district will not be “firing people, but as they leave, they might not be replaced.”
Limón said that the last few years, including this year, the district “has taken money from the fund balance” to make ends meet, but he anticipates a future which involves a balanced budget, overall.
The district will pay roughly $1.5 million to the 1,606 employees that qualified for the one-time holiday incentive recently approved by the board and celebrated amongst qualifying district workers. According to Limón, this does not affect any additional checks and balances within the district’s budget, now or in the future.
Read this story in the Dec. 16 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
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