The Snyder Independent School District is taking a proactive approach to their 2016-2017 school year budget after learning $10.5 million dollars they receive from the state each year may no longer be available in the future.
Superintendent Jim Kirkland says SISD is one of about 100 districts that receive funds through the State of Texas’ ASATR (Additional State Aid for Tax Relief) account.
ASATR was created in 2006 after lawmakers decreased the amount of taxes school districts were allowed to levy. The state wanted to make sure no district would lose money though this process, so they created the ASATR account to counter-act any deficits.
SISD has been receiving these funds since 2007, but the ASATR account was capped in 2011, meaning the funds are set to run out by 2017 if new legislation does not offer a recovery option.
Kirkland claims that without these funds, the district is facing a $10.5 million deficit in their annual budget. He’s working toward making cuts in the budget where ever he can and is creating a three-year plan to close the deficit as much as he can.
He says no one is being laid-off right now, but there is an attrition system in place. When a faculty or staff member resigns, retires, or is fired, the district will look closely at their position to determine if they need to hire a replacement.
The school district is not in “crisis mode” yet, according to Kirkland who says they’re just doing everything they can to proactively combat this issue.
He’s hoping the Texas Legislature will pass a bill in 2017 that will come to the aid of school districts in this predicament. They are set to meet in January of 2017, and the new law could pass in June of 2017.
(Information from BigCountryHomepage.com)
