From the 2011-2012 HISD RESOURCE ALLOCATION HANDBOOK (page 3)
“PER UNIT ALLOCATION
The per unit allocation for 2011-2012 are:
- Elementary school $3,257
- Middle school $3,282
- High school $3,246 (plus $192 High School State Allotment)
Once the State finalizes the 2011-2012 State budget and sets the actual amount of reduction in State funding for HISD, and once the Board then has an opportunity to consider any revenue options available to us locally to the extent that the District’s actual funding shortfall is less than the cuts we have made, the first priority for use of any available funds will be at the campus level to increase the PUA.”
In short, what this means is that any budget surplus for the next school year will be sent to the schools as PUA (Per Unit Allocation). PUA makes up the bulk of a school budget and is the money used to pay staff. When the PUA is increased a principal has the resources to hire additional staff, when it is reduced, which is the situation we face this year, staff is reduced. This is the simple reason why we have layoffs.
The HISD Board as a group expressed great regret at the reduction of PUA and in March voted unanimously to return any budget surplus that may exist after State funding figures were finalized to the schools in the form of increased PUA. This Board vote was made into policy with the adoption of the 2011-2012 RESOURCE ALLOCATION HANDBOOK. Since the March vote the Board made cuts which as it turned out exceeded State funding reductions by $18,490,403. This is the amount of money which according to policy must be sent to the schools as increased PUA.
GUESS WHAT??
Those of you who follow HISD know what is coming next. On Thursday of next week the Board will be voting on the following recommendation from the Superintendent. This is Agenda Item G-6:
“Administrative Recommendation:
1) Designate that the 2011–2012 General Fund excess budget reduction over state revenue reduction of $18,490,403 be placed in General Fund balance to be used to offset the projected budgetary shortfall of $44 million in the 2012–2013 fiscal year.”
That is right. The recommendation is to put the money in the bank to be used in the 2012-2013 school year. To take the sting out of this recommendation, and possibly to mollify some trustees, the Superintendent is also recommending that $18,490,403 of a $33,855,783 Federal Grant be sent to the schools at the rate of $85 per weighted unit. Item G-6 continues as follows:
“Administrative Recommendation:
3) Designate that $18,490,403 of the $33,855,783 be allocated to campuses for use in three identified initiatives: technology, intervention strategies, and instructional materials. No full-time positions will be authorized since the funding is a one-time allocation. The campuses will provide a plan as to how the funds will be used. Any campus that does not need the funds in the identified areas can submit an alternate plan to the Deputy Chief Academic Officer for consideration and approval. The $18,490,403 will be allocated to campuses at $85 per weighted unit. These weighted units are based on the campuses’ preliminary budget projections adjusted for school closures and boundary changes previously approved by the Board of Education. This one-time allocation will be tracked in separate funds in order to provide specific reporting as to the use of the funds in accordance with the plans submitted by campuses.”
While the same amount of money as the surplus will be sent to the schools on a per unit basis, because it is one time funding it is not part of the regular PUA and is specifically prohibited from being used for paying full time personnel. This simply means that none of the jobs eliminated by the budget cuts can be restored from this money.
This is the second opportunity for the Board to send more money to schools and ease the effect of the employee layoffs. They failed in their first opportunity when they refused to pass a budget that included a tax increase. We need for the Board to follow its intent as voted on in March, and its policy as expressed in the RESOURCE ALLOCATION HANDBOOK, to reject the recommendation as stated in Item G-6 and require the budget surplus to be sent to the schools allowing principals to restore positions that had been cut. Contact the board and give them the above message.
School Board e-mail addresses
District I | Anna Eastman | |
District II | Carol Galloway | |
District III | Manuel Rodriguez | |
District IV | Paula Harris | |
District V | Michael L. Lunceford | |
District VI | Greg Meyers | |
District VII | Harvin Moore | |
District VIII | Juliet K. Stipeche | |
District IX | Lawrence Marshall |
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