The head of the Houston school system warned district employees of more layoffs and funding cuts minutes after district trustees approved budget cuts Thursday.
Next school year, Houston Independent School District schools will receive $275 less per student from the district. The reduction, approved by HISD trustees during its March board meeting, brings the district more than $58 million closer to closing a projected $171 million budget gap, HISD says.
“In the coming weeks, HISD principals will be deciding how their campuses will make do with less,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said in a letter to district staff. “They will be scrutinizing extracurricular programs, supply and equipment needs, and staffing levels. By April 18, they must notify teachers whose jobs can no longer be funded.”
The anticipated layoffs at individual schools are possible even after the cuts approved by trustees Thursday. HISD will spend $2.4 million less funding small schools and another $4.6 million less in unique school funding.
“These are sad times for every member of Team HISD,” Grier said in the letter. More than 700 HISD employees gave early notice of their plans for retirement after this school year, Grier said -- more than 500 of them teachers.
HISD offered these employees incentives ranging from $500 to $2,500 if they notified the district of their plans to retire before March 1. The cash incentives increased for employees the longer they had been with the district.
Trustees also approved a timeline and process around the possible closure or consolidation of four HISD elementary schools: Love, Grimes, McDade and Rhoads. Closing all four would save the district close to $1.7 million, HISD said.
The district has proposed more ways of cutting the anticipated budget gap, some of which include a more uniform transportation schedule for all HISD campuses and cuts to police staffing at some schools.
“In the coming weeks, HISD principals will be deciding how their campuses will make do with less,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said in a letter to district staff. “They will be scrutinizing extracurricular programs, supply and equipment needs, and staffing levels. By April 18, they must notify teachers whose jobs can no longer be funded.”
The anticipated layoffs at individual schools are possible even after the cuts approved by trustees Thursday. HISD will spend $2.4 million less funding small schools and another $4.6 million less in unique school funding.
“These are sad times for every member of Team HISD,” Grier said in the letter. More than 700 HISD employees gave early notice of their plans for retirement after this school year, Grier said -- more than 500 of them teachers.
HISD offered these employees incentives ranging from $500 to $2,500 if they notified the district of their plans to retire before March 1. The cash incentives increased for employees the longer they had been with the district.
Trustees also approved a timeline and process around the possible closure or consolidation of four HISD elementary schools: Love, Grimes, McDade and Rhoads. Closing all four would save the district close to $1.7 million, HISD said.
The district has proposed more ways of cutting the anticipated budget gap, some of which include a more uniform transportation schedule for all HISD campuses and cuts to police staffing at some schools.
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