Reflections on the Budget Vote

I’ve had a couple of days to digest the board’s unanimous vote to approve the HISD budget and salary schedule. In the end the transfer of $5 million from the fund balance to the PUA brought the naysayers on board. Thanks must be given to the District VI trustee for cobbling this deal together. On a more somber note it is clear we have a hugely divided school board. The additional money into the PUA amounts to $23 extra dollars per student with no real controls on how the money can be spent. In the end this will benefit the schools with the largest enrollment which explains why it was so important to the trustees in Districts I,V,VI, & VII. I’ve always been an advocate of single-member board districts but there is a decided lack of a broad district-wide view on the school board. Perhaps it is time to consider a plan that would give us seven single-member districts and two trustees elected at-large.