SAISD trustees are considering giving time-and-a-half pay to any school district employees who have been working in-person during the pandemic. | Facebook
District leaders in San Antonio are beginning to tighten their budget as schools prepare for the economic impact the coronavirus pandemic will bring.
COVID-19 has brought many Texans to unemployment and closed hundreds of businesses, which is likely going to impact the state's finances and jeopardize teacher salaries, according to Rivard Report. With next year's school budget starting in July or September, district leaders will be beginning to search for alternative revenues to cover school costs and tighten next year's budget, Rivard Report said.
“My fear is that the state won’t have enough money even to get us through next year,” San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) Superintendent Pedro Martinez told Rivard Report. “This year they are protecting our [funding], but at some point they are going to have to come back together and look at how much revenue is left in the biennium. And we have another school year in the biennium.”
On April 6, the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel asked for time-and-a-half pay for any employees of SAISD that still reported to work in-person dating back to March 16, according to Rivard Report. District trustees are considering the request, but Martinez warned the trustees that back pay to March 16 could result in millions of dollars and SAISD has already spent millions due to the pandemic, Rivard Report said.
Distance learning required the school district to spend about $8 million on laptops, Wi-Fi hot spots, food and other instructional material, but $7.1 million of this spending could be reimbursed if voter approved, according to Rivard Report.
SAISD is also looking for philanthropic and grant aid.
Debra Guerrero, a district trustee, is encouraging other board members to ask friends and family to donate to the Foundation's Connect Campaign, Rivard Report said.
While SAISD is trying to raise money and tighten its budget, state Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio), the House Public Education Committee vice chairman, said that there will be budget cuts, according to Rivard Report.
“Will there be cuts? Of course,” he said in a statement. “Can we be smarter and strategic about it? Is there some room to maneuver? I actually believe so.”
But Bernal said he would want to protect allotment for every student, teacher pay incentive programs and full day pre-kindergarten from any cuts that need to be made, according to Rivard Report.
He also said cutting back on property tax relief could help school district gain money, according to Rivard Report.
“We can preserve a lot of the gains we make on public education if you scale back on this so-called property tax relief, which really doesn’t do much,” Bernal said in his statement. “For most people, if someone’s about to get gentrified out of their home, that $150 is not going to be the thing that makes or breaks that experience.”
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