SAN MARCOS CISD
The regularly-scheduled school board meeting for San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District on Monday was filled with a packed crowd of concerned parents and community members. San Marcos CISD Board President Anne Halsey read a letter that stated there would need to be cuts to jobs and programs if the “state funding formulas” do not change.
Eight citizens spoke during the public forum about their concerns with budget cuts affecting school programming with a focus on the future of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Speakers included AFJROTC booster club officers, parents and students. “This program [AFJROTC] not only focuses on leadership and citizen training for all of the cadets, it sets every cadet out for a successful career path after completing high school,” said Jennifer Kaye, the AFJROTC Booster Club Vice President. “AFJROTC has built a solid foundation and relationship with the community, building core foundations by par- ticipating in events like VFW parades, visiting veterans and participating in our Bataan Death March.”
The public forum ended with a comment from San Marcos High School student Sebastian Hernandez who spoke on the benefits of the AFJROTC program in his life.
“It’s important that you hear it, not just from the parents, but also those who have experienced this program through and through; it has taught me invaluable skills and shown me invaluable potential for my future,” Hernandez said.
Halsey read a statement from the board regarding the district’s budget planning process. Due to inadequate state funding the school district is facing a budget shortfall and has not received an increase to the per pupil funding rate since 2019 despite inflation and increasing costs resulting in an $8 million dollar shortfall for the district. Even after saving $3 million dollars last year due to attritioned positions and receiving an additional $3 million the school district is still in a deficit. Halsey laid out some of the reasons for the deficit including the state not fully funding early childhood education, special education, the wrap around social and counseling services and the school security mandate. The board has directed administration to identify $5 million in budget cuts that will affect students, teachers, support staff, administration and families with programs being scaled back and in some cases eliminated. Since 90% of the budget is comprised of salaries the board predicts there will be increases in class size with a decrease in services.
“Most unfortunately, we will lose wonderful people who we all value, people who we care deeply about and people who have served the district with distinction,” Halsey said. “We are facing decisions that no one wants to make, but we have no choice. To be sure if state funding formulas do not change in this legislative cycle, or if federal funding is cut, the district will continue to experience extremely difficult financial situations and impossible choices.”
There has been public discussion about the recent district termination process with many community members upset about employees being asked to resign in lieu of termination. The letter from the board addresses this by explaining that employees are being provided the option to resign so they can avoid a non renewal on their record.
“This option is provided to employees so that when they apply for future employment, a record of nonrenewal is not on their record, which could seriously hurt their chances of obtaining employment in another district,” Halsey read. The board wanted to clear up some misunderstandings by explaining that all of their employees will be employed through the end of this current school year and that new changes will be implemented for the 2025-2026 school year. Staff who will be unemployed by the end of the year will be eligible to apply for unemployment benefits even if they submitted a resignation letter. As required by federal law all employees will be provided information on continuing benefits via Cobra. New employees who have not fulfilled their certification requirements have been advised that their employment will not be renewed and are being provided the option to resign without a penalty to their employment record. The board made a point to say they respect the free speech rights of their employees and that the district encourages employees to speak on matters of public concern and anyone who has a work related grievance is encouraged to seek resolution through the board’s grievance policy.
“On behalf of the board, I want to extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all of our students, teachers, staff, administration, parents and community, for your hard work, for your commitment to SMCISD and for all the ways you show up for our schools,” Halsey said.
She encouraged the audience to show up in Austin as the legislative session continues explaining that if the legislature had ensured that the basic student allotment kept pace with inflation then the SMCISD school district would today have an approximately $3 million surplus as opposed to the current $8 million deficit. “As difficult as it is to see our public schools under attack, we all know how important this work is to our kids, to our community and to our future. We will continue to do everything within our power to ensure our students have access to the opportunities they need to be successful and we appreciate your support,” Halsey said on behalf of the board.
Superintendent Michael Cardona emphasised that there will always be JROTC at San Marcos High School.
