GISD School Board Finalizes Budget fiscal year

The Groesbeck ISD school board met for a special meeting on Mon., Aug. 30 to finalize and approve the tax rate and budget for the new financial year. While these important matters were eventually decided upon, the board also veered off the agenda to discuss topics including teacherstudent ratio at the Kindergarten level, the best format for football ticket sales, UIL funding and more.

District residents were given an opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns about either the tax rate or budget in a public hearing, but none present raised any issue with the proposed figures. However, board members raised issues with a few proposed budget changes and struggled to find a solution or determine the best course of action.

One such issue was presented to the board by two fathers of kindergarten students at H.O. Whitehurst, who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, to share concerns about large class sizes that could potentially impact or limit learning for the students. The district is currently planning to file a waiver with Texas Education Agency (TEA) because four kindergarten classes (and four second grade classes) exceed the class size limit of 22:1.

“To my understanding, the waiver extends Groesbeck ISD faculty an entire semester to look for a teacher. It is my fear over the next few months that my child as well as every other child will not receive adequate classroom instruction,” said Ryan Sebesta. “In my opinion, the waiver is merely a band-aid on a band-aid. I’m not only coming with a problem but a solution- I urge that you offer prospective teaching candidates a more competitive starting salary. The salaries will bring them here and the GISD family will keep them here.”

“We’re putting these kids at a disadvantage at an early age,” agreed Stephen Bradley. “There’s no way that they can learn what they need to learn in Kindergarten in a classroom of 27 or 28 kids, so learning in first, second and third is going to be a struggle. Not only am I worried about the kids, but the teachers- no way they can handle 27 kids.”

Bradley cited several schools in the area offering higher salaries for Kindergarten teachers than GISD, including Bremond, Coolidge, Buffalo, and Leon. This sparked conversation among the board and Superintendent Dr. James Cowley broke down the base pay rate and noted additional payouts the district makes to offer staff better insurance, salary incentives, etc.

Whitehurst Principal Kim Carter also explained the efforts made and challenges faced in finding additional teachers, from limited applicants to bad timing, but defended the paraprofessionals and classroom aides as more than “babysitters” and active contributors to the childrens’ education. Cowley also stated that waiver aside, the district was and would continue looking for another kindergarten teacher until the position was filled.

The board decided to revisit the issue of overpopulated kindergarten classes in the September meeting, to allow Cowley time to gather info about rates and benefit packages in the area and options the district could consider to resolve this problem.

Board member Ronnie Ferguson brought everyone’s attention to another detail of the budget; a proposed change that would reduce stipends for University Interscholastic League (UIL) coaches from $500 to $250. Cowley reminded them that this change was presented in June and was one of many areas that saw some funding cuts to pay for additional insurance for staff, but some board members felt conflicted about the impact such a change could have on the participation of teachers and by extension, students. Much discussion followed about UIL events, student involvement, performance, teacher pay, and more, as the board struggled to determine how the money should be allocated. Cowley also stated that he had already made up a $1 million dollar difference from last year’s budget due to changes in insurance and payroll, but that this expenditure could come out of the fund balance if they wanted to remove the proposed UIL pay change.

The board approved the budget for the fiscal year 2021- 2022 with an amendment to return UIL coach pay to $500 per event, with all members voting in favor except Angela Crane who voted against, and Tiffany Burleson, who was absent for the meeting.

The school district’s proposed tax rate of $1.18840 (per $100 cash valuation) passed more easily with the board. (0.95090 M&O, 0.23750 I&S)

“The tax rate is of course going down from what it was last year. We had continued compression so we have a lower M&O rate than what we had last year, as well the I&S rate staying the same at 0.23750, so overall we’re showing a 0.069 decrease in the overall tax rate. You may still hear from some taxpayers that their overall taxes are looking at going up, but that is due to appraisals and not due to the rate.”

Nurse Mychal Masters provided a COVID update, reporting 18 positive cases in the district, and 70 students or staff that were isolated due to close exposure to a positive within the home. Email communication of confirmed positive cases from administrators to parents was briefly discussed and efforts of the staff were praised by the board.

Before adjournment, Ferguson brought up a few other planning matters that he felt should be addressed, including additional hands needed for the Maintenance Department, safety concerns for the Show Barn, land the district could buy and more. Perhaps most notably, he drew attention to the district’s shift to online-only purchasing of football tickets, which he felt excludes seniors and other individuals who do not own credit cards or make online purchases.

High School Principal Bonnie Bomar expressed that kiosks were available onsite for the public to use, and that prepaid cards were an option that some individuals used when a credit or debit card was not available. She also noted that while the online purchasing service came at a cost, it was safer than keeping cash on hand at the gate. She further said that she would support and make the best of any decision by the board, but would prefer one payment method or the other and not a blend of the two.

With season ticket sales approaching, Cowley said a decision needed to be made immediately so that parents and fans have sufficient notification. The consensus of the board was to switch back to cash, but the matter could not be officially voted on as it was not on the agenda. For details about changes and where to buy tickets, visit the Groesbeck ISD website!

In other business, the board:

- Approved the consent agenda;

- Authorized Cowley to purchase attendance credit (legal formality required by TEA); and

- Approved additional paid sick leave for employees (up to 80 hours for the fall semester)

The next school board meeting is set for Monday, September 20 at 6 p.m.