A $188.3 million general fund budget will take effect Friday to cover expenses the Denton school district will incur for the 2011-12 fiscal year.
School board members, with the exception of the absent Jim Alexander, unanimously approved the balanced budget 6-0 at a Tuesday meeting. The budget was approved just moments after state legislators approved a school finance plan reducing public education funding by $4 billion. IN OTHER ACTION
Denton school board members also:• named the current transportation supervisor of dispatch and operations the district's new director of transportation;• approved the 2011-12 Student Code of Conduct; and• gave approval for the district to move from a self-funded medical plan, HealthCare Trust, to participation in the state-established, self-funded TRS ActiveCare medical plan beginning Jan. 1. Under the new health insurance plan, the district will discontinue its in-hospital benefit program, and the district contribution for health insurance will decrease from $259 to $235, for a savings of approximately $1 million for the district the first year. Once the district joins TRS ActiveCare, it cannot drop out unless state law changes to allow it.
In adopting the budget, the board rehired remaining staff who received layoff notifications in April. Of the 80 receiving layoff notices, 28 were rehired June 14 and five others were rehired May 24. Not all employees took the district up on the rehire offer, officials said, because they were pursuing other job opportunities and options.
"We brought back 30 professional and 10 at-will [employees]," Superintendent Ray Braswell said. "So we basically spread the personnel reductions over a two-year period rather than a one-year period, which we've asked all along."
Katherine Myers, who taught English at Guyer High School during the 2010-11 school year, learned Wednesday that she was among those rehired Tuesday. She said she learned that she will teach English at Ryan High School, her alma mater. Though she didn't get her old job back and will miss her former students, she said she's glad to be rehired.
"I'm just excited. I'm really glad that it turned around for the better and everyone gets to teach again," Myers said. "I'm just excited to be able to teach, and especially at [the] school where I graduated."
Earlier this year, district officials announced that 232 positions would be eliminated. Since March, the district has cut roughly 158 positions through an incentive offered to some employees to resign or retire. The school district also eliminated 34 positions by contracting some of its janitorial services, and Braswell said it will look to eliminate the remaining 40 positions through attrition over the next two years as staff members retire or resign.
"We're still going to open next year with [an estimated] 160 fewer posts than we had this year, and people are going to see the difference," he said. "I think it is important to know that while we were able to recall our staff, we are not refilling those positions open through resignations and retirements, and we will see that impact next year. The district will look a little different next year."
Braswell said job assignments for rehired employees will be determined by the human resources department.
He said he had no information on whether some of the recalled employees would return to their former positions.
In the past, district officials have said the salaries for those rehired would be funded by monies available from staff retirements and resignations or through a one-time grant of $3.8 million from the federal Education Jobs Fund.
Braswell has said he anticipates those rehired with the federal grant will have their salaries for 2012-13 covered by the district's general fund through student enrollment growth and more staff retirements and resignations.
Board President Mia Price said Tuesday that the board sensed the compassion of district staff for their colleagues and students as they were tasked with challenging decisions in planning the budget.
"The pain has literally been felt throughout this whole district," Price said. "Everyone has been very kind, very considerate."
The tax rate to fund the budget adopted Tuesday remains unchanged at $1.53 per $100 property valuation. Overall revenues in the general operating fund are expected to decrease by 1.03 percent, according to district documents.
The 2011-12 budget reflects a more than $4.79 million decrease in expenses compared with the current $193 million budget. Of the approximately $188.3 million budget adopted for the 2011-12 fiscal year, about $160.2 million is designated for salaries, according to district documents.
The 2011-12 budget reflects more than $11.5 million in expenditure cuts, Braswell said. However, the one-time jobs grant and additional state revenue the district expects to receive for the projected 550 new students next school year impacts the expense difference between the current and 2011-12 budgets.
"We're just glad to finally get it done," Braswell said of the budget. "It's been a tough process, a very hard process. It's been a lot of people of good will working to get to this point. It was not easy for anyone."
BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com .
